Stenungsund Municipality
Crisis and preparedness
Community information
Security
Stenungsund is home to some of the world's leading chemical companies. As a resident of a municipality or local area, with several Seveso facilities, there are a few things that are important for you to know in order for you to feel safe. If you have more questions you want answered, you are welcome to contact us or one of the chemical companies, the municipality or the Fire and Rescue Service. Together, we collaborate on public information about safety.
Our internal alarm is tested on the 1st non-holiday Monday of every month at 09:00
It happens that our or the chemical companies' internal alarms are sometimes heard outside the plants. This can be perceived as worrying. This alarm is only for those who work inside our processing plant.
If the alarm goes off
The municipality and the Chemical Companies in Stenungsund have built up a communication system to notify each other and the public in the event of abnormal operating conditions (noise, bad smell, flaring, etc.) or if we have an ongoing emergency and incident.
This information can be found on www.stenungsund.se under the latest news and through the rescue service's channels. We try as far as possible to inform via "News" here on our website and on our FB page. But in a critical situation, we must prioritize safety first.
If the Fire and Rescue Service assesses that an accident may pose a risk to the public, they start the VMA alarm (Important Notice to the Public). Examples of such a situation can be if hazardous substances are released, if there is a risk of explosion, major fires and in the event of natural disasters.
Warning and Information Systems (VMAs)
If the Emergency Services assess that an accident may pose a risk to the public, they start the VMA alarm (Important Notice to the Public). Examples of such a situation can be if hazardous substances are released, if there is a risk of explosion, major fires and in the event of natural disasters. You can be reached by VMA via radio and TV, but in the event of serious incidents, VMA can also be broadcast via the outdoor warning system, also called "Hesa Fredrik". The signal beeps for 7 seconds and is silent for 14 seconds. This is repeated for about 2 minutes via the municipality's typhoons.
This outdoor alarm is tested at 15:00 on the first non-holiday Monday in: March, June, September and December
If you hear the beep, follow these steps:
- Go indoors
- Close doors, windows and vents.
- Listen to Swedish Radio P4
- Read news apps, SMS and teletext page 599.
- You can also get more information via Krisinformation.se or by visiting krisinformation.se.
In the event of a gas release – keep in mind:
The gas follows the direction of the wind. Walk WITH THE WIND AT YOUR SIDE to get out of a gas cloud. If there is a pennant or flag nearby, you can see which way the wind is blowing.
Do not go outside until you hear the signal that means DANGER OVER. Long uninterrupted signal for 30 seconds.
IRIS Industrial Fire Brigade
All year round, around the clock, there are 30 specialized industrial firefighters on standby through IRIS if something happens at the chemical companies in Stenungsund. The rescue service, industrial firefighters and operating personnel practice, train and collaborate together all year round. All to ensure that the operations are as safe and effective as possible. In Stenungsund there is a unique fire training site, Bränningen, which is specially built for the chemical industry to be able to carry out adapted exercises in full. Once a year, they carry out a large exercise at each chemical company together with the police, ambulance, rescue services, the municipality and other authorities.
The company has an emergency plan that we practice every year
The goal is that we with our own personnel should always be able to make the first significant effort in an emergency to get the emergency under control, reduce the damage and save lives. The plan is practiced together with the Fire and Rescue Service every year. All our staff must be able to act quickly if an accident occurs.
In the emergency plan, we have several specialist functions:
- Liaison officers
These people are in the company's command center where they lead and have contact with our various intervention teams - Technical Group
Our specially trained process operators who can make an initial response in the event of, for example, a gas leak or fire - Rescue group medics
Our paramedics can make an initial effort to take care of any injured - Gas Indicator
If necessary, these pesons can measure whether there are traces of gas in air. - Signpost
Our guides guide the emergency services to the right place and drive our internal response vehicles - Information
In our command center, we have people who answer the phone, email and inform the public and the media in collaboration with the emergency services
About the Seveso legislation
In the municipality of Stenungsund, there are 7 facilities that handle hazardous substances to the extent that they are covered by the Seveso Directive, and we are one of them. In order to prevent and limit the consequences of serious chemical accidents for humans and the environment, the EU has adopted the so-called Seveso Directive.
In Sweden, this has been implemented in the Seveso legislation and it is the County Administrative Board that is the central supervisory authority for compliance with the law in Sweden. The companies covered by the Seveso Act are obliged, among other things, to have an action plan to prevent serious chemical accidents and limit the consequences. The municipality is obliged to plan for the community so that the required safety distances are maintained to residential areas and buildings and areas used by the public. Together with the rescue service and the municipality, we must have a plan for rescue operations at these activities, as well as to provide information to the public.
Seveso inspection
External supervision of the County Administrative Board was last carried out: October 2025
If you have any questions, you are welcome to contact our HSE department, telephone 0303-87 500.
The inspection protocol is available via the County Administrative Board's diary.
