71 firms fail safety assessment

At least 71 companies which carry out dangerous activities are not safe enough, and 25 merit detailed inspection, according to preliminary research by environment ministry inspectors.


The report was commissioned following the massive fire at the Chemie-Pack chemicals packaging plant in Moerdijk earlier this year. All 416 companies considered to have a similar risk profile to Chemie-Pack were looked at.
In total, 71 firms failed on at least one of the five points looked at, and there was no information available about 29 of them, the AD reports.
Local councils
Of those 71, 25 failed on at least two points and will be investigated further. The points included risk identification and action plans to deal with emergencies.
Junior environment minister Joop Atsma said that responsibility for safety lies with local and provincial authorities. But he said if necessary he would look at what measures central government could take to improve safety.
The research also showed a number of local councils had not made sure permits were in order. Last year, environment ministry inspectors took legal action against 12 local councils for non-compliance, the AD said.

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