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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.
3.
Definition of the types of environmental harm
The definition of major accident in the COMAH regulations requires serious danger (to
people or the environment). Serious danger to the environment is considered to occur
where there is potential for a Major Accident to the Environment (MATTE). A MATTE
would be taken to require harm or damage to the environment above the described
thresholds (refer to section 3.2 for extent, severity and duration thresholds).
In preparing this guidance, the following key technical documents have been referenced:
x
DETR 1999, Guidance on the interpretation of Major Accident to the Environment
for the purposes of COMAH regulations
x
EA, 2004, Guidance identifying COMAH Major Accidents to the Environment
(MATTEs)
x
EA, 2010, Incidents and their classification: the Common Incident Classification
Scheme (CICS)
Reference should also be made to Appendix 1, Key Guidance.
Appendix 2 provides a reference to the relevant tables from the DETR 1999 guidance on
the interpretation of Major Accident to the Environment for the purposes of COMAH
regulations.
3.1
Environmental Receptors
The types of environmental receptors that should be considered are as follows:
x
Terrestrial habitats
x
Freshwater habitats
x
Marine habitats
x
Groundwater bodies
When reviewing habitats the following points should be considered:
x
Small areas within the larger overall area of a receptor may be significant,
depending on the flora / fauna that inhabits them, reference should be made to
the DETR 1999 guidance table 10 and Appendix 4 for further details.
x
Any review of receptors should include migratory species which could be
transient in the habitat
x
Individual species (where appropriate) should be considered in the assessment,
regardless of the pathway to the receptor.
Links to sources of information on environmental receptors are provided for each
receptor in Appendix 3.
Guideline – Environmental Risk Tolerability for COMAH Establishments v1.0
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