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 Selection of publicly available databases of chemical accident data

If you know of another open source chemical accident database that should be added to this list, please feel free to let us know at Email: JRC-EMARS@ec.europa.eu 


Link to open sources for chemical accident investigations and studies
Link to conference and symposium series with lessons learned case studies
Back to the Lessons Learned home page

ARIA (France) http://www.aria.developpement-durable.gouv.fr/  
A database operated by the French Ministry of Ecology, Energy, Sustainable Development listing the accidental events which have, or could have damaged health or public safety, agriculture, nature or the environment. Chemical accidents are reported that meet established criteria.

Number of events:  >10,000             Time span: > 1970        Geographic coverage:   France and  some major disasters in other countries
Purpose:  Lessons learned                 Format:  Free text only

Description of content:  Concise, and sometimes, comprehensive technical summaries of serious accidents from all hazard sources. Reports are verified by technical experts.  Impacts are reported in free text. All  accidents associated with sources classified as high hazards and meeting a certain impact criteria are recorded in this database in accordance with French legislation.
Data on impacts:  Each incident is classified according to the EU Gravity Scale based on human health, environment, community and economic impacts

CSC (Korea) Chemistry Safety Clearinghouse https://icis.me.go.kr
Chemical accident and near miss data notified to authorities according to Korean law

Number of events:  > 400                 Time span:  >2014              Geographic coverage:  Korea
Purpose:  Lessons learned and causal and impact statistics               Format: Classified by technical cause

Description of content:  Short summaries of chemical accidents on fixed sites and in transportation, reported in accordance with Korean legislation. For each accident there are statistics on human health impacts, and a mix of qualitative and quantitative information on other impacts.  
Data on impacts:  Quantitative data on human health impacts. Inconsistent data in all other categories. Economic impacts not collected

eMARS  https://emars.jrc.ec.europa.eu  
Accidents reported to the European Commission in compliance with Seveso Directive Annex VI criteria.

Number of events:  >1,000                         Time span:  > 1984                           Geographic coverage:  EU/OECD countries
Purpose:  
Lessons learned and causal and impact statistics                         Format:  Free text and classification of events by various filters (substance, industry type, impact, etc.)

Description of content:  Completeness and precision of descriptions varies considerably.   For each accident there is a free text description of the incident, statistics on human health impacts, and a mix of qualitative and quantitative information on other impacts.  All EU accidents on high-hazard (Seveso) fixed sites meeting a certain impact criteria are recorded in this database in accordance with the EU Seveso Directive.
Data on impacts:  Quantitative data on human health impacts. Inconsistent data in all other categories. Economic impacts not collected

Energy Institute Toolbox  https://toolbox.energyinst.org/home   

Number of events:  > 500 (process safety events)                Time span:  Not given but likely > 2000     Geographic coverage:  Global
Purpose:  
To share lessons learned and causal analysis

Description of content:  Database of accidents in upstream and downstream petroleum sectors.  Provides  analysis of sequence of events, response, causes and lessons learned. 

Data on impacts:  Information on human health impacts

Failure Knowledge Database  www.sozogaku.com/fkd/en/ 

Number of events:  > 200 (process safety events)                        Time span:  > 1970                           Geographic coverage:  Japan
Purpose:  
To share lessons learned and causal analysis

Description of content:  Database of accidents in several industries including chemical and petroleum sectors.  Provides detailed structured analysis of sequence of events, response, causes and lessons learned. The contributor factors are also mapped in a scenarios diagramme.
Data on impacts:  Information on human health impacts, physical damage and costs incurred.

IChemE Safety Centre   www.icheme.org 

Number of events:  100 - 200               Time span:  >1960             Geographic coverage:  Global
Purpose:  Lessons learned from historical chemical disasters              Format: Classified by industry type

Description of content:  Summaries of well-known chemical accidents on fixed sites. For each incident, there is a description, incident analysis and lessons learned. 
Data on impacts: Quantitative data on human health impacts and property damage

IOGP Safety Performance Indicators and Process Safety Events (International Association of Oil and Gas Producers-IOGP) www.iogp.org  
Accident data reported by IOGP participating member companies

Number of events:  >6,000                         Time span:  2015        Geographic coverage:  Participating members worldwide
Purpose:  Lessons learned and causal and impact statistics            Format:  Classified by technical and underlying causes

Description of content:  IOGP is one of the first industry organisations to report disaggregated data on safety events occurring in member company operations.  Database of activities that can be sorted by type of activity and impact.  Many of the incidents are occupational. They also publish a book of process safety case studies on an annual basis.
Date on impacts:  Each incident is classified as Tier 1 or Tier 2 severity based on human health, environment, community and economic impacts

Process Safety Incident Database (PSID)  www.aiche.org/ccps/resources/psid-process-safety-incident-database 
Process safety incidents reported by member companies of the AICHE Center for Chemical Process Safety

Number of events: ~100                         Time span:  > 2000                             Geographic coverage:  USA
Purpose:  To pool process safety incident experience among participating companies so they can learn from the experiences of others without suffering the consequences of failures, while minimizing corporate liability.  

Description of content:  Concise summaries of serious chemical accidents.  Detailed explanation of lessons learned and adequate detail on circumstances.
Data on impacts.  Specific numbers provided on deaths and injuries.  Limited detail on other types of impacts.

ProcessNet (German industry) https://processnet.org/en/incident_db.html  [en], https://processnet.org/ereignisdb.html [de]
Hazardous incidents in process engineering facilities managed jointly by DECHEMA and VCI

Number of events:
  ~100                        Time span:  > 2000                              Geographic coverage:  Not available
Purpose:  Lessons learned and causal information                                                   Format:  Free text

Description of content:  Concise technical summaries of chemical accidents.
Data on impacts: Very limited if available at all

RISCAD (Japan) Relational Information System for Chemical Accidents Database https://riscad.aist-riss.jp/ 
Operated by the Japanese National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology 

Number of events:  >7500                 Time span:  > 1949              Geographic coverage:  Japan
Purpose:  Lessons learned and causal and impact statistics                 Format:  Technical causes by keyword

Description of content: Summarises accidents reported by various firefighting, response and safety organisations. For each accident there is a free text description of the incident, statistics on human health impacts, and free text descriptions of other impacts.  
Data on impacts:  Quantitative data on human health impacts

UEMS (Unplanned Explosions at Munitions Sites) database   http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/home.html
Uunplanned explosions occurring at munitions sites, including production and storage, since 1979

Number of events:  >500                   Time span:  >1979         Geographic coverage:  Global
Purpose:  Motivate improved reduction of risk associated with munitions sites    Format:  Classified by ty technical and underlying causes

Description of content: The Small Arms Survey defines UEMS as the accidental explosion of stockpiles of ammunition and explosives at storage sites, whether the stockpiles are properly stored or are abandoned, damaged, or improperly stored. Its work is intended to highlight a global problem with poor risk management at many these sites.
Data on impacts: Statistics on fatalities and injuries

Work Accident Map (China) China Labour Bulletin      http://maps.clb.org.hk/accidents/en#201801/201807/1821   
Work accidents collected from the media and other sources by the China Labour Bulletin

Number of events:  >1700                 Time span:  >2014               Geographic coverage: China
Purpose:  Lessons learned and impact statistics        Format:  Mapped by location, location links to short summary with reference to a news report

Description of content:  Database and map of workplace accidents including chemical accidents. Short summaries plus a link to a newspaper description are included. Statistics on human health impacts only.
Date on impacts:  Quantitative data on human health impacts (onsite only)

ZEMA (Germany) http://www.infosis.uba.de/index.php/de/site/12981/zema/index.html
Database managed by the German Federal Environment Agency of hazardous incidents and incidents in process engineering facilities.

Number of events:  >750                   Time span:  > 1980                   Geographic coverage:  Germany
Purpose:  Lessons learned and causal and impact statistics                        Format:  Free text

Description of content:  Concise technical summaries of chemical accidents. All  accidents associated with sources classified as high hazards and meeting a certain impact criteria are recorded in this database in accordance with German legislation.
Data on impacts: Quantitative data on human health impacts. Inconsistent data in all other categories. Economic impacts not collected