CDOIF Guidance

CDOIF

Chemical and Downstream Oil

Industries Forum

CDOIF is a collaborative venture formed to agree strategic areas for

joint industry / trade union / regulator action aimed at delivering

health, safety and environmental improvements with cross-sector

benefits.

Foreword

In promoting and leading on key sector process safety initiatives, CDOIF has developed through its

members this guideline on environmental risk tolerability for COMAH establishments.

The intent of this document is to provide a reference for those organisations completing

environmental risk assessments.

This guidance (or equivalent) should be used from the date of publication to carry out

environmental risk assessments required by COMAH. The document will remain open for

comment and revision until end 2014 to allow industry to use the process and provide feedback on

any significant issues that may arise from its implementation.

It is not the intention of this guidance to replace the existing DETR 1999 publication ‘Guidance on

the Interpretation of Major Accident to the Environment for the Purposes of the COMAH

Regulations’, but provide a framework and screening methodology by which regulators and duty

holders can apply it.

There are no limitations on further distribution of this guideline to other organisations outside of

CDOIF membership, provided that:

It is understood that this report represents CDOIF’s view of common guidelines as applied

to environmental risk assessment, and determining risk tolerability.

CDOIF accepts no responsibility in terms of the use or misuse of this document.

The report is distributed in a read only format, such that the name and content is not

changed and that it is consistently referred to as "CDOIF Guideline – Environmental Risk

Tolerability for COMAH sites".

It is understood that no warranty is given in relation to the accuracy or completeness of

information contained in the report except that it is believed to be substantially correct at the

time of publication.

This guidance is not intended to be an authoritative interpretation of the law; however Competent

Authority (CA) inspectors may refer to it in making judgements about a duty holder’s compliance

with the law. This will be done in accordance with the CA’s published enforcement policies (refer to

) and it is anticipated that this document will facilitate a consistent

national approach. Reference should also be made to the CA’s ‘All Measures Necessary

Guidance’ to local inspection teams.

It should be understood however that this document does not explore all possible options for

determining environmental risk tolerability or environmental risk assessment, nor does it consider

individual site requirements – Following the guidance is not compulsory and duty holders are free

to take other action.

Guideline – Environmental Risk Tolerability for COMAH Establishments v1.0

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