The Seveso Directive: Danish rules and guidelines

The Risk Executive Order describes the general obligations of Seveso enterprises in regard to preventing major accidents and minimising damage, as well as the tasks of the authorities, including cooperation between the authorities and enterprises.

See the Risk Executive Order here (in Danish)

The annexes to the Executive Order contain overviews of the hazardous substances and relevant threshold values that determine whether an enterprise is covered.

Requirements are also listed for the structure of safety reports, safety management systems, emergency management plans, inspections and information that must be communicated to public authorities and the European Commission in the event of an accident.

The Danish Environmental Protection Agency has produced several additional guidelines for Seveso establishments and the local authorities. Some are in English. They can be found along with other guidance in Danish in the RiskHandbook (in Danish).

Denmark has also transposed the Seveso Directive in several areas. These involve ‘lower-tier’ stores of chlorine or ammonia adjacent to densely populated areas and the handling of temporary stores of hazardous substances during transport.

In Denmark, the Order on risk is administered in conjunction with various authorities, each with responsibility for rules and administration within their own area.

The authorities involved are:

Municipal environmental and planning departments and the decentralised units of the Environmental Protection Agency in Aarhus and Copenhagen.

The Danish Working Environment Authority.

Municipal Fire and Rescue departments and the Danish Emergency Management Agency.

The police, in cases involving the publishing of external emergency management plans and cases involving explosives.

The Danish Safety Technology Authority, in regard to fireworks.

As a rule, the environmental authorities coordinate cooperation between enterprises which pose a risk and other authorities.