Download or read book The Role of Safety Reports in Preventing Accidents written by and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page 135 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This expert report reflects conclusions and key points from two surveys and a workshop involving Seveso inspectors from around Europe on the role of safety reports in preventing major chemical accidents. The Seveso Directive requires operators of so-called "upper-tier" major hazard sites to submit safety reports detailing the major risks associated with the site and how they are controlled. Safety reports are the documents in which the operator of such a site demonstrates that the major accident prevention policy and a safety management system are in effect, that major accident hazards and risk have been identified and are adequately prevented and potential consequences limited, that adequate safety and reliability is incorporated in all aspects of the plant, and an effective internal emergency plan has been drawn up and implemented. A good safety report allows the authorities to get a clear overview of what could happen, how accidents are prevented and what is being done to ensure that if an accident occurred, the consequences can be minimised and a clear mitigation plan is in place. Ideally, the safety report should also be a dynamic, living document that helps companies control and take into account the potential for major accident hazards in various operational decisions. In many cases, the safety report is, however, still only a report compiled for the authorities. The report indicates that while there are many practical differences in how the Seveso II Directive safety reports are evaluated and used in inspections within the EU and its Seveso partner countries, the challenges are almost universal. Most challenges appear to be related to whether the safety report presents a coherent and convincing case that justifies the risk management decisions taken. The report describes the key challenges, providing several examples of good practice for improving safety reports (operators) and verifying safety reports during inspections (authorities). It also identifies a number of specific areas where it could be useful to develop common tools and solutions to improve overall effectiveness of safety reports as an active and useful mechanism for site risk management.