Industrial major-accidents: hazard control, dangerous substances

The Conciliation Committee reached agreement on amending the Seveso II directive: - Mining activities: the Directive will be extended to include operational tailings disposal facilities containing dangerous substances, when used in connection with the chemical and thermal as well as mechanical and physical processing of minerals; - Potassium nitrate: the Council accepted Parliament's amendments and the Directive will therefore cover major potassium nitrate processing plants in accordance with the agreed thresholds; - Training of staff: training for initial emergency measures in the event of accidents will be given not only to all staff working in a potentially dangerous establishment but also to relevant sub-contracted staff; - Database for land-use planning: within three years of the entry into force of the Directive, the Commission will draw up guidelines for a technical database; - Maps showing risk areas: maps, images or, as appropriate, equivalent descriptions will be included in the safety reports. These reports must be provided by operators of dangerous plants and must be accessible to the public.�