Characteristics, Relationships, and Factor Analysis of Accident Causality Model Using Meta-Network: A Case Study of Hazmat Road Transportation Accident

In order to manage the hazardous material (hazmat) road transportation successfully and safely, an explicit and effective previous accident analysis is essential and necessary. The paper’s focus lies on hazmat accident characteristics, complex relationships, and key factor problems by analyzing a case study of a major road traffic accident that occurred in Zhejiang, China. A new method of meta-network is used to construct the accident causation network of hazmat transportation (ACN-HT). Results show that the ACN-HT has the characteristics of sparse networks with a small-world phenomenon and displays the properties of scale-free networks. Twenty-five nodes compose a cluster, which connects closely and has close relationships. Besides, some key factors captured from a case study cannot be identified from large cases study, such as top management and hazmat transportation company. This study has enabled an in-depth understanding of hazmat road transportation accidents. It also provides insights into the safety management of hazmat road transportation.