Following the Buncefield incident investigation progress report, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and Environment Agency (EA) have issued a safety alert to operators of oil/fuel storage organisations subject to the Control of Major Accident Hazards (COMAH) Regulations 1999.
The HSE are requesting that COMAH operators review their operations and report the outcome to the HSE by Easter 2006.
Inspections will be carried out by HSE over the next 3 month period within these types of industries.
Head of HSE's Chemical Industries Division Mr. Kevin Allars, said:
"HSE has formed an inspection team charged with developing a targeted and nationally consistent action plan, based on operators revisiting the safety reviews at their sites, ensuring that relevant good practice precautions are in place and fully operational and that appropriate measures are implemented for responding to, and dealing with, emergencies involving loss of containment.
"HSE will be meeting with key industry trade associations over the next few days to ensure that the programme gains maximum gearing from the industry, and to continue to encourage them to work with their members to review and to promote the sharing of information from dangerous occurrences.
"HSE's advice to industry therefore centres on containment integrity issues, such as tanks, pipework and bunds. It will also look at the management arrangements for dealing with normal and abnormal operating conditions.
"When visiting the sites HSE Inspectors will discuss any reasonably practicable improvements that should be made, and will, if necessary, use their enforcement powers to ensure that timely improvements are made."
Further information and advice will be issued by the HSE when more precise information is available, together with any further inspections which may take place.
Further information on the Safety Alert can be accessed from the HSE Webpage by clicking the following:
SAFETY ALERT to operators of “COMAH” oil/fuel storage sites
Details of the Buncefield investigation can be accessed from the Government Webpage specific to Buncefield and can be accessed by clicking the following:
Article by Alexandra Johnston
