G 0.6 Disasters in the Vicinity

An authority or enterprise can suffer damage if a serious accident occurs in the vicinity, for example a fire, an explosion, the release of toxic substances, or the escape of dangerous radiation. Danger exists not only from the event itself but also from the activities that often result from it, such as cordoning off or rescue operations.

An institution’s properties can be exposed to various threats from the vicinity, including from traffic (road, rail, air, water), neighboring businesses, or residential areas.

Prevention or rescue operations can directly affect the properties. Such measures can also prevent employees from reaching their workplaces or require personnel to be evacuated. Due to the complexity of building systems and IT equipment, indirect problems can also occur.

Example:

• During a fire at a chemical plant in immediate proximity to a data center (approximately 1000 m as the crow flies), a massive plume of smoke formed. The data center had a climate and ventilation system that had no external air monitoring. Only through the attentiveness of an employee (the accident occurred during work hours) who observed the formation and spread of the smoke could the external air supply be manually shut off in time.