Resources
Regulatory framework
BECP Conseil's assignments rely on the international standards recognised by industry, governments and lenders. This page presents the main ones. It is provided for information and does not replace the official texts.
Major accident prevention
Seveso III Directive (2012/18/EU)
European Union
- Scope
- Regulates establishments where dangerous substances are present above certain thresholds: prevention policy, safety report, internal and external emergency plans, land-use planning, public information, inspections.
- For our assignments
- The most comprehensive reference for building or modernising a national framework for the prevention of major industrial accidents. It inspires our proposals on nomenclature, safety report content and emergency plans.
ILO Convention No. 174 on the Prevention of Major Industrial Accidents (1993)
International Labour Organization
- Scope
- An international convention committing signatory states to identify major hazard installations, require operators to have a prevention policy and a safety report, and organise emergency planning and inspection.
- For our assignments
- An international framework directly applicable to African states, whether ratified or not. It provides a legitimate basis for supporting administrations and for dialogue with operators.
OECD Guiding Principles for Chemical Accident Prevention, Preparedness and Response
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
- Scope
- Best practice guidance for industry, public authorities and communities across the whole cycle: prevention, preparedness, response, lessons learned.
- For our assignments
- A reference source for inspector training, safety culture and the organisation of emergency response.
Functional safety and analysis methods
IEC 61511 – Functional safety: safety instrumented systems for the process industry sector
International Electrotechnical Commission
- Scope
- Defines the life cycle of safety instrumented systems, from SIL allocation to design, validation, operation and maintenance.
- For our assignments
- The framework for our LOPA analyses and SIL determinations, and the reference for auditing existing safety systems.
IEC 61882 – Hazard and operability studies (HAZOP studies)
International Electrotechnical Commission
- Scope
- Application guide for the HAZOP method: preparation, facilitation, documentation and follow-up.
- For our assignments
- The reference for our HAZOP facilitation and our facilitator training courses.
ISO 31000 – Risk management
International Organization for Standardization
- Scope
- Principles and guidelines for integrating risk management into an organisation's governance and processes.
- For our assignments
- The general framework within which technical risk studies and emergency plans sit.
Business continuity and crisis management
ISO 22301 – Business continuity management systems
International Organization for Standardization
- Scope
- Requirements for planning, implementing, operating and improving a business continuity management system.
- For our assignments
- Structures our business continuity plans and impact analyses.
ISO 22320 – Emergency management: guidelines for incident management
International Organization for Standardization
- Scope
- Guidelines for incident management: command and control, operational information, coordination and cooperation.
- For our assignments
- The reference for organising crisis teams and designing exercises.
Lenders' standards
IFC Performance Standards on Environmental and Social Sustainability (2012)
International Finance Corporation (World Bank Group)
- Scope
- Eight standards covering risk assessment and management (PS1), labour (PS2), resource efficiency and pollution prevention (PS3), community health, safety and security (PS4), land acquisition (PS5), biodiversity (PS6), indigenous peoples (PS7) and cultural heritage (PS8).
- For our assignments
- The framework required by most international lenders. Our compliance audits and environmental and social action plans refer to it, in particular to PS1, PS3 and PS4.
Equator Principles (EP4, 2020)
Equator Principles Association
- Scope
- A framework adopted by commercial banks to assess and manage the environmental and social risks of the projects they finance, based on the IFC Performance Standards.
- For our assignments
- Sets the expectations of commercial lenders for the industrial and energy projects we audit.
African Development Bank Integrated Safeguards System
African Development Bank
- Scope
- Operational safeguards applicable to AfDB-financed projects: environmental and social assessment, resettlement, biodiversity, pollution prevention, working conditions.
- For our assignments
- The framework for public and private projects financed by the AfDB in Central and West Africa.
Fire safety and sector codes
NFPA standards (National Fire Protection Association)
NFPA, United States
- Scope
- A set of fire safety codes and standards widely used by the oil and gas industry: NFPA 11 (foam), NFPA 15 (water spray), NFPA 20 (fire pumps), NFPA 30 (flammable liquids), NFPA 59A (LNG).
- For our assignments
- The reference for our fire protection sizing notes.
API standards and recommended practices
American Petroleum Institute
- Scope
- Technical references of the oil industry: API RP 2001 (refinery fire protection), API 2030 (firewater systems), API RP 752 and 753 (building siting), API RP 754 (process safety indicators).
- For our assignments
- Sector references for risk studies and audits of oil and gas facilities.
Compliance, CSR and sustainability
ISO 37301 – Compliance management systems
International Organization for Standardization
- Scope
- Requirements for establishing, implementing, evaluating and improving a compliance management system within an organisation.
- For our assignments
- The framework for our regulatory compliance and corporate compliance assignments: register of requirements, assessment, continual improvement.
ISO 37001 – Anti-bribery management systems
International Organization for Standardization
- Scope
- Requirements to prevent, detect and address bribery: policy, risk assessment, due diligence, controls, training, whistleblowing.
- For our assignments
- The reference for our anti-corruption programmes and third-party integrity assessments.
ISO 26000 – Guidance on social responsibility
International Organization for Standardization
- Scope
- Non-certifiable guidance on the principles and seven core subjects of social responsibility.
- For our assignments
- The grid for our CSR assessments and roadmaps.
GRI Standards
Global Reporting Initiative
- Scope
- The most widely used sustainability reporting standards in the world: universal standards, sector standards (including oil and gas, and mining) and topic standards.
- For our assignments
- The basis for our non-financial reporting support.
CSRD Directive (EU) 2022/2464 and ESRS standards
European Union
- Scope
- Sustainability disclosure obligations for the companies concerned, under the European ESRS standards. The scope and timetable are being adjusted by the European Union.
- For our assignments
- Groups subject to the CSRD request sustainability data from their African subsidiaries and suppliers: we prepare these companies to respond.
GHG Protocol
World Resources Institute and World Business Council for Sustainable Development
- Scope
- The international standard for corporate greenhouse gas accounting, organised into scopes 1, 2 and 3.
- For our assignments
- The method for our emissions inventories and decarbonisation plans.
UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (2011)
United Nations Human Rights Council
- Scope
- The "protect, respect and remedy" framework: the state duty to protect, the corporate responsibility to respect human rights, access to remedy.
- For our assignments
- The foundation of our vigilance plans and grievance mechanisms.
