Supply of skills, cost reduction, and flexibility… Subcontracting offers a whole range of advantages which manufacturers are eager to seize: 74% of them make use of subcontracting, according to the French statistics board (INSEE). Subcontracting is an integral part of a company's life cycle from its creation, during construction, operation and all the way to dismantling. It is therefore not surprising that subcontractors were involved in 10% of the accidents which occurred between 2015 and 2018 in Installations Classified for the Protection of [...]
Since 2016, 25% of accidents in ICPEs (classified facilities for environmental protection requiring authorisation or registration), impacting people and property, have been caused by multiple failures involving equipment faults or human interventions. Most initial post-accident verifications focus on the incriminated system: did it function as intended and were the necessary human actions taken? One failure is already one too many; this is all the more true for multiple failures. It is therefore important to know how to analyse cases of multipl [...]
According to the French Federation of Insurers, climate change, disruption of business sectors and cyber risks will be among the top three emerging risks by 2022. In parallel, the ARIA technological accidents database already contains numerous events involving emerging energy sectors. What are these new risks and can they be controlled?
Every year, Bureau for analysis of industrial risks and pollution (BARPI) records in its technological accidents database ARIA between 800 and 1 100 events that have occurred at classified facilities for environmental protection. A look at the past three years shows that 65% of events involved at least one disruption and only 30% involved at least one cause. Identifying causes is essential to define efficient measures that will prevent future accidents occurring. These findings show that there is still much progress to be made in understanding [...]
More and more plants and factories are being automated and the amount of information being transmitted over telecommunication networks is increasing. The general consensus is that there is a risk. However, is it possible to delineate this risk and evaluate its consequences — particularly its environmental consequences — by analysing the events logged in ARIA’s database? For an answer, download this flash.
Accidents caused by incompatible mixtures are not limited to newly-produced chemicals! The end of their life cycle can also be a source of risk. Several recent events in France and abroad confirm this, sometimes with dramatic consequences. This flash focusses on this issue, underlying the failures at the origin of the accidents and making a few recommendations to avoid their occurrence.
Forklifts are often used for handling operations. They allow to carry toxic, flammable, explosive and other dangerous products on pallets. Manoeuvres can lead to hazardous situation with serious consequences : pollution or contamination following a split of products, fire ignited on hot spot created by the friction of the forklift forks, explosion of a fuel storage or electric batteries, intoxication due to CO/gas emission from the forklift… This newsflash presents 4 latest and significant technological accidents, caused by a handling with a f [...]
At the end of January 2018, the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region (BFC) suffered numerous episodes of intense rainfall and floods. The storm Eleanor was indeed, according to Meteo-France, accompanied the 4 and 5 of January of rainy precipitations and important snow on the east of France. These weather events have not been without impact on industrial facilities. Summarizing the results of the questionnaires received by the DREAL Bourgogne-Franche-Comté from the operators concerned, this document summarizes some elements of feedback.
Conveyor belts used to handle organic materials must meet standards defined by various French ministerial orders .These texts indicate that conveyor belts must comply with standard NF EN ISO 340 or standards NF EN 12881-1 and NF EN 12881-2 (self-extinguishing or flame-retardant conveyor belts).
While these types of accident had seemed to have disappeared, in recent years there have been several occurrences. Are the standards always being met?
Without trying to predict the weather for late 2018 and the seasonal storms in the Cévennes of south-central France, we note that the first half of the year was marked by a number of floods impacting factories in France. In addition to the economic consequences (water damage, production stoppage, a period of technical unemployment for the employees, etc.) often observed in such circumstances, environmental damage was also reported.
