SAFE 2019

8th International Conference on Safety and Security Engineering

23 – 25 September 2019
Ancona, Italy

Overview

The 8th International Conference on Safety and Security Engineering took place in Ancona Italy from 23 – 25 September 2019. The Conference was organised by the Wessex Institute, UK, and the Marche Polytechnic University, represented by Professor Giorgio Passerini and the University of Rome “La Sapienza”, Italy, represented by Professor Fabio Garzia and Honorary Chairman Massimo Guarascio.

The conference, which started in Rome, Italy in 2005, is well-established and always attracts a wide international spread of delegates. The purpose of the Conference is to provide a forum for the presentation and discussion of the most recent research and industrial developments in the theoretical and practical aspects of safety and security engineering. It covers areas such as crisis management, security engineering, natural disasters and emergencies, terrorism, IT security, man-made hazards, risk management, control, protection and mitigation issues, and many others.

Opening of the Conference

The conference was opened by Giorgio Passerini who welcomed the delegates to the conference, before paying tribute to the founder of the Wessex Institute, the late Prof Carlos A Brebbia.

Professor Passerini then mentioned that the main object of WIT is the dissemination of knowledge, with particular emphasis on science and engineering. Another way in which this is achieved is by the publication of papers from conferences and Journals, through its publishing arm, WIT Press. Professor Passerini then stressed that WIT publications are now available on line free of charge, all of them indexed on main science-indexing sites.

Professor Massimo Guarascio of the University of Rome, La Sapienza, gave a presentation welcoming the delegates to the conference on behalf of the University. He explained the reason for the setting up of this conference series, and explained that every four years it is held in Rome. It was conceived by Professor Brebbia and himself to encourage the coming together of engineers, scientists, field researchers, managers and other specialists involved in one or more aspects of safety and security.

Invited Presentations

There were a series of invited lectures on advanced topics of research and applications, as follows:

• “Crowd evacuation analysis of the Papal Basilica of Saint Francis in Assisi, Italy” by Professor F. Garzia, University of Rome, La Sapienza, Italy.
• “The use of SHERPA for the prevention of human errors among agricultural machinery users” by Professor M. Guarascio, University of Rome, La Sapienza, Italy.
• “Application of quality function deployment to information physical security” by Professor F. Garzia, University of Rome, La Sapienza, Italy.
• “Ballistic impact energy absorption of light protection blankets” by Professor G. Janszen, Polytechnic University of Milan, Italy
• “Safety of base-isolated building in case of impact against retaining wall,” by Professor C. Cuadra, Akita Prefectural University, JAPAN
• “Emotional reactions to risk perception in the Pompeii Archaeological Park, Italy” by Professor F. Garzia University of Rome, La Sapienza, Italy
• “Assessing the health impact of airborne pollutants in urban environments: introduction and a review of existing evidences”, as part of a special session chaired by Professor G. Passerini, Marche Polytechnic University, Italy and Wessex Institute of Technology.

Conference Sessions

The papers presented during the conference were classified under the following headings:

• Earthquake safety
• Human factors and behaviour
• Modelling and experiments
• Multi-hazard risk assessment
• Occupational health and safety
• Risk analysis and assessment
• System safety engineering
• Transportation safety and security
• Special Session on the health risks due to airborne pollutants emitted by heterogeneous sources in complex environments chaired by G. Passerini

There were numerous occasions for holding informal discussions during the coffee breaks and the complimentary lunches provided.

Conference Publication

Papers presented at this conference will appear in Vol. 189 of the WIT Transactions on the Built Environment (ISSN: 1743-3509). Papers presented at the meeting will be available Open Access in the eLibrary of the Wessex Institute (https://www.witpress.com/elibrary) from where they can be freely downloaded by any interested parties.

A few papers were selected for publication in the International Journal of Safety and Security Engineering. This journal covers areas such as crisis management; security engineering; natural disasters and emergencies; terrorism; IT security; man-made hazards; risk management; control; protection and mitigation issues.

ISAC Dinner

The meeting of the International Scientific Advisory Committee (ISAC) of the Conference took place over dinner at Hotel Internazionale. At the meeting, members of the committee were encouraged to inform WIT of any suggestions for new topics to the conference and also discussed the evolution of the conference.

Conference Dinner

The Conference dinner took place at Restaurant Giacchetti, located on the beach in Portonovo, close to the conference venue, where the participants could enjoy local dishes, including an exceptional range of fresh fish and shellfish caught locally and cooked freshly. The evening started with an aperitif which was particularly appreciated by the participants.

Closing of the Conference

The conference was closed by Professor Giorgio Passerini, and Professor Fabio Garzia who thanked the delegates for attending and hoped that they would consider attending the next conference in the series which is due to be reconvened in 2021.

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