The Italian Inspection System of Seveso and Industrial Emission Directive Installations: Common Points and Importance of Collaboration

This paper aims to highlight comparison, overlaps and points in common among the industrial installations in Italy covered by the Seveso Directive and the Industrial Emission Directive.

The main improvements and innovations obtained through the implementation of these Directives into the national legislation are identified. A detailed description of the typology and the quantity of the industrial installations, referred to the last available data, is presented along with the number of inspections carried out and the type and number of cases of non-compliance detected. The paper intends to focus on the inspection systems, human and economic resources involved, performance indicators and environmental objectives to comply, to understand how the main Italian inspection system can guarantee an effective control action. Furthermore, several technical issues related to the storage tanks in oil refineries installations are examined such as: the floating roof sinking, the waterproofing of the containment basins, the double bottom of the tanks and the possible leakage from the bottom of the tank. The evaluations on the application of the Safety Management System and the Best Available Techniques put in evidence the close cooperation and relationship needed in the inspection system, in technical and managerial terms, to fulfil both Seveso and Industrial Emission Directive requirements.

The main outcome of this analysis is that the Italian inspection system seems to be consistent and effective also thanks to the transversality of many aspects required by both regulations, which are all considered during inspections, although with different approach, to have a complete vision of the critical points. The added value obtained through the double-cross control made by the inspectors is the importance of communication among the authorities, in the respect of both safety and environmental issues.

Keywords: Compliance, Control, Industrial emission directive, Industrial installations, Inspections, Seveso.

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