Introduction of frequency in France following the AZF accident

International audienceIn France, regulations regarding risk prevention and risk management are the result of more than 200 years of legislation, the evolution of which has often been consecutive to industrial accidents. Two years after the industrial accident of AZF (French initials for AZote Fertilisant), a new law was introduced on July 30, 2003 which described both prevention and repair of the damage caused by industrial and natural disasters. Since then, regulations have been made considerably tighter and the entire approach towards risk assessment has changed. This law has developed very interesting tools for risk assessment and risk management (some of which are unique worldwide) and has initiated the use of frequency and probability in the French system. Better information to the public, stronger regulations, new methodology for safety reports, over-hauling of land-use planning and improved accident analysis are some of the mainstays of the law. Regarding the introduction of frequencies and probabilities, as operators in France are free to choose the methodology of probability assessment, it is interesting to review the different methodologies used by operators, with their advantages and disadvantages. In the light of these elements, France's National Institute of Industrial Environment and Risks (INERIS) has developed a methodology and tools aiming at helping both operators and authorities in the assessment of accident probabilities. This methodology focuses on installation characteristics. However, to deal with the lack of input data, tools are developed to build up available generic data regarding loss of containment, initiating events, safety barrier failure rates and root causes distributions. Six years after the law of July 30, 2003 was passed, it is now possible to highlight the challenges and improvements brought about by the use of frequency and probability in risk assessment and policies developed as a result

The use of field experience to assess the probabilities of major accidents

International audienceIn France, a law published the 30th of July, 2003 introduced prevention and repair of damage caused by industrial and natural disasters. This law has initiated the use of frequencies and probabilities in the risk assessments performed in safety reports. The French legislation requires to assess the probabilities of major accidents when doing a risk analysis. Several approaches are available to estimate the probabilities of accidents. One of the most famous is the bow-tie method. Another approach is also authorized: the use of field experience. For example, a duty holder who has experienced one fire in his installation during the last ten years can use this information to assess the probability of a fire within the following year. This approach is indicated in the French legislation, however no methodology is given or advised on how to use that experience collected by operators. In most cases, one will merely calculate the ratio between the number of accidents and the database timeframe. Unfortunately, doing so barely gives a gross approximation of the expected value, without taking into account the size of the dataset, nor any potential uncertainty implied by it. This paper develops the methodology proposed in France through a series of formulas making it possible to assess the probabilities of major accidents by using field experience and taking the above considerations into account. These formulas mostly depend on the work context - assessing an ignition probability and assessing a leak frequency require different mathematical hypothesis and models - and on the quality of the field experience data considered - with a conservative approach: using a very reliable database should lead to a lower probability than using an incomplete one

Mise en perspective des approches françaises et néerlandaises de prévention de risques industriels : application à un dépôt de liquides inflammables

National audienceIn The Netherlands and in France, a probabilistic approach is implemented for the management of the industrial risk. Both technical and political context have generated two specific approaches. Accounting for the specific aims of the risk prevention in these two countries, the use of probabilities in risk have to be analyzed with regards to two topics: the risk assessment and the public decision. This point of view allows to emphasize, for France and The Netherlands, the specific aspects of risk regulation and prevention measures triggered in the framework of risk management and land-use planning public policies.Une approche probabiliste de la gestion des risques industriels est en place aux Pays-Bas et en France. Des contextes technico-politiques ont donné lieu à deux approches originales. Au regard des finalités de la prévention propres aux deux pays, il s'agit de considérer l'intégration de la probabilité à un double niveau : celui de l'évaluation des risques et celui de la décision publique. Cette mise en perspective permet de dégager les particularités des deux dispositifs et la déclinaison opérationnelle des leviers de la prévention propres aux deux pays pour les politiques publiques de maîtrise des risques et de maîtrise de l'urbanisation

ERMA : Un outil d'aide à la décision dans les situations d'urgence

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Probabilistic accident assessment in the context of the french regulation

In France, regulations regarding risk prevention and risk management are the result of more than 200 years of legislation, the evolution of which has often been consecutive to industrial accidents. Two years after the industrial accident of AZF (French initials for AZote Fertilisant), a new law was introduced on July 30, 2003 which described both prevention and repair of the damage caused by industrial and natural disasters. Since then, regulations have been made considerably tighter and the entire approach towards risk assessment has changed. This law has developed very interesting tools for risk assessment and risk management (some of which are unique worldwide) and has initiated the use of frequency and probability in the French system. Better information to the public, stronger regulations, new methodology for safety reports, over-hauling of land-use planning and improved accident analysis are some of the mainstays of the law. Regarding the introduction of frequencies and probabilities, as operators in France are free to choose the methodology of probability assessment, it is interesting to review the different methodologies used by operators, with their advantages and disadvantages. In the light of these elements, France's National Institute of Industrial Environment and Risks (INERIS) has developed a methodology and tools aiming at helping both operators and authorities in the assessment of accident probabilities. This methodology focuses on installation characteristics. However, to deal with the lack of input data, tools are developed to build up available generic data regarding loss of containment, initiating events, safety barrier failure rates and root causes distributions. Six years after the law of July 30, 2003 was passed, it is now possible to highlight the challenges and improvements brought about by the use of frequency and probability in risk assessment and policies developed as a result

I frati minori e le trasformazioni del pensiero giuridico su moneta e denaro tra XIII e XV sec.

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Il linguaggio contabile, strumento di descrizione e valutazione della societas cristiana prima dell'età moderna

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I frati minori e le trasformazioni del pensiero giuridico su moneta e denaro tra XIII e XV sec.

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: , dans C. Lenoble - G. Todeschini (dir.), Cittadinanza e disuguaglianze economiche: le origini storiche di un problema europeo (XIII-XVI secolo), Mélanges de l'École française de Rome - Moyen Âge [En ligne], 125-2 | 2013

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Paul Bertrand, Commerce avec Dame Pauvreté. Structures et fonctions des couvents mendiants à Liège (XIIIe-XIVe s.), Genève, Droz, 2004.

Compte-rendu d'ouvrage pour la Revue de synthèse, 127, année 2006, n°2, p. 465-468International audienc