How does a technically insignificant incident turn into a media frenzy? This new film, produced by the BARPI, explains the sequence of malfunctions that led to the release of a highly olfactory component. A timeline presents how the media crisis gains momentum. Discover the experience of those who witnessed the crisis first hand and the lessons learnt from the event through numerous interviews.
The ARIA database on technological accidents lists 26,271 events in French industrial establishments between 1 January 1992 and 31 December 2016. This large sample allows to give some trends on the exposure of the territories (regions, county) to the industrial risk.
The handling of an industrial accident is often rife with obstacles, e.g. water supply constraints, inappropriate response protocol in light of product properties, inefficient information provided by bystanders... 6.5% of all accidents recorded at France's classified sites have experienced major difficulties during emergency responses. This fact sheet offers a sampling of the errors to avoid and serves to better anticipate response difficulties, by drawing from an analysis of 395 events post-2010.
The use of an inerting process is a means of intervention used in a fire in grain silos. However, it remains uncommon. As part of its work, the BARPI wrote a synthesis on this process based on the accidents contained in the ARIA database. This synthesis addresses the following issues : What are the conditions of use of these devices and what are the difficulties experienced by those that are involved in the implementation of these devices?
The Convention on the Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents (Industrial Accidents Convention, or the Convention) is one of the five multilateral environmental agreements hosted by The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (ECE). Its first version was signed on 18 March 1992 in Helsinki by 27 Parties. At the beginning of 2015 it counted 41 Parties among ECE Member States. It provides a legal framework towards coordination and cooperation to prevent, be prepared for and respond to industrial accidents, especially those with transb [...]
On industrial sites at risk, the organization of relief operations is a regulatory obligation whose objectives are double. Either the operator is able to manage with his own means the onset of a dangerous accident (internal organization of relief). Or he should provide assistance to the public emergency services, which he alerted in time, if the magnitude of the phenomenon is likely to escape its control and / or to leave the boundaries of his site (interface with external rescue). The relief organization studied in this document does not deal w [...]
So called, "laborious research" mobilizing important human and material resources is sometimes necessary to identify the origin of a pollution resulting from an industrial accident. Despite these difficulties in characterizing situations and identifying possible effects, it is up to the information holders, and in particular the authorities, to take the initiative in revealing critical situations. This fact sheet presents the lessons learnt from several real cases.
Objectively, crisis have two main origins : one of a technical nature, linked to the presence of dangerous products, and the other social, linked to the incomprehension of the risks involved. The difference of perception of the risk involved analysis between civil society and experts is often the starting point of the crisis. For more details on these difficulties, this fact sheet summarizes these main elements.
Date of the document: June 2009
During an accident, the inspection authority for classified facilities participate, on behalf of the Prefect, in crisis management. Inspectors also intervene in post-accident monitoring and carry out accident investigation. They may finally be required to propose and follow up actions in the longer or shorter term in case of real or feared health or environmental impacts. Focus on some notable cases.
Date of the document: June 2013.
Gas-based extinguishing processes become attractive when water cannot be used (e.g. computer equipment, audio/video archives, ship engine rooms), yet the associated risks must not be underestimated, as witnessed by the example of CO2 systems.
