Manufacturing & Engineering UK-wide

Coke and petroleum manufacturer: compliance checklist

Use this checklist to confirm your coke or petroleum business (SIC division 19) meets its obligations. Work through the universal workplace and major-hazard items, then the environmental and emissions items, then the product and duty items. If you answer no to any item, follow the linked guide before you proceed.

Guide summary

Work through this checklist to confirm your coke or petroleum business meets legal duties. Answer yes or no to each item. If you answer no, follow the linked guide before you continue. You must meet workplace safety, environmental, product quality and tax rules.

  • Write risk assessments and put safe systems of work in place
  • Control hazardous substances and explosive atmospheres
  • Meet COMAH major-accident rules as an upper-tier site
  • Hold at least £5 million employers' liability insurance
  • Get an environmental permit for emissions to air, water and land
  • Register for UK ETS and report emissions each year
  • Make sure petrol and diesel meet legal quality standards
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Related guides in Health & Safety

Use this checklist to confirm your coke or petroleum business meets its obligations. Work through each item and answer yes or no. If you answer no, follow the linked guide before you proceed.

Workplace and major-accident safety is enforced by the Health and Safety Executive in Great Britain (HSENI in Northern Ireland), jointly with the environmental regulator for COMAH. Environmental permits and UK ETS are handled by the regulator for your nation. Motor fuel quality is handled by the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS), and hydrocarbon oil duty by HM Revenue & Customs. Each section names the body that applies.

Section 1 — Safe operation and major-accident control

These workplace, process-safety and employment duties apply to every installation. Confirm each one.

  1. 1

    Have you written your risk assessments and put safe systems of work in place?

    Your general duty under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 is to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of your people. Risk-assess the whole operation — process, maintenance, contractors and emergencies — and put safe systems of work, training and competent supervision in place. If not, follow "Set up and run a safe oil refinery or coke works".

  2. 2

    Have you assessed and controlled hazardous substances under COSHH?

    COSHH requires control of crude fractions, hydrogen sulphide, benzene and other carcinogens, catalysts and process chemicals, with monitoring and health surveillance where required.

  3. 3

    Have you assessed and controlled explosive atmospheres under DSEAR?

    DSEAR requires you to assess dangerous substances, classify hazardous-area zones, control ignition sources, use suitable equipment and put explosion-prevention and mitigation measures in place.

  4. 4

    Do you meet the COMAH major-accident regime?

    As an upper-tier establishment you must take all measures necessary to prevent major accidents, prepare a safety report and major-accident-prevention policy, run a safety-management system, and maintain on-site emergency plans, with the Competent Authority (HSE + the environmental regulator).

  5. 5

    Is your plant safeguarded and is your fire risk assessed?

    Keep furnaces, columns, compressors and pipework maintained and safeguarded under PUWER. Reduce manual-handling risk. Carry out your fire risk assessment for the premises.

  6. 6

    Do you hold employers' liability insurance and meet your equality and data duties?

    Hold at least £5 million of cover once you employ anyone. Do not discriminate under the Equality Act 2010 (or separate NI equality law enforced by the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland). Comply with the UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018, registering with the ICO unless exempt.

Section 2 — Environmental permit and emissions trading

Confirm your environmental and emissions duties for the installation.

  1. 1

    Does your installation hold its environmental permit?

    The installation needs an environmental permit controlling emissions to air, water and land from the Environment Agency, NRW, SEPA or NIEA. If not, follow "Set up and run a safe oil refinery or coke works".

  2. 2

    Are you meeting your UK Emissions Trading Scheme duties?

    If your installation is in the UK ETS, hold a greenhouse gas emissions permit, monitor to an approved plan, report verified emissions annually, surrender allowances to match, and claim your free allocation where eligible.

Section 3 — Product quality and duty

Confirm the rules that attach to the fuels you make.

  1. 1

    Do the fuels you supply meet the motor fuel quality standards?

    Petrol and diesel must meet the statutory sulphur and composition limits under the Motor Fuel (Composition and Content) Regulations, monitored by OPSS. Sample, test and report to demonstrate conformity. If not, follow "Meet motor fuel quality and hydrocarbon oil duty".

  2. 2

    Are you approved for and accounting for hydrocarbon oil duty?

    Register or get approval with HMRC, operate duty-suspension arrangements where they apply, account for the excise duty, mark rebated fuels, and keep the records HMRC's excise controls require.

If you answered no to anything

Work through the guide linked in that item. The two task guides — the safe-installation spine and motor fuel quality and hydrocarbon oil duty — set out what to do. Start from the router if you are not sure which apply to you.

Official sources

Authoritative process-safety, environmental and duty guidance.