Research Methods in Health

Assignment 1: Project Part B Literature Review
Petrochemical Hazards Disaster Risks Perception and
Preparedness in Saudi Arabia
Introduction
According to Zabin (2011), the effects of disaster risks are very devastating and affect the environment by causing death, injuries and contamination. The report given by United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR, 2012) indicates that, in the last three decades, the Arab regions have experienced more than 270 disasters. The disasters led to approximately 150,000 mortalities causing a lot of disturbances to more than 10 million people (UNISDR, 2012). This literature intends mainly to explore the primary reasons why the nation of Saudi Arabia is highly vulnerable to petrochemical disasters. In conducting that, the research will integrate the reports of the scholarly journals, articles, periodicals among other important and relevant publications to come up with comprehensive ways through which disasters can get avoided or properly managed.
Literature Review
In the view of Alamri (2014), people experience the effects of disasters due to the failure of risk assessment and management. He further stated that disasters typically occur because of the interaction of many diverse factors including technology, nature and humans. Zabin (2011), also shares the idea that the government of Saudi Arabia understands the petrochemical hazards thwarts development, affects health, and contaminate the environment. Due to such reasons, the authorities have come up with new strategies and synergies with an aim of managing risks and hazards of disaster. However, in the previous literatures, there is an existing gap in the sense that the strategies are reactive in nature rather than being proactive in nature. This indicates a preliminary failure of risk mitigation and preparedness according to the World Safety Organisation.
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is one of the leading countries in oil and gas production (2014). The exploration of their impacts on the lives of people, environment, health and the strategies that the government has put in place to prepare and manage such hazards is also important. This is the main area that a big gap exists because many studies have been focused on earthquake, floods among other natural disasters. The anthropogenic disasters have not received adequate attention despite the fact that Saudi Arabia is an energy generating country.
According to Charles and Ramírez-Pascualli (2012), in the petrochemical industries, flammable substance leakages have caused a lot of damages to the environment and the lives of people. The mixing of such leakages with the air in the environment can cause ignition that can ultimately lead to fire outbreaks. Chang (2014) further elaborates that the release of the toxic substance in the air causes dangerous respiratory conditions leads to death and deteriorates health. Flammable petrochemical substances released into the air causes a sporadic massive escape of volatile vapors (Rahm & Reddick, 2011). This can lead to a major combustion (Raham & Reddick, 2011).
Ibrahim and Mat (2003) said, purports that the reactive nature of the strategies gives an indication of the high risk; addionally, there has not been an action in minimising the level of exposure and vulnerability to risks within the borders of Saudi Arabia. Alamri (2014), recommends that the likelihood of disaster in the nation can get meaningfully reduced through the initiation of strategies that focus on the reduction of exposure to the people and assets in the petrochemical environment. Coming up with proactive disaster mitigation measures would protect the right of people by making them live in a safe environment as well as a recommendable way of dealing with petrochemical hazards (Chang, 2014).
The journal by Alshehri, et al, (2013), indicates that disasters affect the realisation of the set development goals negatively by reversing the gains and impacting heavily on the poor in the society. Inadequate emphasis on the protection of assets and human from disasters around the petrochemical industries is an indicator of an increase in disaster hazards and risks (Abosuliman, et al, 2014). Many researchers have raised concerns on areas of petrochemical policy; however, the policies that have been enacted have not been proactive enough to address the petrochemical disaster challenges in Saudi Arabia. There is a perception that enactment of disaster policies is the best option for effectively reducing the level of risks and managing disasters. The policy should address the areas on urgency, resources commitment and allocation and the level of preparedness in case of any possibility of explosions (Abosuliman, et al., 2014).
According to Chang (2014), petrochemical disaster destroys the growth of the economy, increases the poverty index that ultimately leads to human suffering. The detrimental effects of the catastrophe on the society and the economy are, associated with the petrochemical hazards which can cause an awful impact on the environment (Baytiyeh & Naja, 2012). The production of substances, the explosive disasters, the malfunction of structures and issues of fire outbreaks in the petroleum firms within Saudi Arabia are matters of concern to the world at large (Ibrahim & Mat Said, 2003). Many researchers suggest various ways of dealing with disasters before, during and after their occurrences; however the World safety organisation (WSO) has not taken adequate action to enforce the standard strategy in Saudi Arabia. In the view of Hung, Shaw and Kobayashi (n.d), such approaches include risk assessment, prevention of the possibility of occurrence and re-occurrence, risk transfer or retention, and the reduction of the ultimate impact. Preparedness and planning are also an important aspect of risk management. However, it does not give an implication that risk will not occur (Palttala, et al., 2014). This gives an implication that the best way through which any kind of disaster inclusive of flood can be avoided is through coming up with proactive policies.
Many disaster studies have failed to mention that, comprehensive disaster preparedness and management should promote and create awareness among the community members. The government of Saudi Arabia should consider conducting training and test activities so that the level of vulnerability and exposure can get reduced. Baytiyeh and Naja (2012) assert that the best way through which petrochemical risks and hazards can get reduced is through education. However, Rahm and Reddick (2011) believe that communication is the most important element in the management of petrochemical hazards and risks. This gives an implication that initiation of warning systems on disasters is a better strategy that can help in risks and hazard management. The view should therefore get cleared for realisation of comprehensive management and preparedness of petrochemical disasters in Saudi Arabia.
Research Gap
Most of the researches discussed above seem to agree that disaster and its effects depends on the level of exposures and vulnerability of the people and the environment. The researchers have highly recommended that disaster aversion needs a range of policies and strategic tools that should get used. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been very reluctant to embrace environmental risk assessments and environmental management systems which are in compliance with the World Safety Organisation (WSO). Almost none of the researchers have taken interests to explore the main reasons why the Saudi Arabia government has been reluctant to adopt the WSO policy guidelines as far as petrochemical hazards are concerned. There is need to carry out further research to explores significant petrochemical areas that poses more risks and vulnerabilities to the people and environment. This will help in coming up with proper policies that are in compliant with WSO standards which can guide the government of Saudi Arabia to thwart and properly manage petrochemical hazards in the nation.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is important to highlight that all the literature reviews agree that petrochemical risks and disasters directly have effects on the environment. Furthermore, the risks of disaster have the potential to disrupt economic growth. However, despite the early warnings that have been given by the international standard organisation to Saudi Arabia, the country has shown little interest in averting and managing the eminent petrochemical disasters for some unknown reasons. The government of Saudi Arabia needs to involve core stakeholders and invest more on disaster preparedness and management. This therefore can adopt a strong resilience system that can get built towards preventing negative and detrimental consequences of petrochemical disasters (Charles & Ramírez-Pascualli, 2012). This would answer the central research question that focusses on coming up with the comprehensive approaches that can get adopted to manage and avert any preventable disasters.
Research Questions
I. Has the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia adopted the strategies to satisfy the International Safety Organisation standards concerning the disaster risks and effects of petrochemical hazards?

References
Abosuliman, A., Kumar, A. & Alma, F. (2014). Flood Disaster Planning and Management in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Supply Chain Management, pp. 2380-2385.
Alamri, A. (2014). Emergency Management in Saudi Arabia: Past, Presence and Future. University of Otego and Van der Veer Research Institute, New Zealand.
Al-Qahtani, A. (2014). Disaster Risks and Preparedness: Effects of Petrochemical Hazards on the Environment in Saudi Arabia. Journal of Environment and Earth Science, 4(14): 129-139.
Alshehri, S., Rezgui, Y. & Li, H. (2013). Public Perception of the Risk of Disasters in a Developing Economy: the Case of Saudi Arabia. Nat Hazards, 65: 1813-1830.
Baytiyeh, H. & Naja, M. (2012). Can Education Reduce Middle Eastern Fatalistic Attitude Regarding Earthquake Disasters? Disaster Prevention and Management, 23(4): 343-355.
Chang, P. (2014). Risk Perception of Nuclear Power Plants among University Students in North Asia after the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster. Asia-Pacific of Public Health, 26(6): 631-641.
Charles, A., & Ramírez-Pascualli, R. (2012). The First Half of the Age of Oil: An Exploration of the Work of Colin Campbell and Jean Lahr. Springer. pp. 34.
Hung, V., Shaw, R. & Kobayashi, M. (n.d). Flood Risk Management for the RUA of Hanoi: Importance of Community Perception of Catastrophic Flood Risk in Disaster Risk Planning. Journal of Flood Risk Management, 16(2):249-257.
Ibrahim, M. & Mat Said, S. (2003). A Review of Disaster and Crisis: Disaster Prevention and Management. An International Journal, 12(1):24-32.
Palttala, P., Boano, C., Lund, G. & Vos, M. (2014). Communication Gaps in Disaster Management: Perceptions by Experts from Governmental and Non-Governmental Organizations. Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management, 20(1): 1-12.
Rahm, D. & Reddick, C. (2011). US City Managers’ Perceptions of Disaster Risks: Consequences for Urban Emergency Management. Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management, 19(3): 137-146.
Wachinger, G., Renn, O., Begg, C. & Kuhlicke, C. (2013). The Risk Perception Paradox-Implication for Governance and Communication of Natural Hazards. Risk Analysis, 33(6): 1049-1062.
Zabin, A. (2011). Perception among Saudis in Al-Baha Region, Saudi Arabia, about Health Risks from Chemical Pollution. Heath risks from Chemical Pollution. An International Journal, 22(6): 705-724.

Appendices
Appendix 1: Literature Search
The search was conducted in the two primary online libraries; PubMed and EBSCO host. The journals that were reviewed within the period of last one decade were looked at, and their abstracts read. This therefore implies that one of the exclusion criteria was that any journal or book published before the year 2005 was not legible and relevant for the research. Only publications that were done in 2005 and after were included. The main focus of the online search was to explore the hazards and preparedness of the disaster which heavily looks at the petrochemical disasters and their effects on the periphery of Saudi Arabia (Baytiyeh & Naja, 2012).
Many articles were found in the PubMed and EBSCO host databases. The statements that led to the search include “disaster management”, “disaster preparedness”, “and petrochemical disasters in Saudi Arabia”, “hazards and risks” and “dangers of oil and gases exploration”. The statements above were connected with the Boolean operator “AND” or “OR”. The search gave a total of 51 reviewed articles on disaster management and preparedness in Saudi Arabia. However, out of the 51, around 20 were excluded because they talk about the general disasters but I was particular on petrochemical hazards. 31 were found to be relevant, and the content perused. From this exploration, 18 articles were filtered out, and the remaining 13 were found to be addressing the question of concern.

Appendix 2: Table: The Boolean Search Results
Databases: EBSCO host and PubMed
“Comprehensive approaches that can get adopted to manage and avert any preventable disasters related to oil exploration”
Search topics Hits
Precautions 1
General disasters 189
Petrochemical hazards AND environmental effects 53
disasters AND lack of policies 13
Petrochemical disasters AND economic growth 28
Management options 20
disasters on population OR environment AND Risk aversion 36
Limit to 2005-2015 53
Peer reviewed in English language 23

Appendix 3: Boolean Search Flow Chart
Petrochemical hazards (5)

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