Seveso III Directive

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  • Assessment of industrial sites with respect to the requirements of the Seveso III Directive
  • Management of contacts with the competent authorities and their official experts
  • Project management and interface management
  • Preparation of technical data and planning bases for other project participants, e.g. preparation of the technical data base for subsequent meteorological dispersion modelling
  • Preparation of Major-accident Prevention Plans according to Seveso III Directive
  • Preparation of Safety Concepts and Safety Reports according to Austrian legislation
Industrial Accidents involving Hazardous Substances – Regulations
 
The Seveso III Directive of the European Union (Directive 2012/18/EU) of July 4th, 2012, on the control of major-accident hazards involving dangerous substances applies to industrial sites in which certain quantities of dangerous substances are present. The decisive factor if the Directive applies or not is the presence of these substances in quantities above certain thresholds specified in the Annex to the Directive. Special plant safety requirements apply to these industrial sites, if they fall within the Scope of the Seveso III Directive.

The Directive replaces the Seveso II Directive (Directive 96/82/EC) and has been in force since June 1st, 2015. In Austria, it was transposed into national law for the scope of industrial facilities by the amendment of Section 8a of the Trade, Commerce and Industry Regulation Act 1994 (Gewerbeordnung 1994, GewO 1994; Federal Law Gazette No. 194/1994) as amended by Federal Law Gazette I No. 81/2015 and by an amendment to the Industrial Accident Ordinance (Industrieunfallverordnung, IUV; Federal Law Gazette II No. 229/2015).

Depending on the quantities of hazardous substances present at the site, the Seveso III Directive distinguishes between lower tier sites and upper tier sites.

Major-accident Prevention Policy (MAPP)
 

According to the Seveso III Directive’s Article 8, owners of industrial sites within the scope of the Seveso III Directive are obliged to draw up and implement a Major-accident Prevention Policy (MAPP) and to keep it available for inspection by the competent authorities. Proof of the realisation of the MAPP and, if necessary, the amendment of the MAPP must be provided.

The MAPP consists of a non-site-specific summarised presentation of the overall aims and principles of action, the role and responsibility of the plant management, and the obligation of the plant owner to continuously improve the control of the risks of industrial accidents. The MAPP must ensure a high level of protection for human health and the environment through appropriate means, organisation and management systems.

In any case, the company owner must make fundamental stipulations in the MAPP with respect to the following topics:

  • Organisation, education and training in safety technology;
  • The way in which the risks of industrial accidents are identified and assessed;
  • Safe operation of technical equipment;
  • Safe implementation of safety-relevant operational changes;
  • Existence of an internal emergency plan for measures to limit the consequences of industrial accidents.
  • Accompanying inspection of all safety-relevant features and comparison of these features with the overall aims and principles of action defined with regard to safety technology in the sense of a quality management system;
  • Auditing of the company at regular intervals not exceeding five years to ensure conformity of the operational measures relating to safety technology with the overall aims and principles of action laid down and demonstrable acknowledgement and evaluation of the results by the company owner.

The MAPP shall be implemented by appropriate means, structures and by a safety management system, in accordance with Annex III of the Seveso III Directive, proportionate to the major-accident hazards, and the complexity of the organisation or the activities of the establishment. For lower-tier establishments, the obligation to implement the MAPP may be fulfilled by other appropriate means, structures and management systems, proportionate to major-accident hazards, taking into account the principles set out in Annex III.

In Austria, MAPP requirements have been transposed into national law by way of para. 84e of the Trade, Commerce and Industry Regulation Act (Gewerbeordnung 1994, GewO 1994; BGBl. Nr. 194/1994, amended by BGBl. I Nr. 81/2015 as amended) and by para 3 of the Industrial Accident Ordinance (Industrieunfallverordnung, IUV; BGBl. II Nr. 229/2015).

According to para 3 (2) of the IUV, the operator is obliged to prove the implementation of a MAPP by appropriate measures and structures for each operational site. The proof of implementation is defined to be carried out:

  • For lower tier sites in the form of a Safety Concept, i.e. in form of a closed documentation in accordance with the above specifications, whereby the scope and content of the proof must be adapted to the requirements of the individual case;
  • For upper tier sites in the form of a Safety Report and the existence of an Internal Emergency Plan and a Safety Management System.