In the early 1970’s, Ludwig Benner, a chemical engineer working for the National Transportation Safety Board identified a model of container behavior in hazardous materials incidents that provides impact points for risk reduction actions and provides a model for container and product behavior to help guide emergency response. The General Hazardous Materials Behavior Model (GEBMO) is a chain of events from the start of an incident through remediation and at each point there are opportunities for risk reduction activities to minimize the occurrence and impact of the incident. Unfortunately, as the first generation of hazardous materials responders has left the trade, the knowledge of GEBMO has not been passed on as well as it should have been. Below you will find a brief summary of GEBMO and you are encouraged to click the link to access the story of GEBMO to learn more about the process and how you can apply it to your planning and emergency response.
GEBMO Overview
Incident Events |
Examples of Factors Determining Occurrence |
Examples of Emergency Response Strategies |
Examples of Possible Response Options |
Overstressing Event Occurs |
Type of Stress · Thermal · Mechanical · Chemical · Human Intensity of Stress · High · Low Duration of Stress · Short time · Long time |
Cool Wash off Neutralize Minimize impact time Protect container from damage
|
Move impingement Shield Move container |
Container System Breach Occurs |
Nature of stress System failure |
Change the breach size |
Cool Limit pressure Ventilate |
Material and/or Energy Escapes |
Chemical and physical properties · Solid · Liquid · Gas Location of breach Force of release Flow of release |
Limit the quantity released Limit the energy of the release |
Change position Minimize pressure Cap breach |
Escaping Material Engulfs Danger Zone |
Quantity Dispersion characteristics · Driving force · Path · Pattern · Distance Wind, weather, and topography |
Influence size of danger zone |
Controlled ignition D*** and dam Dilute Redirect vapors Suppress vapors |
Material and/or Energy Impinge on Exposures |
Physical state Warning time Mobility |
Influence impinged people and property |
Shielding Evacuate Shelter-in-Place |
Material and/or Energy Cause Harm |
Duration Intensity Velocity |
Influence severity |
Decontamination Reduce time of exposure Shielding Increase distance |
Restoration |
Size of impact Environmental factors |
Influence restoration time |
Pre-stage restoration Pre-incident planning |
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