Following the implementation programme for the revised ARIE scheme, the Netherlands Labour Inspectorate has concluded that companies handling large quantities of hazardous substances are still not analysing risks systematically enough or taking appropriate measures. ARIE companies must give greater priority to developing knowledge in order to reduce the likelihood of a major accident in the workplace.
The Inspectorate started the implementation programme in 2023. It ran until the end of 2025 and was intended to prepare companies for the revised ARIE scheme and establish a basis for risk-based inspections. According to the implementation report, most companies are cooperative and have become more aware of the risks, but developing knowledge has not yet become standard practice.
According to the Labour Inspectorate, external advice is also often insufficiently specific. Advisers do not take sufficient account of the circumstances at the client’s site, while companies themselves do not always have enough knowledge to formulate a suitable advisory brief or act as an equal discussion partner. As a result, analyses and measures remain too general and the risks at the specific business location are not always controlled.
The ARIE scheme applies to companies working with quantities and combinations of hazardous substances that create a high risk of a major accident. The Inspectorate mentions, among others, companies in the food industry, water treatment, metalworking, bulk transhipment and the chemical sector.
