Inspections on safety management systems and integrity controls at "Seveso" facilities

Inspections organized by Italian Competent Authorities to comply with art. 18 of Seveso II Directive are very effective for a systematic understanding of the organisational and managerial systems being employed at the establishment. The examination of technical systems is instead a weak point of Seveso inspections. At a Seveso process plant there is a high number of apparatuses, subjected to planned integrity controls, which in most cases are ruled by statutory regulations. In practical experience Seveso inspections program is definitely separated from mechanical integrity inspections program. The paper presents a tool that could be shared between authorities and operators, aimed to reduce the gap between integrity inspections, required by safety technical rules, and inspections required by Seveso II Directive.