Study of Safety Aspects in Handling Hazardous Material Transportation in the Middle East

Purpose of this paper The transportation of hazardous materials exposes to major risk aspects not only for the personnel involved in transportation but for the environment as well. In view of this, the research aimed to identify various categorical risks that are to be identified, analysed and mitigated accordingly. As for the safety of the material and the transport, such factors as the flow, structure and volume of the material need to be examined continuously (Verma, 2009). The evaluation of the risk factors is thus essential for the safety of hazardous materials and its transportations. Design/methodology/approach The proposed methodology follows with a comprehensive literature review of identifying the various hazardous materials and their degree of hazard-ness and then analysing the safety measures through an industry focused case study approach. Findings The research develops an initial framework as well as measures of safety aspects in handling hazardous material transportations. The research identified some gaps in following safety aspects while Transporting Hazardous Materials in developing countries mainly from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries logistical operations. Research limitations/implications (if applicable) The research is therefore limited to the GCC region. Further, an in-depth understanding of safety aspects in handling hazardous material would help the logistics industry, in providing better proactive safety mechanism among the Logistics Service Providers (LSPs). Practical implications (if applicable): The transportation of hazardous materials has always been existing as a critical business because of the magnitude of any mismanagement and operations. This can be attributed to the fact that it not only affects the environment but also the driver’s /employees life at risk. In view of this the research contributes to both the theory and practice of material handling, transportation and logistics. Paper Type: Research paper