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Notes the recent increase in interstate shipments of hazardous materials, by road, in Malaysia following rapid expansion in the manufacturing sector. Although there has been no major accident involving transportation of hazardous materials, the high rate of road accidents has raised great concerns concerning motor vehicles carrying hazardous goods and petroleum products. Determines the emergency preparedness and response plans of the transportation companies. Data were obtained from management and drivers, and the results revealed that the companies did not have a proper management system of safe transportation, had inadequate training of personnel, and the transport vehicles were not provided with appropriate tools and equipment for emergency response during mishaps. The drivers lacked general awareness and principal knowledge of hazardous material emergency response. Suggests that there is an urgent need to stipulate legal requirements for hazardous material transportation in Malaysia.

The purpose of the research is to identify the phases associated with the development of disasters, understand their underlying causes and learn lessons from them.

Using a grounded theory approach, reports of the tribunal of inquiry into the three fire disasters in the country were used to analyze the data.

Data demonstrated that these disasters were not sudden cataclysmic events but developed in phases. Pre‐disaster period is found to consist of four phases, namely, operation, incubation period, forewarning and activation. The onset was found to be caused by active errors while the underlying causes are attributed to the latent errors. These latent errors accumulated within the organization during the incubation period. Emergency response was poor due to lack of knowledge on emergency response, inadequate safety and emergency planning and insufficient equipment. Ensuing these disasters, there were establishment of social entity, formulation of new legislations, or amendment of laws and regulations took place in the society.

The disaster developmental and error model proposed was based only on three major fire disasters and future studies could corroborate the model using other types of socio‐technical disasters. the vast majority of incidents could be foreseen early and could have consequently been prevented by proper application of existing experience and dissemination of learning from past events. Understanding of the development and causes of the disasters provides a tool for organizational and institutional diagnosis of vulnerability and risks.

Besides the negative impacts of disasters to the life and properties, they present rare windows of opportunity to learn from past mistakes, make improvements for the future and prepare to avoid future crises or minimize the impacts if they occur.

The paper substantiates and extends the developmental theory of disaster and systemic approach of disaster error. The hindsight gained from these negative events could be utilized by government and enterprises, particularly the safety and emergency managers, to design organizational structures that will help reduce the likelihood of disaster as a nation progresses.

Malaysia, which is in an intermediary phase of development and industrialization, has experienced various magnitudes of disasters ranging from biological, structural collapse, fires and explosions, landslides to meteorological incidents. The first major disaster that could be linked with the development of the country was the collapse of a four‐storey building in 1968. This article describes how, by applying a grounded theory approach, examination and analysis of archival data were conducted to identify the phases and latent errors of this landmark disaster.

Grounded theory approach was utilized to develop a substantive theory of socio‐technical disaster preconditions.

Data indicated that the disaster had developed in phases as found by other disaster scholars. Regulatory failures were found to be one of the main causes of the disaster. The disaster appeared to be an inevitable consequence of the inability of the laws and regulations to keep in tandem with the rate of development and industrialization of the nation.

The discussion of the implications of the disaster will be of particular value for developing nations.

Disasters are classified as natural and man‐made disasters. Man‐made disaster, which occurs at the major hazard installation, is a technological disaster. For an incident to be classified as technological disaster criteria are required to be met. Several criteria have been proposed by researchers and agencies defining the disasters in terms of casualties, economic loss and environmental impact. Few models have been drawn describing the sequence of development of the technological disaster. This paper reviews in detail the proposed criteria, which define the disaster. The paper also summarizes the models which describe the disaster stages. Finally the paper summarizes a proposed model of the technological disaster precondition phase for major accidents.

The forest fire experiences of Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines and Thailand in 1997 are reviewed. The problems of transnational co‐operation in such cases are examined and the resulting joint lessons are presented.

To provide graduate students, researchers, and responsible personnel with an overview on the disaster types worldwide in general and disaster types in Malaysia.

The types of disasters by region for the period 1988‐1997 were obtained from recent published sources. The disasters which occurred in Malaysia have been collected from several sources such as the technical, general articles, internet web sites, and internal reports. The disasters which occurred during the period of 1968‐2004 have been reviewed. The disasters have been classified into natural disasters, man‐made disasters, and subsequent disasters. The man‐made disasters have been classified into technological disasters, transportation accidents, public places failure, and production failure.

Disasters have been classified into natural, man‐made disasters. The regions worldwide have experienced all kinds of natural disasters in last decade. It was pointed out that the occurrence of disasters from almost all kinds of hazards is among the highest in Asia and the Pacific. Malaysia experienced natural, man‐made and subsequent disasters. Malaysia has experienced 39 disasters during the period of 1968‐2004. The natural disasters were 49 percent of total disasters. Most of the natural disasters were resulted from the heavy rains. Malaysia has experienced 18 man‐made disasters. The man‐made disasters resulted in 282 fatalities, and 1,892 injuries.

This paper presents an overview on the disaster types by region worldwide. The paper also presents an overview on the disaster types in Malaysia. This paper combined the scattered disasters into one record. Therefore, there is a need for an authorized body to be responsible for the collecting, arranging, classifying, and storing of all type of the accidents in Malaysia. This experience can be benefited from/at any country.

The purpose of this paper is to provide some definition and foundation principles regarding disaster management. The paper also tests the Malaysian major hazard installations through the awareness and application of the Malaysian National Security Council (MNSC) directive 20.

Questionnaire was circulated on 177 MHIs throughout Malaysia. Respondents of various demographic characteristics answered the questionnaires. It is believed that people of different age, sex, educational level, experience, and management levels are expected to have different perception and response to disaster management questions. A total of 65 completed questionnaires were answered.

The analysis of the disaster management questionnaire highlighted that more than half of the MHIs in Malaysia are multinational installations. The analysis revealed that 61 per cent of the Safety, Health and Environment Managers were aware of the MNSC directive 20 and 62 per cent said that the MNSC directive 20 is relevant to their facilities. The analysis further showed that 62 per cent of the respondents think the MNSC directive 20 is essential to their MHIs. However, 31 per cent of the respondents said that the emergency response plan (ERP) is used as an alternative to the MNSC directive 20. In the light of this, more than half of the MHIs are not local organizations; the Safety and Health Managers apparently are familiar with the safety guidelines of their parent organizations. Therefore, the authorities that are responsible for the enforcement of the MHIs' relevant regulations should be vigilant and follow up the MHIs to apply the relevant regulations, which suit the safety culture of Malaysia.

This paper presents an overview on technological disaster prevention. The paper also shows the results of testing of the Malaysian major hazard installations which are aware of the MNSC directive 20. The Malaysian experience can be beneficial.

To provide the graduate students, researchers, responsible personnel at major hazards installations (MHIs) with background on the technological emergencies, expert system (ES), and technological emergencies expert system (TEES) development.

The design and development of an ES is achieved through six recommended phases. The assessment phase represents the problem feasibility and justifications. In TEES, the problem was identified that Malaysia has experienced several technological disasters. The process of acquiring, organizing, and studying knowledge is known as the knowledge acquisition. The qualitative and quantitative knowledge are needed to build the TEES. A general knowledge was obtained from the literature sources. The quantitative knowledge was obtained through a field survey and domain expert interview. The information, which has been obtained from the field survey through the questionnaire, was arranged and coded into software called Statistical Package for Social Sciences. Regression models were derived. The regression models were incorporated into the TEES. wxCLIPs have been used as a medium for the development the ES.

It provides the background and basis for further research in disaster management in Malaysia. The TEES can be employed to control the major hazards at the MHIs through the identification, control, and mitigation programs. The knowledge, which has been put into the system, can be modified, updated, and reproduced.

The TEES is versatile, portable, reliable and applicable to other emergencies applications. The system can be saved on CD and distributed to MHIs managers and related authority. The system, therefore, can contribute to improve awareness through providing information and knowledge to end‐users. The ES also can be used for classroom instructions.

Environmental problems are caused directly or indirectly by the patterns of production by industries, patterns of consumption and behavior of the consumers. The shaping of attitude and values, commitment and skills needed to preserve and protect the environment begins at an early age. Hence educators play an influential role in developing new patterns of behaviors for individuals. Accordingly, aims to determine the level of knowledge, environmental concern and ecologically conscious consumer behavior and identify the extent of involvement in nature‐related activities of school teachers. Also investigates the relationships between these variables. The subjects were 285 school teachers who were randomly selected from ten regular government schools in the state of Selangor, Malaysia. A survey was conducted using drop and collect method. The data illustrated the presence of high level of environmental concern among the teachers. The environmental knowledge was fair but generally poor in understanding of the underlying causes of environmental problems. The practices of environmentally responsible behavior were not in concert with the level of concern and knowledge. The respondents were not actively involved in nature‐related activities. Proposes ways of enhancing the ecological awareness and responsibilities of the teachers.

The main objective of this study is to develop a tsunami emergency response plan for a coastal community by adopting a community‐based disaster preparedness approach.

A multi‐strategy research design utilizing both quantitative and qualitative methods was used. The weaknesses and strengths of the different agencies involved in responding to the 2004 tsunami disaster were identified through a focus group discussion. A survey was used to assess the preparedness of the community. Tsunami awareness and education were imparted through lectures, sermons, radio talk shows, informal briefings, workshops and printed materials. Tsunami evacuation routes, safe zones, warning protocols and evacuation plans were finalized through a consultation process with the community. A tsunami evacuation plan was verified during a table‐top exercise and was tested through a drill.

It is evident from the study that a community‐based approach (where the local community is taken as the primary focus of attention in disaster reduction) to tsunami mitigation and preparedness is viable. This process has provided an opportunity for tapping traditional organizational structures and mechanisms (including formal and informal community leaders) and capability‐building activities with the community disaster committees and volunteers.

Tsunami 2004 is the first ever tsunami disaster experienced in the country and thus the study provides significant lessons learned from the event. The community‐based approach to disaster preparedness is not the current practice in the country. Thus, the study demonstrates that the approach is a viable tool to enhance community preparedness to tsunami and other types of disasters as well.