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This “severity” scale was made official in February 1994 by the Committee of Competent Authorities (CCA) of EU Member States as a means of applying the SEVESO Directive.

It is based on a series of 18 technical parameters intended to objectively characterise the effects or consequences of accidents. Each of these parameters contains 6 levels, with the highest level determining the accident’s index rating.

Since 2003, France has used this European scale to represent 4 indices. The parameters taken into account and their rating protocol are explained in the table below.

European scale description

European scale description