Accidents and/or malfunctions are unplanned events, which are not indicative of the intended activities associated with construction or operation of the Webequie Supply Road (‘WSR’, or the ‘Project’). An accident is an unexpected occurrence or unintended action, such as human error or natural events, which present the potential for negative (adverse) effects on the environment. A malfunction is defined by the failure of an engineered device or system (e.g., a device, piece of equipment, infrastructure) that must function as intended to prevent negative (adverse) effects on the environment. For any well designed and planned development project, unintended accidents and malfunctions are a rare event; however, the potential occurrence must be considered and prepared for. By analysing plausible accident and malfunction scenarios for the Project, risk factors, potential environmental effects and preventative planning can reduce the severity of such an event if it were to occur, thereby increasing readiness and assurance of assessed environmental predictions.
We have created this easier to understand visual and written version of the introduction with links to the source material, to ensure that not only scientists and policy personnel can understand this, but lay people as well.