PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
REACH, the European Community Regulation on chemicals and their safe use (EC 1907/2006), deals with the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemical substances, and aims at improving the protection of human health and the environment through the better and earlier identification of the intrinsic properties of chemical substances. It entered into force on 1 June 2007, and will be implemented in different phases until 2018. REACH Dangerous chemical substances can escape into the environment during supply, transportation, storage or handling - either during routine operations or as the result of unexpected and disastrous accidents. Such releases may cause immediate or long-term harm to human health and the environment by direct exposure and/or contamination of the air, water, soil, and food chain.
In Greece, full implementation of the REACH protocol requires better coordination and guidance of the involved stakeholders, as far as the relevant Health, Safety, and Environmental (HSE) requirements are concerned.
OBJECTIVES
The PROTEAS project’s principal objective was to provide improved guidance on essential management systems, procedures, obligations and recommendations to all stakeholders in order to prevent and control chemical risks related to the supply and distribution of fuels, lubricants and petrochemicals in Greece.
To achieve this, the project aimed to:
Assess current methods, legislative requirements, industrial standards and Best Available Techniques (BATs) used to detect, quantify, monitor, and minimise contamination and risks from emissions and accidents; Design and implement a life cycle assessment (LCA) of the supply, transportation, handling and loading/unloading stages of fuels, lubricants and petrochemicals in Greece, taking into account the probability of accidental spills; Define ‘Strictly Controlled Conditions’ for the safe handling of fuels and other dangerous substances; and Develop a Protocol according to best industrial practices for the prevention and control of accidental releases and environmental damage caused during the supply and distribution of fuels and other dangerous substances. It thus ultimately sought to contribute to improved implementation of REACH and prevent damage to the environment and human health associated with hazardous substances.
RESULTS
The PROTEAS project’s objectives were successfully achieved. Indeed the project developed four main PROTEAS tools:
The PROTEAS Protocol of good practices (e-tool), including practical HSE guidelines and information based on BATs for the control of accidental release and safe handling of hazardous substances during transportation and distribution of fuel and petrochemicals. The tool covers: 46 groups of chemicals; 12 thematic areas (including emergency response, labelling and inspections); 4 transport systems; 7 supply and distribution stages; and 9 risk levels/categories; The PROTEAS ADR Control Inspection e-tool for roadside checks of vehicles carrying dangerous goods – the implementation of which has now been incorporated into Greek legislation on ‘Infringements and penalties concerning the road transport of dangerous goods’ (this tool was not foreseen in the project proposal); The PROTEAS Legislation Search Engine, for the retrieval of information on national, EU and international legislation related to chemical handling and transportation; and An online PROTEAS Discussion e-Forum for information and knowledge exchange on issues related to handling of hazardous chemicals – with 127 registered users. Other project results and outputs were:
Identification and assessment of HSE Regulations, Best Available Techniques (BATs), industrial practices and safety procedures for ‘Strictly Controlled Conditions’ in the supply and transportation of fuels and other hazardous chemicals; Analysis of more than 700 samples (water, VOC, solid) collected from 421 sampling sites along supply and distribution chains in Greece; A Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) covering all transportation stages of primary fuels (Gasoline, Diesel and LPG) in Greece; and Generalised Safety Data Sheets (SDSs) for several hazard substance classes, such as flammable gases, toxic gases, flammable liquids, oxidising substances and corrosives; Specifications for a proposed new web-based Information Centre - including the PROTEAS tools, BATs databank, e-library, web tool for recording and analysing accidental spills and hotline support – which is being developed under the follow-on LIFE CHEREE project (LIFE15 GIE/GR/000943). Policy-wise, the PROTEAS tools contribute significantly to the right implementation of the REACH regulation (EC 1907/2006) with an emphasis on transportation and handling of chemicals in Greece. As seen, its tools and approach hold high replicability and policy uptake potential. Indeed, the Greek Ministry of Transport intends to keep adopting the project outcomes in new and updated legislation. Other countries have also shown their interest for the PROTEAS outputs.
Further information on the project can be found in the project's layman report and After-LIFE Communication Plan (see "Read more" section).
