ABSTRACT
Whereas the objectives of the Community policy of health and safety at work were fixed by the Council resolution of 29 June 1978 on an action programme of the European Communities on safety and health at work, and having regard in particular to the principle that the best policy consists in obviating possible accidents at source by the integration of safety at the various stages of design, construction and operation;
Whereas the Advisory Committee on Safety, Hygiene and Health Protection at Work, set up by Decision 74/325/EEC, has been consulted;
Whereas the protection of the public and the environment and safety and health protection at work call for particular attention to be given to certain industrial activities capable of causing major accidents; whereas such accidents have already occurred in the Community and have had serious consequences for workers and, more generally, for the public and the environment;
Whereas, for every industrial activity which involves, or may involve, dangerous substances and which, in the event of a major accident, may have serious consequences for man and the environment, the manufacturer must take all necessary measures to prevent such accident and to limit the consequences thereof;
Whereas the training and information of persons working on an industrial site can play a particularly important part in preventing major accidents and bringing the situation under control in the event of such accidents;
Whereas, in the case of industrial activities which involve or may involve substances that are particularly dangerous in certain quantities, it is necessary for the manufacturer to provide the competent authorities with information including details of the substances in question and highrisk installations and situations, with a view to reducing the hazards of major accidents and enabling the necessary steps to be taken to reduce their consequences;
Whereas it is necessary to lay down that any person outside the establishment liable to be affected by a major accident should be appropriately informed of the safety measures to be taken and of the correct behaviour to be adopted in the event of an accident;
Whereas, if a major accident occurs, the manufacturer must immediately inform the competent authorities and communicate the information necessary for assessing the impact of that accident;
Whereas Member States should forward information to the Commission regarding major accidents occurring on their territory, so that the Commission can analyze the hazards from major accidents;
Whereas this Directive does not preclude the conclusion by a Member State of agreements with third coun tries concerning the exchange of information to which it is privy at internal level other than that obtained through the Community arrangements for the exchange of information set up by this Directive;
Whereas disparity between provisions already applicable or being prepared in the various Member States on measures to prevent major accidents and limit their consequences for man and the environment may create unequal conditions of competition and hence directly affect the functioning of the common market; whereas the approximation of laws provided for in Article 100 of the Treaty should therefore be carried out in this field,
Whereas it seems necessary to combine this approximation of laws with action by the Community aimed at attaining one of the Community objectives in the field of environmental protection and health and safety at work; whereas, in pursuance of this aim, certain specific provisions should therefore be laid down; whereas, since the necessary powers have not been provided by the Treaty, Article 235 of the Treaty should be invoked,
HAS ADOPTED THIS DIRECTIVE:
Article 1
1. This Directive is concerned with the prevention of major accidents which might result from certain industrial activities and with the limitation of their consequences for man and the environment It is directed in particular towards the approximation of the measures taken by Member States in this field.
