Benefits of Regulation for Chemical Accident Prevention, Preparedness and Response

Countries around the world have been setting up legal frameworks to address the prevention, preparedness and response to chemical accidents and yet, chemical accidents with serious consequences continue to happen in OECD Member countries and worldwide. Even so, the consequences of policy inaction are still insufficiently understood by many decision-makers. Assessment of regulations can be considerably improved by better understanding the drivers of regulations and the benefits of these regulations. The purpose of this document is to provide background information to support the case for why regulations in this field are important and how effective regulations can be developed.