A recent major hazard installations (MHI) legal workshop compared European, Australian, USA and current SA regulations, and the European COMAH system was agreed to be the most appropriate to adopt in SA.
The European Council's Control of Major Accident Hazards (COMAH) Regulations of 1999, amended in 2005, implement the 96/82/EC Seveso 2 Directive, amended by Directive 2003/105/EC. COMAH replaces the earlier Control of Industrial Major Accident Hazards Regulations 1984 (CIMAH).
A three tier system would apply in SA; non MHI, low level MHI, and high level MHI, with threshold quantities defined for various materials.
The aggregation principle would apply where several different materials with different containers were on one site.
COMAH applies mainly to the chemicals industry, but also to some storage activities, explosives and nuclear sites, and other industries where threshold quantities of dangerous substances identified in the Regulations are kept or used.
A tripartite Technical Committee reviewing the Major Hazard Installation (MHI) Regulations is making slow progress. CAIA is steering the review into a practical approach.
Simplified regulations supported by SANS standards could be expected. There will be a public comment period before promulgation.* A chemicals reactivity tool for chemicals store and warehouse planning is posted at www.aiche.org/ CCPS/Publications/Print/Titles.aspx
MHI Regulator follows European system
A recent major hazard installations (MHI) legal workshop compared European, Australian, USA and current SA regulations, and the European COMAH system was agreed to be the most appropriate to adopt in SA.
The European Council's Control of Major Accident Hazards (COMAH) Regulations of 1999, amended in 2005, implement the 96/82/EC Seveso 2 Directive, amended by Directive 2003/105/EC. COMAH replaces the earlier Control of Industrial Major Accident Hazards Regulations 1984 (CIMAH).
A three tier system would apply in SA; non MHI, low level MHI, and high level MHI, with threshold quantities defined for various materials.
The aggregation principle would apply where several different materials with different containers were on one site.
COMAH applies mainly to the chemicals industry, but also to some storage activities, explosives and nuclear sites, and other industries where threshold quantities of dangerous substances identified in the Regulations are kept or used.
A tripartite Technical Committee reviewing the Major Hazard Installation (MHI) Regulations is making slow progress. CAIA is steering the review into a practical approach.
Simplified regulations supported by SANS standards could be expected. There will be a public comment period before promulgation.* A chemicals reactivity tool for chemicals store and warehouse planning is posted at www.aiche.org/ CCPS/Publications/Print/Titles.aspx
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