Explosion at chemical plant near Lyon: where are other ‘at risk’ sites in France?
An estimated 2.5 million people live within a kilometre of a French Seveso site
The site is one of over 700 ‘high-risk’ factories in France. Image shows firefighters responding to the fire on Monday (December 22).
MAXPPP / Alamy Stock Photo
Six workers were injured, three seriously, following an explosion at a silicon factory - identified as one of France’s 700 ‘high-risk’ sites - south of Lyon on Monday (December 22) afternoon.
The explosion occurred after a fire broke out at Elkem Silicones in Saint-Fons (Rhône), a site classified as one of over 100 ‘high-risk’ chemical factories in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, and 700 nationwide.
It caused the temporary closure of the A7 motorway and disruption to nearby railway lines. A temporary lockdown of the area was ordered due to fear of a follow-up explosion.
Around 100 firefighters attended the incident, and the fire was under control by around 18:00.
Authorities in the Rhône department enacted the local ‘Orsec’ plan for use in the event of a serious incident, however the explosion did not cause harm to nearby residents.
The blast was caused by hydrogen, the prefecture later said in a report. It said readings showed there was no toxicity in the atmosphere and no dangerous chemicals had been leaked.
Over 1,000 ‘at-risk’ sites in France
Under European regulations factories that work with potentially dangerous materials such as toxic gases or highly-flammable chemicals are classed as ‘Seveso’ sites.
This requires them to undergo more rigorous checks – sometimes with several inspections per year – and have stricter safety measures in place in case of accidents.
Split into categories of ‘low-risk’ or ‘high-risk’, there are over 12,000 Seveso sites in Europe and more than 1,300 in France. Out of these, 700 are ‘high-risk’.
The highest concentration of such sites in France are in the east – former industrial heartlands – as well as the north and Normandy close to the major ports of Le Havre and Rouen.
The map below shows the breakdown of sites regionally in France as of 2022.
Despite the safety regulations, these factories are often located near residential areas (either due to this being a better location or easier access for workers).
An estimated 2.5 million people in France live less than one kilometre from a Seveso site, and 1.1 million within one kilometre of a ‘high-risk’ site.
Response to industrial disasters is one of the topics covered in a recent French ‘survival guide’ published for residents.
