Developing a Comprehensive Smart Technology-Based HSE Risk Management Model for Container Ports Using Network Analysis and Multi-Criteria Decision-Making: A Case Study of Shahid Rajaee Port
Abstract
This study aimed to develop and validate a comprehensive smart technology-based health, safety, and environmental risk management model for Shahid Rajaee Port using network analysis and multi-criteria decision-making. This applied and developmental study employed an exploratory sequential mixed-methods design. The study population consisted of HSE, container operations, information technology, automation, environmental management, firefighting, and crisis management specialists working at Shahid Rajaee Port. Twenty-four experts were selected through purposive and snowball sampling. Data were collected through document review, semi-structured interviews, fuzzy Delphi questionnaires, fuzzy DEMATEL matrices, analytic network process pairwise comparisons, and technology evaluation matrices. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis, fuzzy Delphi, fuzzy DEMATEL, the analytic network process, and fuzzy VIKOR. Qualitative analysis identified 20 indicators within five dimensions: safety and operational, managerial and organizational, technological and cybersecurity, environmental, and occupational health risks. Kendall’s coefficient of concordance in the second Delphi round was 0.71 and statistically significant. Fuzzy DEMATEL identified the managerial and organizational dimension as the strongest causal factor, with a net influence value of 1.15. The analytic network process assigned weights of 0.286, 0.243, and 0.203 to the safety and operational, managerial and organizational, and technological and cybersecurity dimensions, respectively. Mobile equipment collisions, container drops, and weak safety culture were the three highest-priority indicators. Fuzzy VIKOR ranked the integrated intelligent HSE command center, Internet of Things sensor networks, and artificial intelligence-based predictive analytics as the leading technological alternatives. Effective HSE risk management in container ports requires a network-based, proactive, and data-driven approach in which managerial and organizational reforms are integrated with the phased implementation of smart technologies and an integrated HSE command center.