Health and Safety
Executive / Commission
About HSE
HSE’s Major Hazards teams are responsible for regulating and assuring the safety of those industries where failure to manage risks to health and safety can lead to a catastrophic incident. The industries they regulate include nuclear, offshore oil and gas and onshore major hazard industries (eg chemical manufacture and storage, high-pressure gas storage and distribution, mining, explosives). This work is brought together in a Major Hazards Programme which is currently on course to deliver the Public Service Agreement targets for a reduction in dangerous occurrences and other incidents which are potential precursors of major accidents.
The investigation into the 2005 explosion at Buncefield oil storage depot and the implications for other fuel storage sites have placed significant demands on HSE’s Hazardous Installations Directorate.
The incident involved the overfilling of a large storage tank supplied with petrol through a pipeline. This resulted in a large vapour cloud that subsequently ignited. The investigation is being overseen by an independent Investigation Board chaired by Lord Newton. As well as providing resources and expertise to carry out the investigation, HSE has been taking forward its emerging findings.
A report on this work was issued on 13 July giving an initial picture of the levels of safety at fuel storage sites with plans to publish a fuller analysis in the new year. The findings of the site visits have informed the work of an industry-led Task Group including HSE, the Environment Agency and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency to agree additional measures to further improve safety at fuel storage sites. The first report of the Task Group, focusing on ‘quick wins’ which can be carried out promptly to strengthen safeguards further, was issued on 12 October. A final report is planned for summer 2007 which will set a new standard for such sites.
Following the incident, HSE has worked closely with the local authorities and lessons learned will also have implications for land use planning policy and the advice HSE provides to planning authorities.
In January 2006, the Department for Trade and Industry (DTI) launched an Energy Review to look at what progress had been made towards achieving the aims of the 2003 White Paper Our energy future: creating a lowcarbon economy. The review was prompted by the need to replace declining energy sources and to help the government decide which energy technologies to support. In making policy decisions in this area, the government needed to consider the health and safety risks of the options, several of which would use new technology.
The Energy Minister asked HSE to produce a report on the risks arising from various energy developments such as gas storage,carbon capture and storage, nuclear, renewable energy and cleaner coal. The Minister also asked what steps HSE has taken to ensure risks were managed sensibly by the industry.
In the event of a new generation of nuclear power stations being ordered, HSE’s views on the potential role of pre-licensing assessments of candidate reactor designs were also sought.
HSE’s response, in its report The health and safety risks and regulatory strategy related to energy developments, was published in June and concludes that Britain’s health and safety system is well established and able to deal with new energy-related risks and hazards. The report reviews the energy technologies, describes the health and safety risks and explains the regulatory strategy for controlling those risks.