In order to explore the influence of experiencing accidental explosions at a chemical plant on public perception of risk, this study investigates perceived risk of inhabitants living near a chemical plant where accidental explosions occurred (group A) and that of inhabitants living near a chemical plant where no serious accident happened (group B). Our questionnaire survey revealed that (1) participants of group A has a greater dread compared to those of group B; (2) the accident experience hardly influence rating of health risks; and (3) "frequency of accidents" variable is a dominant factor that influences decision making whether they participate in physical risk communication or not.

View full abstract

[in Japanese]

View full abstract

Anti-corrosion resins are used as a matrix of FRP in many fields. Though they have strong-corrosion resistance, the mechanical properties of resins may degrade after the penetration of chemical solutions. Sensing techniques for detecting acid and/or base solutions were proposed before; however organic solvents or solutions have not been subjected to detection. In this paper, the sensing system to detect an alcohol penetrated into anti-corrosion resin by using color change of cobalt chloride as an indicator was studied. This indicator was put in the light path of an optical fiber embedded in the resin and spectrum change was evaluated.

View full abstract

[in Japanese]

View full abstract

[in Japanese]

View full abstract

[in Japanese]

View full abstract

An explosion accident is one of the significant disasters in factories and plant facilities. In the architectural design, there are safe measures achieved by the facilities and the structure. Safe measures achieved by the facilities enable quick detection of gas leakage and effective urgent action. Safe measures on the structure minimize damage on humans, facilities and buildings. In this report, various safe measures and the way of consideration on the safe assessment are described based on our design and construction experiences.

View full abstract

[in Japanese]

View full abstract

Two years have passed since the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. While reconstruction progresses steadily, a need for new concepts for tsunami prevention is realized. The concepts however, are currently left in the hands of the local governments, each with a general goal of disaster mitigation but lacking in some universal risk base. With this problem in mind, this paper proposes the concept of critical interlock - stopping processes before fatal damage can be done. Using this concept, existing or planned tsunami prevention measures are analyzed.

View full abstract