A violent explosion took place this Wednesday in Bergerac in a snowstorm, causing at least one serious injury and seven injuries in “relative emergency”. An accident that took place in the place says Seveso “high threshold”, as was the case of the Lubrizol factory in Rouen or that of AZF in Toulouse.
This classification, imposed by a European directive since the 1980s, includes industrial sites with significant accident risks. It takes its name from the town of Seveso, in Lombardy, which suffered a major disaster when a cloud of herbicide escaped from the Icmesa factory in 1976.
Since then, all hazardous sites must be listed as “low only” or “high threshold” based on the mass of hazardous products in the facility. There are currently 1,312 Seveseo classified sites in France, including 705 “only the best”, spread throughout France. A map of France is available at this link.
prevention plans
Over the years, this classification has evolved, including new prevention criteria. In 1996, a Seveso 2 directive replaced the initial one, then in 2012 a final directive, Seveso 3, now affects 10,000 sites across the European continent.
Several accidents have occurred at the Seveso sites in France. In 2001, the explosion at the AZF factory in Toulouse killed 31 people. More recently, the fire at the Lubrizol factory in Rouen released a thick plume of black smoke over the conurbation.
In the event of an incident, PPRT – Technological Risk Prevention Plans – have been launched, which have, among others, the power to expropriate the inhabitants of the areas of greatest risk.
Source: BFM TV
