New COMAH (Control of Major Accident Hazards) rules become effective in April 2010

7 February 2010 by Jim Bennett

In 2008 the COMAH Competent Authority (CA) initiated a fundamental review of its approach to regulating onshore major hazards in the UK – the CA has remodelled its key regulatory processes, and will implement a series of changes in April 2010.

Improvements include a better national coordination of the CA’s priorities, improving performance monitoring against existing, and emerging new priorities, and ensuring that the CA continues to focus on the right issues.

The Competent Authority comprises three organisations: the Health Safety Executive (HSE), the Environment Agency (EA – for England and Wales) and the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA). These three organisations are responsible for the enforcement of the Control of Major Accident Hazards (COMAH) Regulations.

The Competent Authority Strategic Management Group (CASMG) will meet quarterly, setting a strategic direction and plan of work for the CA s a whole. It will be responsible for reporting back publicly on progress both in the UK and to the European Union.

For more information – click here 

In Scotland we are reviewing our regulatory environment as described in the “Interpretation and Legislative Reform (Scotland) Bill: Consultation Paper” 
The principle is to facilitate moving from an ‘enforcement model to and enabling environment’. – Please forward comments to the Branch Secretary.