PSI - Issue 78

Debora Dei Rocini et al. / Procedia Structural Integrity 78 (2026) 1310–1317

1311

1. Introduction In the critical aftermath of seismic events, efficient and rapid assessment of strategic transport infrastructures is paramount to transitioning from the immediate emergency phase to recovery and ensuring public safety and operational continuity. Traditional approaches to infrastructure inspection often fall short in providing the necessary speed, objectivity, and comprehensive data required for effective post-disaster decision-making. Existing inspection practices across Europe exhibit considerable heterogeneity, ranging from visual inspections to destructive and non-destructive testing, leading to disparities in comprehensiveness, frequency, inspector proficiency, and data archival. This fragmentation necessitates the development of standardized and robust methodologies. This paper introduces an advanced application of the Visual Inspection for Safety-deficit Identification and Triage (VISIT) methodology, termed VISIT-X7, specifically designed for post-earthquake inspections. While the core VISIT methodology is applicable in peacetime conditions, VISIT-X7 enhances its capabilities to address the unique challenges posed by seismic events, particularly in identifying strategic transport infrastructures that demand urgent, specialized investigation. Analogous to a hospital emergency room, VISIT-X7 enables inspectors to conduct initial evaluations, assign priority codes based on a structured triage process, and trigger subsequent specialized technical assessments. The objective of VISIT-X7 is to support the post-earthquake decision-making process with practical, qualified, traceable, and replicable tools, operating effectively outside the immediate emergency context. 2. The VISIT method The VISIT (Visual Inspection for Safety-deficit Identification and Triage) methodology is a tailored visual inspection approach developed within the "Safety Inspection Visits of Road Infrastructures" (VISIVIA) project, a collaborative effort between the SPRINT-Lab of the University of Udine and the Italian National Agency for Safety of Railway and Road Infrastructures (ANSFISA) (Grimaz et al., 2025a, 2025b, 2024a, 2024b). This methodology draws an analogy with the medical sector, treating infrastructures (roads, bridges, and tunnels) as "patients" undergoing a triage decision-making process for evaluation and treatment.

Fig. 1 – Framework of the VISIT methodology (Grimaz et al., 2024a)