Snecma’s Vernon plant is a "Seveso" classified site, which means it must meet the highest standards for industrial safety. It has also been certified to the ISO 14000 environmental management standard.
The European directive Seveso II aims to protect people and the environment against the risks presented by certain industrial activities. In France, about 600 sites are classified Seveso or equivalent, and 60 of these sites are located in Haute-Normandie. The DRIRE (Regional Industry and Environmental Management authorities) may perform unscheduled inspections, to check that the sites concerned are always capable of managing the risks inherent in their activities.
Vernon’s Seveso classification is largely due to the use of liquid hydrogen and oxygen for rocket engine testing, since these products involve fire and explosion hazards.
Although the shutdown of Ariane 4 production has eliminated stocks of toxic chemicals, the plant nevertheless maintains its expertise in the handling and use of these products.
With over 50 years’ experience in the design, construction and operation of large rocket engine test stands, Snecma has developed a set of procedures enabling it to control the risks associated with these operations.
The plant continuously organizes training sessions and drills involving the company in-house emergency services and those of the local fire and rescue services.
The site is located 3 kilometers from the town of Vernon and 1,300 meters from the first isolated dwellings.
Environmental protection and accident prevention policy at Vernon
Environmental projection is a major improvement objective. One example is the prevention of the major risks inherent to our business, in line with the Seveso II directive and reflecting Vernon’s safety culture. On July 19, 2002, we earned ISO 14001 certification, recognizing our commitment to environmental management.
In the drive to prevent major risks and reduce all types of pollution resulting from our operations, we have the following main objectives:
Analyze the environmental impact of our products right from the design stage.
Manage the risks of accidental soil and water pollution.
Reduce our consumption of natural resources and energy.
Improve selective sorting of waste to develop recycling and reprocessing.
Decrease emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOC) by using new technologies.
Share our environmental requirements with on-site subcontractors, and foster the commitment of subcontractors working at test sites to our accident prevention initiative.