Your issues and needs

The potential effect of an earthquake on industrial sites must be taken into account to ensure the safety of the site, and to avoid serious consequences that may have an impact on the surrounding areas. It is very important to ensure he stability of the structures and to secure industrial processes in the event of tremors occurring. The risk of cascade effects (fire, explosion, burst pipelines) must also be reduced. The regulations define verification criteria and inspection procedures to ensure the safety of sites and processes, particularly to comply with the requirements for operating permits. In addition, to maintain the ability to respond promptly in the event of a serious event occurring, scenario building and exercises may be necessary. 

Our added value

BRGM mobilises its experts (seismologists, structural engineers, computer scientists, etc.), to help the operators of industrial sites comply with their regulatory obligations and find innovative solutions adapted to their challenges in terms of risk assessment, prevention and reduction: 

• Documentation on the risks specific to your installations, 
• Training to better understand the phenomena and the measures to be taken, 
• Geological and seismological studies, of documentation repositories or with geophysical tests, 
• Local seismic hazard studies to help determine the most secure sites for installing facilities, design or verification of dams and SEVESO sites, 
• Simulations of seismic responses of structures, 
• Vulnerability studies of installations, 
• Seismological monitoring networks, either permanent or temporary (design, development, deployment), 
• Impact scenarios (earthquake, tsunami) to anticipate and prepare responses to natural disasters, 
• Tools for rapid assessment of damage (near real-time): design and development adapted to your needs, (link to the seismic alert product sheet) 
• Organisation and facilitation of crisis response exercises. 

Tools and software 

• Géorisques: web portal disseminating up-to-date public data on natural and technological risks 
• EFISPEC 3D: 3D numerical modelling tool for seismic wave propagation 
• Armagedom: damage simulation tool based on seismic scenarios 
• Vigirisks: platform for scenario-based simulation of natural risk impacts (earthquakes, ground movements, coastal flooding). 
• Development and deployment of targeted and personalised alert bulletins for grouped structures, if such an event occurs. 

Some references 

Hazard assessment: 

• Hazard mapping (microzoning) 
• Atlas of risks (all natural hazards) 
• Regulatory study of local hazards (SEVESO classified installations, electricity production site, dams, etc..) in France and abroad 
• Suricate-Nat: development of a Web portal for the collection and analysis in real time of the information relayed on Twitter concerning natural risks in France 

Vulnerability reduction: 

• Assessment of the vulnerability of infrastructures (buildings, water network, reservoirs, power lines, airports, etc.) around the world 
• Prioritising interventions and proposing measures to reduce vulnerability 

Supporting decision-making: 

• Development and deployment of seismic alert services for linear infrastructures such as high-speed rail lines  
• ThinkHazard! is a web-based application highlighting the degree of likelihood of various natural hazards affecting the area concerned. It also provides guidelines for reducing the impact of these risks and recommends resource documentation. 
• Elaboration of supports (cartography, event injection, media pressure, etc.) for RICHTER seismic crisis management exercises 
• Feedback for crisis preparation and management