Implementation of European Union (EU) SEVESO Directive and Liabilities for governments and Businesses
AbstractChemical substances which used frequently in every aspect of our daily life and industry pose many risks. The chemical accidents are emerged either from unplanned technological failures and/or human errors or from a combination of both. In this paper, the European Commission SEVESO Directives about prevention, preparedness and response to major incidents has been evaluated in terms of the amendments on its content and the implementation difficulties. The Seveso Directive, adopted by the Council of Ministers of the European Communities in June 1982 (Directive 82/501/EEC) was the result of discussions after Seveso disaster in Italy. This legislation aimed to improve the safety of industrial sites, planning for offsite emergencies, and to cope with broader regional and transboundary aspects of industrial safety. After two amendments in 1987 and 1988 the second Directive (96/82/EC) was introduced in 1996 following the UK North Sea Piper-Alpha disaster in 1989 accepted the concept of a safety management system, draw attention for domino effects to neighbouring plants, land use planning, and care in plant modifications. Seveso Directive III in 2012 focused on emergency plans, public involvement in consultation and decision making, and defining criteria for „hazardous materials. On the path of full EU membership Turkey updated related regulations according to Seveso II Directive but hasn‟t finished harmonization updates in his legislation for Seveso III directive yet.