Filenews 24 September 2023 - by Angelos Nicolaou
Measures to prevent fire risks in high-risk facilities were decided by the government following the repeated incidents of fires in the nuisance industrial zone of Yeri – Dali.
Initially, a nationwide campaign of inspections and audits of all licensed waste management facilities was carried out at the beginning of the week. Based on the results of this campaign, immediate action will be taken in the context of the implementation and enforcement of the provisions of the existing legislation.
However, the latest incident on September 15 at a vehicle recycling plant in the industrial area of Yeri shows that there should be no complacency and rang a new bell about the dangers of heavy nuisance areas.
The Council of Ministers took the issue warmly and asked for an update on the progress of the implementation of the decisions taken, in two time stages: December 2023 and May 2024, i.e. before the next summer season. It is noted that the whole process for the implementation of decisions will be monitored by the Director-General of the Directorate-General for the Environment.
The recent fire incident in the industrial area of Geri and specifically in material recycling facilities on July 16, as well as the issue of frequent fires in waste management facilities, was the subject of a meeting chaired by the President of the Republic, in the presence of the Ministers of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment (YGAAP), the Minister of Labour, the Deputy Minister to the President and others government officials. This was preceded by meetings of the Minister of GAAP and the Deputy Minister to the President on 24 July and 27 July 2023, respectively.
The aim of the meetings was to analyze and assess the whole situation with a view to taking measures to address the problem in the short and medium term with the cooperation of all involved services, taking into account the existing and future spatial planning of residential areas adjacent to these industrial units, and the risk and frequency of fire incidents observed in recent years in such units.
During the meeting with President Christodoulides, it was decided to promote specific measures concerning various government departments.
By the end of 2023, under the coordination of the Department of Environment, to complete the inspections at the existing licensed high-risk facilities. Then, taking into account the suggestions of the Fire Service to update the Waste Management Permits (SAAs) to include the new additional specialized conditions for each facility.
Furthermore, it was decided to give the managers of waste management facilities a transitional period for the application of the new permit conditions that will be amended. At the same time, it was decided by the end of 2023 to prepare an amendment to the legislation and decrees, where necessary, to differentiate the amount of bail and extrajudicial penalties, as well as the adoption of administrative sanctions, including the clear immediate suspension of operations.
It was also decided that based on the hazards of the materials managed within the premises, the safety distances between the piles of materials stored should be reassessed to facilitate extinguishing in case of fire. These distances and conditions should be incorporated into the operating licenses of each plant separately.
The Department of Environment undertook to examine by the end of 2023 the necessity of creating a Producer Responsibility for waste materials, in addition to the mandatory flows in the requirements of the relevant existing legislation for the management of specific waste streams (recyclable materials of low and / or zero value, chlorinated plastics, etc.) and to submit accordingly relevant proposals for the preparation of legislation.
Another decision undertaken by the Department of Environment to implement is the establishment of a Group of Experts which will be coordinated by the Chief Inspector of the Department of Environment, and in which the Fire Service and officers from the Department of Environment and other Departments of the Ministry of Environment will participate. The group will conduct at least once a year an overview of waste management units, which have been classified by the Department of Environment as high-risk facilities. This team will submit a report to the Director of the Department of Environment which will include suggestions for possible variations in the terms of the appointing authority and / or the taking of specific actions to improve the safety of operation of the facilities.
This group will also assess category A heavy nuisance industrial zones.
(a) Dali, Geri, Tseri in Nicosia District,
(b) Ypsonas in Limassol District
(c) Kalavasos
(d) Koshi in Larnaka District
in order to assess whether issues of increased risk arise from the spatial incompatibility of existing industrial facilities. The coordinator of the Group (Department of Environment) will submit by March 2024 at the latest the evaluation report to the Director General, the results with the recommendations, which will also be communicated to the competent Ministries.
The Department of Labour Inspection undertook to amend the legislation in order to impose additional obligations
(a) establishments storing hazardous chemicals in quantities below but close to the threshold set by the Seveso Directive, and
(b) installations adjacent to Seveso units.
Furthermore, with the coordination of the Department of Town Planning and Housing, industrial zones and areas will be evaluated throughout Cyprus in relation to their proximity to residential or other incompatible spatial zones, until the end of 2023, and recommendations will be made where necessary. In the same context, the various types of new industries will be studied by the Department of Town Planning and Housing, as has already been done with the three zones in Nicosia, all over Cyprus, and where deemed necessary, recommend the exemption and/or the introduction of locational conditions/criteria for any types of industrial developments that are deemed incompatible for installation in existing industrial zones/areas.
In meetings of the Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment and the Deputy Minister to the President on 24 July and 27 July 2023, respectively, important issues related to the risk of fires in industrial units were discussed and analyzed. Among other things, the issue was raised of tightening the terms of both existing and new Waste Management Permits (SAAs).
The SAAs granted to waste management facilities include several conditions covering fire safety and firefighting issues, in accordance with the recommendations of the Fire Service and other Guidelines for "Reducing the risk of fire in waste management units". They also include conditions for the creation and implementation of an Emergency Plan in these facilities.
Depending on the type of activity taking place in each installation, management conditions are incorporated for the environmentally sound and safe operation of these facilities. It also specifies how, where it is stored, as well as the maximum quantities of waste that may be stored in each facility.
The topics discussed included the safe and environmentally sound management of waste when it is transported to licensed waste management facilities, the identification and management of risks during the treatment process. Another important issue is the establishment of criteria based on which the technical design of facilities is carried out (e.g. area of storage areas, total quantities stored, height and volume of storage of stored waste, storage period before export or further transfer to another facility). A decision was taken to vary the management conditions embedded in existing SAAs (where necessary) to clearly reflect the above.
Another of the issues discussed and analysed at the meeting between the Minister of Agriculture and the Deputy Minister to the President has to do with the tightening of penalties in the implementation of the legislation and the need for closer cooperation between the services involved. For the settlement of the issue, the following issues were discussed:
1) the study of increasing the amount of out-of-court settlement, through the amendment of the relevant Law,
2) the adoption of the risk classification of units as recently classified by the Department of Environment, and the intensification / systematization of priority risk controls,
3) the conduct of high-risk licensed waste management facilities, jointly by Officers of the Department of Environment and the Fire Service, which is the competent body for fire safety issues, so that in cases where required, additional specialized conditions are set for each facility.
A special area for environmental audits is in the works
A decision was also taken to create a separate Special Sector for Environmental Audits, in the Department of Environment, headed by a Chief Inspector First Environmental Officer (new position to be created by the 2024 Budget), who will have as his sole responsibility environmental audits / inspections and will have no other responsibilities.
The need for the creation of an Environmental Inspectorate Service (EYPE), for the more effective conduct of audits / inspections in licensed facilities, with the aim of better protecting the environment, public health and citizens' welfare is something that has been discussed for years in the Department of Environment. It is noted that, based on a study conducted in 2018 by the European Commission for Cyprus, this Service should be staffed by 45 scientific staff. Today, the Department of Environment does not have officers who are exclusively engaged in carrying out audits / inspections. It is staffed on a nationwide basis with 8 Inspectors who are not exclusively engaged in carrying out audits/inspections.
On this issue, a proposal should be prepared to the Council of Ministers for a decision approving the creation of EYPE with the contribution of the Department of Public Administration and Personnel.
The promoted proposal of the Minister of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment implements the commitment in the Governance Program of the PD, Policy 3 "Protection against environmental pressures and risks to the health and well-being of citizens", under the thematic section Clean Environment.
With the coordination of the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment (YGAAP) to investigate by the end of 2023, the possibility and framework for the adoption and implementation of an Emergency Plan for industrial areas / zones of heavy nuisance category A', by the competent authority (after receiving the views of the relevant Ministries – Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Labor and Social Insurance and Ministry of Energy, Trade and Industry), including:
(a) the employment of a Safety Officer for the implementation, monitoring and supervision of the safe operation on a 24-hour basis of facilities hosted in category A industrial zones of heavy nuisance.
(b) the Internal Emergency Plan of each waste management facility hosted in category A heavy nuisance industrial zones.
(c) the External Emergency Plan of each industrial zone of heavy nuisance category A', according to the model set out in the provisions of Regulation 52A of the Civil Defence (General) Regulations,
(d) the adoption and implementation of a Health and Safety Assurance System in accordance with ISO 48001:2018 in each waste management facility hosted in category A industrial zones of heavy nuisance.
Another issue addressed by the Minister of Agriculture and the Deputy Minister to the President concerns the need to evaluate and adopt new recommendations from stakeholders / stakeholders and the recycling industry in relation to spatial planning issues. Among other things, it was decided that the Department of Environment will study the suggestions made by the recycling industry and in particular by OEB at the meeting of July 24, 2023 that took place at the Ministry of Environment.
The management committee of the industrial zone of Geri – Dali (OEB) submitted a total of 17 recommendations for measures to deal with fires. In summary, they suggested the following:
1) Creation of an audit committee with the participation of representatives of state services to carry out audits 3-4 times a year for compliance with licensing conditions and legal obligations of recycling industries in relation to safety and health issues.
2) Creation of a mechanism for the submission of anonymous complaints by citizens for violations of legislation.
3) Preparation of an emergency management plan and evacuation of the Industrial Zone.
4) Prevention of further expansion of residential or other developments near the nuisance Industrial Zone.
5) Prohibition of agricultural holdings within an industrial zone and keeping a protective distance around industries.
6) Cleaning of vacant pieces of land before the summer season.
7) Aerial mapping of the industrial zone using drones to identify illegal premises/uses/extensions/deposits of hazardous materials that pose serious risks for both causing / expanding fire.
8) Reinforcement of the staffing of the Department of Environment to carry out necessary controls / inspections.
9) Computerized registration in a central software system by the Recycling Industries of the inputs / outputs of recyclable materials for continuous and live monitoring of the volumes under management and compliance with licensing terms.
10) Preparation of an information leaflet of basic fire prevention and self-protection instructions for plot owners to inform both themselves and their employees.
11) Training of industries and employees on fire safety issues.
12) Educating consumers on proper household waste sorting to avoid placing hazardous waste in household waste streams (e.g. gas canisters, pressure vessels).
13) Review/upgrade fire safety measures in high-risk recycling industries to identify potential areas for improvement.
14) Creation of a sponsorship scheme to cover part of the upgrade costs.
15) Parking (on call) of fire trucks in the Yeri Zone, especially during the summer months for immediate response to fires.
16) Identification of unlicensed recyclers within the Industrial Zone as well as in residential zones that operate illegally and uncontrollably.
17) Immediate installation of water spouts at the points determined by the study of the Fire Brigade by the Municipality of Geri.
