The Competent Authority will continue to sample duty holders control measures and systems at major hazard sites in a proportionate way to provide assurance that site operators are managing major hazard risks appropriately.
The role of safety reports in describing the activities at the site, and the demonstrations being made to ensure control of major hazards, are an essential part of our Interventions and operators will continue to be required to produce safety reports.
The major difference in our approach will be the way we handle subsequent 5 year reviews of safety reports. Here there will be a shortening of the assessment process, moving away from desk top assessment and the need for repeated requests to duty holders for more information.
The aim is to deploy more resource during the inspection phase, enabling us to probe and test the arrangements described in the safety report onsite.
This will improve our visibility on the ground and our ability to verify how operators are tackling safety management in practice.
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Engagement with site What has changed in the last five years? Assessment Manager and Agency |
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Receipt of Safety Report Information completeness check Check expectations set out at six |
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Assessment Information still fit for purpose Predictive/Regulatory/EA/SEPA |
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Outcome letter Enforcement Considerations |
We will have tighter arrangements for the timing, pace and conclusion of the assessment process.
The new assessment timetable will mean that sites will be engaged prior to submission, enabling them to understand what is expected from them and to what standard; this should happen six months prior to their safety report due date HSE Regulatory Inspectors, EA/SEPA Inspectors and Predictive Specialists will decide whether the activities described in the revised safety report and the demonstrations being made are still fit for purpose – this will allow tighter control and completion of assessment.
Changes to the receipt and assessment phases of the process will mean that Competent Authority specialist staff will now review the safety report as preparation for an inspection.
Following the safety report assessment and review, Regulators and Specialists will focus on directly testing the measures and procedures in place on the ground at a site through a structured inspection programme.
Determining whether the safety report contains the expected demonstrations and that the descriptions accurately reflect the site operations will form part of Inspection outcomes. This may result in future amendments to reports.
Overall, CA staff will focus more on site inspection, providing duty holders with improved visibility and on the ground verification about what is happening in practice.
Public Register of COMAH Establishments
