Assessing Viral Transmission Risks in Transportation Services: A Comprehensive Methodology

According to Minvydas Ragulskis, Kaunas University of Technology, Lithuania, “Accurate and fully explicit mathematical models and derivations make the proposed method truly universal, irrespective of geographical location and the kind of virus epidemic.”

The impact of pandemics on public, personal, and freight transport can be sudden and massive, highlighting the critical role of transport in sustaining advanced economies and societies. Notably, transport, due to social mobility, has a decisive influence on the speed and scope of epidemic spread.

A Holistic Approach to Mitigating Viral Transmission in Transportation

This book presents a comprehensive methodology for assessing hazards, probability, and risks of viral transmission on transport services, using the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus pandemic as a detailed example. It provides proposals and recommendations for estimating human deaths caused by virus infection in transport, encompassing not only passenger transport but also freight transport, such as delivery or parcel services.

The tools and methodologies introduced in this book include:

• A matrix of hazard assessment in various transportation services
• A methodology for estimating the probability of virus transmission through both droplets and surface contact

These innovative tools enable estimation of the effects of infections and consequent epidemic risk in all kinds of transport services, including freight, and provide methods for forecasting and risk management that determine transport safety.

About the Author

Rafa Burdzik, a professor in the Faculty of Transport and Aviation Engineering at Silesian University of Technology, Poland, brings over 20 years of transport research experience to this comprehensive guide.

Publication details:

Publisher: CRC Press

Edition: 1st edition

Publication date: September 30, 2021

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1032069619

ISBN-13: 978-1032069616