Environmental risk assessment in university campus. Case study: university of córdoba-colombia

Evaluación Del Riesgo Ambiental En Campus Universitarios. Caso Estudio: Universidad De Córdoba-Colombia

This research project evaluated the environmental risk factors present in the laboratories of the Faculty of Basic Sciences at the University of Córdoba. By adjusting and applying conceptual and methodological tools such as the Institutional Guide for the Identification and Evaluation of Environmental Risk (developed by the Universidad Pedagógica Nacional de Colombia), Spanish law UNE 150008 regarding analysis and evaluation of environmental risk, and Colombian law GTC 104 regarding management of environmental risk, the project identified and evaluated environmental risk scenarios in 18 laboratory facilities at the University. Additionally, this research proposed risk prevention and management strategies.

In this framework, the level of risk was calculated for three dimensions: natural, human, and socio-economic, estimating the Probability of Occurrence and the Gravity of the Consequences for the scenarios in each dimension. The research team found that the main environmental risks are Dumping of chemical liquid residues, Volatilization of Chemical Substances, and Gas and/or Contaminating Vapor Leaks, whose degree of environmental risk complexity oscillates between Mild, Moderate, and Medium. However, the most predominant risk is Moderate. In turn, the Medium Risk was only found in the Human environment.

 Based on the aforementioned analysis, the research team identified management actions aimed at preventing, mitigating, or controlling the different types of risks, such as characterization of types of dumping, renovation and period maintenance of gas extractor devices, capacity-building for users regarding the importance of using safety equipment, and the adoption of control mechanisms to ensure the use of these elements.

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