Abstract

Background and Aim: The occurrence of chemical events causes a lot of financial, life and environmental damages. The purpose of this study is investigating and analyzing chemical events in Fars province between 2008 and 2017, to provide solutions based on chemical defense for immunization and emergency response to consequences. Methods: This research conducted with practical approach and descriptive method. The study population consists of experts with operational experience in response to chemical events in Fars province (including 29 cities). The study tool was a researcher-made questionnaire which its reliability and validity were confirmed. Analytical Hierarchy Process with Expert Choice software has been used to investigate chemical events in Fars province. Results: 166 chemical events in Fars province during the period from 2009 to 2018 was recorded. Industrial unit fires, road transport accidents, and gas leaks and gas leakage from the gas distribution network were the most significant incidents. The type of chemical that caused the event, human injuries and the location of the event were considered as the main criteria. Capital damage, proximity to residential area, and environmental and natural resources damage were considered as sub-criteria. The most important chemical defense solutions include; preparing a database of all chemical industries and factories, prioritizing chemical facilities from a risk perspective, conducting training programs for emergency teams, conducting medical examinations of people exposed to chemicals, cleaning up contaminated areas, and preventing the spread of contamination. Conclusion: This research has shown that most events were not only preventable, but also severely predictable. One way of immunity and emergency response to events is their timely analysis to identify the causes, most of which are human error and the factors affecting it. © 2020 Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved.