Industrial installations handling hazardous chemical substances can generate cascading effects across interconnected infrastructures, potentially amplifying accident consequences well beyond the initial site. Traditional safety analyses often consider installations in isolation and do not fully address interdependencies between critical infrastructures such as energy, transport and communication systems. This limits the ability to anticipate and manage cascading scenarios that can escalate industrial accidents into wider societal crises. The H(CS)2I project addresses these challenges by analysing cascading effects and interdependencies involving hazardous chemical installations, with the aim of improving risk assessment and emergency planning.
The project investigates how accidents involving hazardous chemical substances can propagate across interconnected infrastructures and how such cascading effects can be systematically identified and assessed. It examines modelling and analytical approaches capable of representing interdependencies and escalation pathways. Another research question concerns how the resulting knowledge can support prevention, land-use planning and emergency preparedness for complex, interdependent systems.
H(CS)2I will deliver methodologies and analytical tools for identifying and assessing cascading effects and interdependencies related to hazardous chemical installations. Outputs include recommendations supporting risk-informed decision-making, emergency planning and improved coordination between infrastructure operators and authorities.
The project workplan includes work packages dedicated to project management, identification of interdependencies between infrastructures, modelling and analysis of cascading accident scenarios, validation through representative case studies, and dissemination of results.

John Watt
Middlesex University
United Kingdom

Francesco Costantino
Sapienza University
Italy

Maria Luisa Villani
ENEA
Italy

Giordano Vicoli
ENEA
Italy

Antonio Denicola
ENEA
Italy
