This snapshot, taken on 07/04/2010, shows web content selected for preservation by The National Archives. External links, forms and search boxes may not work in archived websites.
Last updated: 10 March 2010
Industrial Accidents: the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) [External website] is the lead department for England and Wales, with the Scottish Executive [External website] and Northern Ireland Executive [External website].
Pollution on the land is managed by Defra [External website] working with the Environment Agency [External website] and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) [External website] in Scotland and the Department for Environment, Planning and Countryside [External website] in Wales.
Pollution from vessels and offshore installations is managed in the UK by Counter Pollution Branch of Department for Transport's Maritime & Coastguard Agency [External website]. In Scotland it is as for UK but with SEPA [External website] involvement.
Site Clearance is the responsibility of the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) [External website].
See the CBRN pages for further details on Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear incidents not covered by the Key Guidance Documents below.
On this page:
The UK has one of the most sophisticated regimes for maintaining industrial safety and tackling pollution, building on a strong track record which dates back to the nineteenth century.
The UK's record is already commendable, with fatal accidents reduced by over two thirds since the introduction of the landmark Health and Safety at Work etc Act in 1974. And rivers and bathing waters are the cleanest on record thanks to years of investment by industry. Clearly hazards remain however, and everyone in the workplace has a responsibility to identify them and take steps to mitigate the risks as far as possible.
On the basis of historical data and statistical analysis, the Government assesses that it is both reasonable and sensible to plan for a variety of different industrial accidents and environmental pollution hazards.
The key hazards involve fire or explosion in our petrochemical (gas and oil - including pipelines, storage, refineries and platforms) industry; releases of toxic chemicals, radioactive material (from a nuclear reactor accident or an accidental release from incorrectly handled or disposed of sources) and a controlled biological substance; a major contamination incident with widespread implications for the food chain; maritime pollution (a major crude oil spillage and a more localised pollution incident in controlled waters); a major land contamination incident (i.e. as a result of a chemical spillage); a major air quality incident and an industrial explosion.
General enquiries: Cabinet Office, 22 Whitehall, London SW1A 2WH.
[Terms and conditions, privacy and copyright] [ Complaints procedure] [ Readers] [
RSS Feeds] [ Freedom of Information ] [This website is speech enabled] [External website]
