Third Buncefield progress report: HSE statement

E055:06 09 May 2006

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) welcomes the clarification and amplification that the third progress report into the explosion and fire at the Buncefield oil depot provides.

HSE will respond to the report and act on its findings to ensure the highest standards of safety at oil/fuel storage sites. We will work with the industry to deliver this.

In February, HSE issued a safety alert and asked operators to complete a review of key design and operational aspects of their installations, the initial results of which should be available next month. The findings from this review, together with the information from the investigation team's work on the main causes of the incident, will be considered to determine any further measures that need to be taken to improve safety even further. In doing this we will work closely with industry.

The report sets out a number of initial findings from the investigation. The investigation remains ongoing. However, it indicates that one contributory factor to the incident appears to have been a failure in the safety mechanisms designed to prevent this type of incident. Operators of sites similar to Buncefield have responded positively to the safety alert and this has led to a higher state of vigilance. HSE inspectors have also carried out spot check inspections at these sites.

This incident and the emerging findings will have implications for the advice HSE provides to planning authorities. HSE has started an urgent review of what this might mean. Ideally, a better understanding of why the Buncefield explosions were so severe should support any changes to advice.

Notes to editors

1. The Health and Safety Executive is a body of three people appointed by Health and Safety Commission (HSC) with the Secretary of State's approval. The Executive advises and assists HSC and has specific statutory responsibilities of its own, notably for enforcing health and safety law. The Executive's staff of around 4,000 (inspectors, policy advisors, technologists, scientific and medical experts etc.) - is collectively known as HSE.

2. The HSC has exercised a power under Section 14(2)(a) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, under which it: "may at any time direct the Executive... to investigate and make a special report on any matter."

3. The Buncefield oil depot is subject to the Control of Major Accident Hazards Regulations 1999 (COMAH). HSE and the Environment Agency are the joint Competent Authority for these regulations.

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