Safety management in French tunnels

Responsibilities

The regulations in force clearly define the various responsibilities in terms of tunnel safety.

The main entity responsible for safety is the tunnel owner. There must be a single tunnel owner for each stage of the tunnel’s life cycle. The tunnel owner is responsible for developing tunnel safety measures in collaboration with the emergency services.

The Prefect is responsible for verifying that all safety aspects are taken into account and has the power to suspend or restrict operation if necessary. The Prefect is assisted by the National Commission for Road Safety (CNESOR) and the Departmental Advisory Commission for Safety and Accessibility (CCDSA), which issue opinions on the safety of tunnels.

The safety officer is a new role introduced by European Directive 2004/54/EC. Appointed by the tunnel owner, the safety officer provides a second opinion on safety matters and plays a coordinating role, particularly with the emergency services. This new role is only mandatory for tunnels longer than 500 m located on the trans-European network.

Qualified experts or organizations, subject to a ministerial approval process, carry out periodic inspections in tunnels and issue opinions on safety documentation.

The diagram below illustrates the distribution of responsibilities among the various stakeholders.

Safety documentation

The safety documentation is the key element of the procedures laid down by the regulations in force.

It is a single document that brings together all the relevant information and facilitates dialogue between those involved in tunnel safety. It sets out the planned prevention and safety measures. Its preparation provides an opportunity to analyze all the factors that influence user safety and to take the most appropriate measures in a coordinated manner.

This documentation includes a risk analysis in the form of a specific hazard study describing the accidents that are likely to occur during operation, their possible consequences, and the measures to limit them. It also contains an emergency response plan drawn up by the tunnel owner in conjunction with the public emergency services. The safety documentation is useful on a daily basis because it brings together all the documents necessary for operation. This means that it must be kept up-to-date on an ongoing basis. The composition of the safety documentation evolves over a tunnel’s life cycle.

The diagram below illustrates the contents of the safety documentation.

Procedures at different stages of the tunnel’s life cycle

New tunnels or substantial modifications to existing tunnels

• the preliminary safety documentation (or updating of the safety documentation in the event of major works) is prepared, and an expert opinion is obtained on the content of this preliminary documentation and the relevance of the planned safety measures
• the Prefect provides approval before the start of works
• documents are added to the safety documentation and an expert opinion is given on its content and the relevance of the planned safety measures
• authorisation from the Prefect is obtained before commissioning

After commissioning

• the safety documentation is kept up-to-date,
• annual exercises are organized in conjunction with the emergency services,
• a report on significant incidents and accidents is issued,
• te commissioning authorisation must be renewed every six years, or sooner in the event of significant changes in operating conditions or risks,
• the Prefect may request a safety assessment at any time.

In the case of modification works

• same procedures as before initial commissioning if there are substantial modifications,
• simple notification by the safety officer, where applicable, in other cases.

Tunnels already in service when legislation enters into force

Either the tunnel owner submits a diagnosis to the Prefect on his own initiative, or the Prefect orders a diagnosis.

The diagram below illustrates the mandatory procedures throughout the life of the tunnel.

Specific case of procedures for tunnels longer than 500 metres on the Trans-European Network (TEN)

The following provisions shall also apply:

• Appointment of a safety officer after approval by the prefect
• For any significant incident or accident, a report shall be drawn up and sent within one month to the Prefect, the safety officer and the safety services,
• In the event of a derogation from the minimum safety requirements, preparation of an expert opinion and referral to the Minister for Infrastructure for consultation with the European Commission (in this case, the Prefect’s investigation deadlines are suspended).