Safety assessment on Grand Bahama

Grand Bahama is the northernmost island of the Bahamas archipelago. In 2015, the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) performed an assessment of the health concerns among residents of the surrounding communities of the Freeport industrial park. In 2017, the results of the assessment prompted the authorities to commission Antea Group to perform an independent safety assessment for the approximately 3,000 affected residents. An Antea Group project team accurately identified potential safety hazards, such as fire, explosions and vibrations and reported their recommendations to the Minister of the Bahamas.

Understanding
Freeport’s harbor area is home to heavy industry, including chemical, storage and transshipment facilities for liquid bulk goods and flammable substances. Risks associated with the industrial park near the communities have long been a source of concern for citizens, activists and leaders. Antea Group therefore visited Freeport on several occasions to collect information and talk to residents, entrepreneurs and directors.

Improving
Antea Group ultimately succeeded in producing a clear description of the problem, using models to provide insight into the safety risks. Recommendations were made with concrete measures on both a technical and organizational level, with a view to not only improving collaboration between residents, companies and the authorities, but principally improving the safety situation.


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Esri, DigitalGlobe, GeoEye, Earthstar Geographics, CNES/Airbus DS, USDA, USGS, AeroGRID, IGN and the GIS User Community