Collection

Risk assessments for specific activities: environmental permits

Guidance on additional risk assessments you will need to do for an environmental permit and information about the H1 software tool.

• From: Environment Agency and Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
• Published: 2 February 2016
• Last updated: 21 November 2023 — See all updates

Risk assessments for your environmental permit

If you’re applying for a permit, read the overall guidance on risk assessments for your environmental permit.

There are also additional risk assessments you must do depending on:

• the activity your bespoke permit relates to
• where substances are released or discharged into the environment

Help to assess risks for your specific activity

You can use the H1 risk assessment tool to complete and submit any assessment of risks for your specific activity, except for assessing risks for intensive farming.

The tool:

• includes instructions on how to develop risk assessments
• does calculations required for your risk assessment and screens out insignificant releases
• presents data so that the Environment Agency can assess it properly

The H1 risk assessment tool and the guidance on how to use it is hosted on the Atmospheric Dispersion Modelling Liaison Committee (ADMLC) website on behalf of the UK environmental regulators.

If you do not want to use this tool you can:

• follow the steps in the risk assessment guides
• use other resources such as emission modelling software – you may be charged for this

You can use the J5 infiltration worksheet to help you with your assessment for groundwater risk assessments for treated sewage discharges to infiltration systems.

Air emissions

• Air emissions risk assessment for your environmental permit
  • 21 December 2023
  • Guidance
• Assess the impact of air emissions on global warming
  • 1 February 2016
  • Guidance

Groundwater

• Groundwater risk assessment for your environmental permit
  • 3 April 2018
  • Guidance
• Infiltration systems: groundwater risk assessments
  • 25 November 2020
  • Guidance
• H1 annex J5: infiltration worksheet
  • 15 February 2022
  • Guidance

Surface water pollution

• Surface water pollution risk assessment for your environmental permit
  • 25 February 2022
  • Guidance
• H1 annex D2: assessment of sanitary and other pollutants in surface water discharges
  • 1 September 2014
  • Guidance
• Modelling: surface water pollution risk assessment
  • 2 December 2014
  • Guidance

Waste recovery or disposal

• Select a waste recovery or disposal method for your environmental permit
  • 1 February 2016
  • Guidance

Published 2 February 2016
Last updated 21 November 2023 + show all updates

1. 21 November 2023

   Added a link to the updated H1 risk assessment tool.

2. 2 February 2016

   First published.