Seveso Directives

EEC Directive on major accident hazards (Seveso Directive)... 

The comprehensive and detailed assessment of the risks required for a safety-case can only be satisfactorily carried out for major installations with the aid of computer software. Suites of programmes for quantitative risk analysis have been developed over the past decade by consulting firms specializing in safety and environmental protection. Typical of the software available is the SAFETI (Suite for Assessment of Flammability Explosion and Toxic Impact) suite of programs developed by DNV Technica Ltd. These programs were initially developed for the authorities in the Netherlands, as a response to the Seveso Directives of the EU (which requires the development of safety cases and hazard reviews). The programs have subsequently been developed further and extended, and are widely used in the preparation of safety cases see Pitblado el al. (1990). 

European Council Directive on "Major Accidents of Certain Industrial Activities," ("Seveso Directive"), 82/501/EEC, June 4,1982, as amended 87/216/EEC, March 19,1987, European Union, Brussels, Belgium. 

OSHA relied on several established lists-including the New Jersey Toxic Catastrophe Prevention Act (TCPA), the Delaware Extremely Hazardous Substances Risk Management Act, the European Communities Seveso Directive (82/501/EEC), and NFPA Hazardous Chemicals Data (NFPA 49)-to develop its list of highly hazardous chemicals. OSHA chose to list the chemicals classified as reactive category 3 or 4 in NFPA 49 (1975 edition). 

The concept of a safety case comes from the requirements of the European Union/European Community (EU/EC) Seveso Directive (82/501/EC) and, in particular, regulations that the United Kingdom and other member states used to implement that directive. United Kingdom regulations (Control of Industrial Major Accident Hazards [CIMAH], 1984 replaced by Control of Major Accident Hazards Involving Dangerous Substances [COMAH] in 1999) require that major hazardous facilities produce a safety report or safety case.64 The requirement for a safety case is initiated by a list of chemicals and a class of flammables. Like the hazard analysis approach (Section 8.1.2), experts identify the reactive hazards of the process if analysis shows that the proposed process is safe, it may be excluded from additional regulatory requirements. 

On July 9, 1976, in Meda, Italy, near Seveso, a chemical reactor incident caused a release of dioxin (TCDD), which is a highly toxic chemical. The regulatory requirements developed as a result of this incident are referred to as the Seveso Directive. 

The Seveso Directive. Sets provisions for workplaces stocking certain amounts of dangerous substances (EU, 1996). 

Several countries have regulations detailing requirements for process safety. Countries in Europe have adopted regulations in response to the European Union s Seveso Directives. The Control of Major Accident Hazards (COMAH) regulation in the United Kingdom is one example. Brazil and Hong Kong have also... 

In 1982, the European Union s Council Directive 82/501/EEC on the major-accident hazards of certain industrial activities, also known as the Seveso Directive, was adopted. The Directive was mostly designed to promote information flow and created the requirement that each Member State (i.e., each country belonging to the European Union) appoint a Competent Authority to oversee safety issues. The Seveso Directive was amended twice, following major accidents at the Union Carbide chemical factory in Bhopal, India in 1984 (a leak of methyl isocyanate caused thousands of deaths), and at the Sandoz chemical warehouse in Basel, Switzerland in 1986 (fire-fighting water contaminated with mercury, organophosphate pesticides and other chemicals caused massive pollution of the Rhine River and the death of hundreds of thousands of fish). Both amendments, broadened the scope of the Directive, in particular to include the storage of dangerous substances. 

The Seveso Directive covered all European Union Member States, and held them responsible for ensuring that the relevant national institutions do what is required for adequate risk management. The entire Directive was also driven by a concern for prevention, including those parts that relate to post-accident activities. For example, terms such as industrial activity, manufacturer, major accident, and dangerous substances were defined, the types of production, operations, and storage activities that are subject to regulation were described, and the dangers that are anticipated were noted. 

The Seveso Directive also led the way to similar initiatives on other issues, for example, in environmental management and public health. This included... 

Official Journal of the European Communities Council Directive of 24 June 1982 (the Seveso Directive) on the Major-Accident Hazards of Certain Industrial Activities, Official Journal of the European Communities, Berlin. 1989. 

Very soon after the Seveso accident people got skin lesions, though no increase in mortality was recorded. Total cancer incidents have not increased, but when looking at different types of cancer, mortality associated with leukemia in men and bone marrow cancer in women showed an increase. An increase in mortality due to heart disease in men has been recorded, but this may be attributed to stress. A further tragic result of the accident was the death of the factory director, who was shot dead while he accompanied his children to school. The so-called Seveso directive, valid in the EU since 1982, states that workers and the public shall know about the hazards from industry, and that security measures in case of accidents should be worked out and implemented. 

Seveso, Italy 1976 Runaway reaction Large Dioxin environment contamination massive evacuations, Large animal kill Initial Seveso Directive... 

Basel, Switzerland 1986 Warehouse Fire Massive contamination of Rhine and very large fish kill Changes in Seveso Directive... 

The Seveso Directive is administered by the European Union through the Major Accident Hazards Bureau services (MAHB) located within the Joint Research Centre (JRC) in Ispra, Italy. The Bureau also oversees the European Community s Documentation Centre Industrial Risk (CDCIR) and manages the Major Accident Reporting System (MARS) with the aim to create a repository of information and facilitate the exchange between the members of the European Community. MARS follows the requirements of the Seveso II directive and collects information about major chemical incidents as well as the response and results. Member States are required to report the events by using standardized forms. 

The Seveso Directive , along with its later modifications, has been adopted in Italy, even if with about 4 years delay, through DPR 175/1988, which has established rules for the control of industrial activities under relevant accident risk. Seveso II entered in force in 1996 with the DL... 

The necessary emergency measures to be taken following accidental spillage or poisoning have to be assessed, and national fire control legislation will also apply. Exceptional risks to the community surrounding a chemical plant may have to be evaluated under major accidents hazards legislation, such as the European Community (EC) Seveso Directive [4]. 

SI 1984/1902 implementing the so-called Seveso Directive (Council directive 82/501/EEC of 24 June 1982 on the major-accident hazards of certain industrial activities) and now replaced by the Control of Major Accident Hazard (COMAH) Regulations 1999 (SI 1999/743) which in turn implement the Seveso 11 Directive (Council Directive 96/82/EC of 9 December 1996 on the control of major-accident hazards involving dangerous substances, as amended by Directive 2003/105/EC). 

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