Since 1984, industrial accidents as defined by the Seveso directives are recorded systematically in the ‘Major accident reporting system’ (MARS) database (http://mahbsrv.jrc.it/mars/Default.html). MARS contains information about accident characteristics, emergency measures taken and lessons learnt to improve prevention for the future. In 2003, MARS held information on more than 450 major accidents in the European Union, offering important insights into their causes and possible management strategies to reduce their occurrence. The number of major technological accidents recorded by the MARS database shows a steady increase from 1984 to 1996, the year with the highest number of accidents reported. A relative decline is observed until 2002.

Figure shows that 50 % of industrial accidents involve fires or explosions. Just under half involve the release hazardous substances into the air, but water pollution occurs in only 6 % of accidents. A causal analysis has found that mechanical failure is the main cause of industrial accidents, followed by human, especially organisational factors.