Technological risks: BARPI draws up its annual report

The French Bureau d'Analyse des Risques et Pollutions Industriels(BARPI) has just unveiled its annual accidentology report recorded in the ARIA database. Cédric BOURILLET, Director General of Risk Prevention at the DGPR, states in the report: "Accidentology in 2022 is relatively stable, with a notable development in the improved reporting of incidents and a steady increase, in recent years, in the rate of knowledge of disruptions and causes of events".

What conclusions can we draw from 2022?

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1 - SUMMARY OF ACCIDENT DATA FOR 2022

The year 2022 offers a rather encouraging outlook for accidentology, although further improvements and progress are essential for 2023. Here's a quick summary of 2022.

For Seveso sites: 261 events recorded, including 3 major accidents*, 73 accidents* and 185 incidents*.

For non-SEVESO ICPE sites: 305 accidents and 600 incidents.

The 3 most impacted sectors:
- Waste and wastewater.
- Food processing.
- Chemicals and pharmaceuticals.

Fires account for the majority of all events.

70% of accidents resulted in financial losses that could lead to total cessation of activity.

64% of accidents have environmental consequences.

Disruptions are mainly due to:
- 67% material faults.
- 30% human intervention
- 3% loss of process control.

73 events were linked to hot weather, 2/3 of which occurred at waste and wastewater facilities.

_{*major accident: an event that must be notified to the European Commission under Directive 2012/18/EU and specifically concerns Seveso sites.
**accident: an event that affects the interests protected by the Environmental Code.
***incident: an event that could have affected the interests protected by the Environmental Code in other circumstances.}

2 - THE 2023 AXES

For 2023, a national initiative by the French inspectorate of classified facilities, called "Accidentology at Seveso sites", will be deployed. Its main objective is to examine and improve the identification of root causes in order to enhance the safety of these industrial sites. This approach reflects our ongoing commitment to better understanding and preventing technological risks, thereby guaranteeing a safer environment for all.