Emergency Management and Land Use Planning in Industrial Hazardous Areas: Learning from an Italian Experience

This paper discusses some methodological and organizational issues characterizing local policies for industrial risk prevention in Italy. These include both emergency preparedness and land use control as strategic activities aimed at risk reduction in areas where Seveso facilities are located. The article discusses an Italian case study in the Lombardia region. It covers the development of a so‐called Local Operating Manual for external industrial emergency management as well as a so‐called Technical Study for land use control around hazardous plants. After these documents were revised, a real accident occurred, showing the limitations of planning. The lessons learnt from this experience suggested some multi‐organizational directions and methodological procedures for further research on risk management and communication.