ARAMIS Project : development of an integrated Accidental Risk Assessment Methology for IndustrieS in the framework of SEVESO II directive

ARAMIS is a three-year European project that started in January 2002 and aims at developing a new integrated risk assessment methodology for high-risk industrial sites in combining the strengths of the two approaches most currently used in Europe: the risk-based and deterministic methods. In this respect, the methodology could be used as a supportive tool to speed up the harmonised implementation of the Council Directive 96/82/CE also called SEVESO II Directive. The development of ARAMIS meets the need for a methodology giving consistent rules for the identification of scenarios that take into account some safety devices and some aspects of safety management, and that is recognised by risk experts from Competent Authorities and Industry. The paper presents the overall frame of ARAMIS project. The proposed method results in an integrated risk index composed itself of three independent indexes. Index S assesses the consequence severity of first defined reference scenarios. Index M evaluates Safety Management effectiveness and accounts thus for the scenario probability. Index V estimates the environment vulnerability. Efforts have been made to disseminate work progress and results from the start. A dedicated web-site has been created and a review committee gathering industry risk experts and EU competent authority representatives periodically monitors the project