# Seveso III Directive (major accidents)

Directive 2012/18/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 4 July 2012 on the control of major-accident hazards involving dangerous substances, amending and subsequently repealing Council Directive 96/82/EC

- Status: In force
- Legal order: European Union
- Legal area: Industrial emissions and permits
- OJ L 197, 24.07.2012, p. 1
- Business profile: Smelting, Semi-fabrication, Recycling

## In brief

Establishments storing or using dangerous substances above the thresholds in Annex I (hazard categories and named substances) are subject to the obligations of lower-tier or upper-tier establishments.

## Key obligations

- notification of the establishment to the competent authority (Art. 7)
- major-accident prevention policy, reviewed at least every 5 years (Art. 8(1) and (4))
- upper-tier establishment – safety report, reviewed at least every 5 years (Art. 10(1) and (5))
- internal emergency plan; review and testing at least every 3 years (Art. 12(1) and (6))
- informing the authority without delay following a major accident (Art. 16)

## Competent authority

PL: voivodeship/district commander of the State Fire Service (PSP), Regional Inspectorate of Environmental Protection (WIOŚ) (inspections – Art. 31 of the Act on the Inspection for Environmental Protection)

## Penalties

Effective, proportionate and dissuasive penalties (Art. 28); prohibition of the use of the establishment in the case of serious failures (Art. 19). Inspections: upper-tier every year, lower-tier every 3 years (Art. 20(4)).

## Entry into force

13.08.2012

## Application

from 1.06.2015 (transposition by 31.05.2015, Art. 31)

## Key dates

- 01.06.2015: application of the Seveso III Directive

## Related acts

- [POŚ – prevention of major industrial accidents (Seveso)](https://igmnir.org/dane/prawo/en/pl-pos-awarie/)
- [Industrial Emissions Directive (IED 2.0)](https://igmnir.org/dane/prawo/en/eu-ied/)

## Official sources

- [Text of the act](http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/2012/18/oj)
- [EUR-Lex – Directive 2012/18/EU](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/PL/ALL/?uri=CELEX:32012L0018)

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Register as of: 22.10.2026. The official text of the act prevails. IGMNiR. On the website: https://igmnir.org/en/law/#akt-eu-seveso