Safety Reports
GOAL
All hazardous installations prepare reports that demonstrate that: the risks posed by the installations have been systematically assessed; and that appropriate measures have been taken to reduce the risks and to respond to and mitigate the effects of any chemical accident.
The process of preparing safety reports provides important insights for the owners/operators and for employees at hazardous installations and helps to identify opportunities to improve safety and operate more safely. These reports also provide a basis for determining whether safety measures are operating as intended and whether safety is getting better or worse over time.
Authorities, in reviewing the reports, gain important information for maximising the effectiveness of the Chemical Accidents Programme by, for example: gaining insights on priorities for authorities’ activities; providing a basis for managing the inspection programme; and supplying Information needed for emergency planning and land-use planning.
Suggested activities include:
- Establish a requirement that an owner/operator of certain hazardous installations to submit to authorities a safety report. The criteria for determining which installations are subject to the reporting requirement should be clear and based on the level of risks and hazards at the installation
- Specify the requirements for the safety report including the types of information that should be included in the report and deadlines for submission (recognising that there could be different levels or requirements for installations posing different levels of risk)
- Ensure that there are systems in place, and competent staff, to receive, catalogue and review the reports, as well as to provide timely feedback, as appropriate
- Use the reports to support different aspects of the Chemical Accidents Programme such as information management, land-use planning, emergency planning, and enforcement including inspection programmes. (note that authorities should not assume an installation is operating safely simply because they submit a good safety report, which could be inaccurate or out-of-date)