Flash
- 13/11/2018
The performance of lithium batteries and storage cells has expanded their areas of technical application (telephony, computers, electric vehicles, rechargeable hybrids and electric bicycles). This development is now resulting in an increase in the number of batteries and storage cells at the end of their service life that must be processed or recycled. But lithium batteries and cells are not harmless objects: the high reactivity of the metal means that their use and processing/recycling, present risks. This is illustrated by the following flash, [...]
Flash
- 18/10/2018
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.
Flash
- 04/10/2018
Methanization is one of the key technologies of the circular economy and green growth. Within the framework of the Energy Transition Act, France has set itself the target of ensuring that 10% of the gas it consumes will originate from renewable sources by 2030. The development of methanization is one of the main levers to achieve this objective. The sector is expanding rapidly with 80 additional installations and the doubling of the production of biomethane injected into the natural gas networks in 2017. To achieve the objective by 2030, the Re [...]
Study
- 17/09/2018
Fluid transfer is a common industrial operation. However, the incorrect positioning of transfer circuit during such operations, also referred to as poor alignment, is the cause of many accidents. This study, based on 372 events in the ARIA database, presents their characteristics and lessons learnt.
Flash
- 01/08/2018
Mobile acetylene cylinders are present in all sectors of activity owing to their common use on welding machines. Even if they look like risk free, these cylinders are real hazard potential ! Five major accidents in France since the beginning of 2018 drive us to remind to users and owners the risks associated to these cylinders.
Proceedings of the 12th seminar “Lessons Learnt from Industrial Accidents”
Study
- 13/06/2017
Since its creation in 1999, the seminar on “Lessons Learnt from Industrial Accidents” is organized every two years by the BARPI. This event is devoted to inspectors of the environment. It is organized with the support of the European Union Network for the Implementation and Enforcement of Environmental Law (IMPEL). Below are the proceedings of the latest edition, which took place in Lyon on 31 May and 1 June 2017.
Accidentology associated with the ageing of industrial installations
Flash
- 26/06/2017
Ageing of industrial installations is a normal and well-known phenomenon. However, it deserves to be properly managed! Conception or construction defaults, insufficient maintenance are some of the several factors that can contribute to an uncontrolled acceleration of ageing… and that continue to lead to accidents with sometimes heavy consequences. As far as ageing is concerned, anticipation remains the key word! This flash offers an overview of the main degradation mechanisms and some lessons learnt from accidents.
Ageing and management of spare parts: a major challenge
Flash
- 26/06/2017
The accident can quickly occur when the repair of an ageing equipment is not conducted in a timely manner! Often involved: an improper management of replacement parts, which are not available in due course. Patch-up jobs, consisting in reallocating pieces coming from other units without taking sufficient precautions, can also be particularly dangerous. Based on illustrative events, this flash draws a panorama of risky configurations and provides some good practices.
Overview of accident statistics on waste management facilities
Study
- 12/10/2016
Waste management activities are not only a potential source of chronic risks (atmospheric pollution, olfactory or noise nuisances, etc.), they may also be responsible for the risk of accidents!
This study, based on the analysis of 1100 accidents that occured over a 10-years period (2005-2014), draws an overview of accidental situations occuring in waste management activities.
Lessons learned from major events towards improving hydraulic safety
Study
- 19/04/2017
Since 2010, information collected on dam-related events has been recorded in the ARIA base. By the end of 2015, a total of 228 events had been entered into the database. This summary, written jointly by the BARPI and BETCGB bureau, presents the primary lessons resulting from their analysis. The study method has focused in particular on experience feedback regarding hydro-mechanical devices and command-control systems
Temporality of accidents : When do they occur?
Flash
- 19/04/2017
Based on the analysis of 25 000 French industrial events that occurred between 1 January 1992 and 31 December 2015, this document identifies trends over months, weeks, days and hours of accidents
Power outages during periods of cold weather
Flash
- 11/04/2017
Periods of cold weather are characterised by low temperatures, sometimes combined with snowfall and/or wind. Synonymous with high electricity consumption, they are often the cause of power failures and other critical systems, such as telecommunication networks, can also be affected. If energy demand is higher than production, load sharing can be implemented. But what are the risks?
The end of the switched telephone network
Flash
- 11/04/2017
In an emergency situation and primarily in the event of a power outage, only switched telephone networks (PSTN) are operational. The traditional French operator’s plan to abandon these networks in 5 years time in favour of VoIP solutions should be anticipated.
ELV and WEEE : Combating illegal treatment facilities, a challenge aimed at reducing accidental risks!
Flash
- 04/03/2016
While the fight against illegal sites in the waste sector constitutes both an environmental challenge (non-compliance with discharge standards and…
Anticipating fire and explosion risks in wood silos
Flash
- 20/07/2015
Over the past 3 years, more than 40 fires involving silos containing wood chips or sawdust have been recorded in the ARIA database. In such instances, operational difficulties are commonly encountered by emergency services (lengthy interventions, vulnerability of storage structures, etc.). Each response is therefore unique and requires comprehensive knowledge of all potential risks.