Development of program for industrial safety in Serbia begins

The Ministry of Environmental Protection has announced that it has started drafting the Program for Industrial Safety for the period 2026 - 2035 with an action plan, in order to improve that area, strengthen resilience to disasters and better manage the risk of major (industrial) accidents, but also contribute to sustainable development.

As pointed out on the website of this ministry, industrial safety is a term that implies a multidisciplinary approach to the development and achievement of the highest standards for the management of potential risks arising during the performance of activities in industrial plants.

– Activities in the production and storage of hazardous chemicals have a significant share in environmental pollution, and therefore a large part of the policies and laws at the level of the international community in the field of the environment are oriented towards the application of various measures in relation to the sources of emissions of polluting substances originating from industry, especially when it comes to the management of hazardous chemicals and the safety of industrial plants. Major (industrial) accidents occur all over the world, leaving behind large and devastating consequences, for people, the environment and material goods, and in addition, their impact can spread beyond the borders of countries. Considering the increasing global threat from natural disasters and other accidents, large (industrial) accidents can be a consequence and part of the scenario in the case of floods, earthquakes and other natural disasters, as well as terrorism – the ministry indicates.

The prevention of these accidents with possible consequences for human health, the quality of the environment and material and natural assets are, it is added, an imperative that experts from various fields must always have in front of them.

Deficiencies in the field of international cooperation were also observed, especially when it comes to neighboring countries, related to the prevention, notification and response to major accidents, which have the potential to be transferred from neighboring countries to ours and vice versa.

The initiators of the initiative for the development of the program had in mind Serbia’s obligations related to the implementation of the UNECE Convention on the Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents, Directive 2012/18/EU on the Control of the Risk of Major Accidents Involving Hazardous Substances (Seveso III Directive), the Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters, the Agenda for Sustainable Development until 2030, and the Sendai Disaster Risk Reduction Framework for the period 2015-2030. year, and the implementation of which is in the competence of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and other ministries of Serbia.

Ministarstvo zaštite životne sredine Republike Srbije

Ministry of Environmental Protection

drafting of Program for Industrial Safety in Serbia

UNECE Convention on the Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents