Services
Regulatory compliance
Introduction
The services relate to activities aimed at assessing and demonstrating the conformity of a product, a process, a plant or a whole company with respect to the legislative requirements deriving from the Italian regulatory framework and concerning environmental protection, health and safety of workers and safety of the process (e.g., Italian Legislative Decree no. 81/2008, Italian Legislative Decree no. 624/1996, Italian Legislative Decree no. 152/2006, Italian Legislative Decree no. 105/2015). The evaluations carried out by RAMS&E include the requirements deriving from the regional legislation and from the prescriptions formulated by the bodies during the authorization procedures.
By virtue of its experience in the assessment of legislative compliance and assistance in the authorization phases, RAMS&E supports the Customer from the first stages of evaluation of the authorization feasibility for new projects, identifying the parameters and critical thresholds for the application of the different authorization procedures.
On the occasion of acquisitions of critical assets, the legislative verification activities constitute the backbone of HSE Due Diligence.
The services provided by RAMS&E within the Process Safety area are the following:
- Activities (also continuous) for the identification of legislative requirements applicable in the HSE field
- Legislative audit activity, legislative verification, gap analysis aimed at assessing in detail the degree of compliance with the legislative requirements applicable in the HSE field
- Support in managing the process of obtaining authorizations and permits to operate
- HSE Due Diligence
- Training of staff on the subject of HSE legislation.
CASE HISTORY
Technical due diligence as part of the tender procedure for the acquisition of a company in the energy sector by a primary Multiutility Group.
GOALS OF THE ACTIVITY
During the tender process for the acquisition of a company in the energy sector (6 thermoelectric plants with a power equal to or greater than 800 MWe, 1 thermoelectric plant with a power of approximately 400 MWe, about 20 hydroelectric power plants of variable power, estimated value of the Company of approximately € 1 billion) the Client requested an analysis of the Industrial Risks associated with the possible acquisition, in consideration of the technical components of the systems, equipment, the authorization aspects, safety and environmental issues.
SERVICES DELIVERED
In response to Customer’s needs, RAMS&E applied a methodology articulated as follows.
- High level evaluation of the reliability and availability of the plants, through the study of the functional block diagram of the plant for the identification of any critical issues. Evaluation of the operating and maintenance philosophy (staff employed, control and remote control modes, stopping strategy, maintenance planning and management).
- Systematic evaluation of legislative compliance in environment and safety fields, following the application of a checklist developed by RAMS&E in similar activities and adapted to the case in question.
- Inspection of physical conditions through detailed visual inspection of plants and equipment critical to process safety, performed with the help of a specific check list with requirements referring to the following elements
The results of methodology application led to the drafting of the Final Technical Due Diligence Report as follows:
- Territorial and environmental background
- Plant aspects
- Operational and maintenance aspects (including estimating operating costs and evaluating maintenance contracts for main machinery)
- Reliability and availability
- Compliance with HSE regulatory requirements: general aspects, presence of materials containing asbestos, emissions in the atmosphere (including the evaluation of the costs of upgrading the plants in anticipation of the change in the emission limits imposed), state of soils, subsoils, underground waters.
- Estimation of dismantling costs for decommissioned structures and equipment.