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Control of Major Accident Hazards Regulations (COMAH)

Photo of the BP jetty at GrainThe Control of Major Accident Hazard Regulations 1999 (COMAH) require a site operator to produce on-site emergency plans for establishments where a dangerous substance is stored in quantities listed in Schedule 1 of the Regulations or if a specified dangerous substance could be produced in threshold quantities following the loss of control of an industrial chemical process.

Medway Council is responsible for producing an off-site plan that outlines the co-coordinated response of agencies to an emergency that has off-site implications. The on-site and off-site plans need to correspond to ensure that an effective multi-agency response to an emergency affecting the site and the surrounding area is achieved.

The objectives of these, as determined in the COMAH regulations, are to:

  • contain and control incidents so as to limit damage to people, the environment and property;
  • implement the measures necessary to protect people and the environment from the effects of major accidents;
  • communicate the necessary information to the public and to the emergency services and authorities;
  • provide for the restoration and clean–up of the environment following a major accident.

It is a requirement of the COMAH regulations that the emergency plans, on-site and off-site, should be tested and reviewed at least once every three years.

A major accident, as defined in the COMAH regulations, means “an occurrence (including in particular, a major emission, fire or explosion) resulting from uncontrolled developments in the course of the operation of any establishment and leading to serious danger to human health or the environment, immediate or delayed, inside or outside the establishment and involving one or more dangerous substances”.

There are currently three top-tier COMAH sites within Medway:

Download the Medway Council offsite emergency plan for National Grid LNG Grain (pdf 1MB).

To use this file you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you do not have it on your computer, please use our advice page.

For more information contact Emergency Planning by telephone: 01634 333333 or by email: emergencyplanning@medway.gov.uk

Write to: Emergency Planning, Medway Council, Gun Wharf, Dock Road, Chatham, Kent ME4 4TR

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