Regulatory context

Regulations governing the management of emergency situations go back a long way, and are closely linked to the major industrial accidents that have marked the industrial development of recent centuries. Very early on, legislators realized that, while fatalism and the imponderable could still apply to natural disasters due to their unpredictability, they no longer had any place when it came to industrial or technological risks.

Thus, in successive stages, "hazardous" establishments have been identified, listed and subjected to regulations that pursue two ambitious objectives: prevention and protection.

Emergency plans (internal or external) fall fully into the second category, and are designed to protect people, the environment and property in the event of an incident at a high-risk facility.

This section will detail...