Founded in 1990, INERIS is a public research body of an industrial and commercial character, under the supervision of the French Ministry of the Environment and Sustainable Development.

INERIS’s mission is to assess, manage and prevent risks to people and the environment originating from industrial activities, chemical substances and underground works. Work is based on an original methodology that combines an experimental approach, modeling and experience feedback. INERIS is equipped with physico-chemical analysis laboratories and testing and computing facilities that rank among the best in France.

 

Activities

• Research is focused on the acquisition of knowledge, the development of methodological tools and taking risks into account from the outset of the design of new technologies. This research is conducted on the basis of public funding or on behalf of industrial concerns (partnership research programmes).
   
• Public authority support is based on the certification of methods for assessing risks or pollution, elucidating and evaluating prevention means and providing expertise and surveillance on behalf of public authorities.
   
• Regulatory Expertise on behalf of companies consists in appraising the compliance of equipment or systems with regulations, standards or frames of reference, particularly through certification, or providing, at the request of the authorities, an independent expert opinion (third party expert appraisals) on the validity of regulatory dossiers.
   
• Expertise, consultancy and training aim to transfer know how to those concerned by risk management (companies, local authorities, stake-holders, etc.) through a comprehensive and narrowly targeted range of services.

 

 

 

Areas of Expertise

• Chronic Risks
  Evaluation of the toxicity and the ecotoxicity of chemical substances. Modelling and surveillance of effects on humans and the environment caused by pollution, electromagnetic fields and due to installations and human activities. Reduction of pollution of surrounding environments and polluted soils.
   
• Accidental Risks
  Risk assessment (fire, explosion, toxic discharges, lightning, etc.) linked to industrial installations, processes, products, infrastructures and transport systems (tunnels, ports, etc.). Risk management through technological and organisational measures. Technical support in the implementation of PPRT (Technological Risk Prevention Plans).
   
• Ground and Underground Risks
  Assessment and prevention of the risks of land movements linked to former mine workings (mines and quarries) or certain natural sites (rocky slopes, earth banks, cliffs, etc.). Surveillance and auscultation of rock formations or underground workings. Assessment of risks linked to underground water and gas emanations from the ground.
   
• Safety of Products and Equipment
  Knowledge and classification of energetic and other hazardous products. Reliability of technological safety devices. Evaluation of the regulatory and normative compliance of systems, materials and products, including explosive and pyrotechnic products.
   
• Risk Management Consultancy Services
  Providing advice and support in the implementation of HSSE (Health, Safety, Security & Environment) management systems and help in integrating QHSE (Quality, Health, Safety & Environment) management systems, as well as the development of tools for diagnosing and analysing human and organisational causes after an accident. Regulatory monitoring and audits.