Perception of industrial risks: residents testify
From April to October 2022, Métropole Rouen Normandie conducted a sociological study on the perception of industrial risks and citizen expectations. Enough to feed the reflection to progress in resilience in the face of risks.
Conducted in partnership with the Institute for a Culture of Industrial Safety (ICSI), the University of Rouen Normandy and the sociologist Pierre Lenel, this study took place in two phases: 90 interviews with residents, elected officials, associations and manufacturers (April to June), then an online questionnaire that collected 440 responses (June to July). Findings and conclusions were drawn from this process to make progress in risk prevention in our territory.
For Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol, Mayor of Rouen and President of the Rouen Normandy Metropolis and Charlotte Goujon, Vice-President in charge of ecological transition, health, health and industrial safety : “ We wanted to carry out an objective study, as close as possible to the concerns and resentment of all the parties concerned in the territory. Citizen participation is at the heart of our commitments and once again we have called for co-construction. A citizen dialogue body will be created thanks to the conclusions of this study and we will make ever greater progress in resilience in the face of risks. »
Lessons on risk perception
This study made it possible to identify the resentment of the citizens of the territory in the face of industrial risks.
- A form of denial: the awareness of the danger is very present among the populations encountered, but we note that the danger is repressed and a form of fatalism has taken hold. Emphasis on nuisances: greater importance is given to daily nuisances (noise, smell, smoke, etc.) than to major risks (fire, explosion, toxic cloud) which are hardly perceptible. It therefore seems easier to mobilize the populations on the daily nuisances than on the major risks.
- A concern about health: the fears most expressed in the face of industrial activities relate to the health impacts in the short, medium and long term. Suspicion prevails over information communicated following an incident or accident, with the maintenance of the popular belief of an institution that conceals the truth.
- A lack of information: the opinions expressed point to a lack of information on the major risks, in particular on the instructions in the event of an accident. 57% of respondents say they do not know the safety instructions.
- A geography of concerns: for the populations furthest from industrial sites, the risk seems too distant. For local populations, on the other hand, this risk is an identified asset. He is nevertheless rejected. The geographical analysis of the responses confirms the existence of the “barrier” effect of the Seine: the perception of risks is lower on the right bank than on the left bank, for the same distance from industrial sites.
The main expectations presented
This study also made it possible to identify the expectations of respondents with regard to industrial risks, and the way in which the community could act in favor of their safety and well-being.
- Training on the instructions: a must: the respondents testified to a strong demand for the instructions, their simulation with practical exercises.
- A regular and systematic request for information: the majority of the respondents expressed the wish for preventive information throughout the year, activated on proximity and not generalist. The formats remain to be defined in order to reach the public. More specific communications are also expected, both in the event of a major accident and in the event of perceptible nuisances (noise, smell, pollution, etc.). In addition, 84% of respondents said they were in favor of using the Métropole’s SMS alert.
- Establishing a dialogue of trust: the study showed a strong expression of a “right to know”, going hand in hand with the acceptance of the risks incurred. Accidents need to be systematically “communicated with the truth” in order to gain the approval of the inhabitants. Finally, the health and environmental impacts must be imposed and made public for total transparency.
- Safety checks: finally, the study showed that a great expectation resides in more regular checks of industrial sites, with transparency on the results.
The recommendations of the study for the creation of a forum for dialogue
The purpose of this sociological study was to prefigure a body for citizen dialogue on industrial risks. The partners of the study, Marc Sénant (ICSI), Pierre Lenel
(Interdisciplinary Laboratory for Economic Sociology, CNRS, CNAM), Delphine Grancher (Laboratory of Physical Geography, CNRS, Paris 1 Panthéon Sorbonne University, and Eric Daudé and Mélodie Delamare, IDEES Laboratory, CNRS, Normandy University, were part of their recommendations at the end of this study.
According to their feedback, the future citizen dialogue body must be designed to:
– Work on the best means of raising awareness and training on risks and nuisances
– Directly question manufacturers and public authorities in the event of an accident or nuisance,
– Initiate studies, analyses, etc. on health and/or environmental issues,
– Represent the entire territory to respond to the geographical diversity of the issues.
The next steps
By the first half of 2023, volunteers will be able to join a prefiguration group to co-construct the future dialogue body. Four public meetings in Duclair, Grand Quevilly, Bois-Guillaume and Elbeuf will be organized to present the results and invite participants to join the working group. Applications for this prefiguration group will also be possible from December on the Je Participe site of the Rouen Normandy Metropolis.