Horizontal guidance provides information relevant to all sectors regulated under EPR. For example, noise, odour, energy efficiency, or protection of land.
We are happy to receive feedback on the content of H1: Environmental risk assessment for permits and its technical annexes at any time, just select 'Feedback' in the page tools box on the right.
H1 Environmental Risks Assessment
This guidance will help you assess risks to the environment and human health when applying for a bespoke permit under the Environmental Permitting Regulations 2010. However, this guide does not apply to radioactive substance activities.
The H1 Environmental Risk Assessment framework consists of an overview guide and a set of supporting technical annexes (a to k) for specific risks. No operator needs to complete all annexes. Everybody must read the overview and then select the appropriate annex or annexes.
New H1 software tool
The H1 software tool has been modified to reflect comments received from the 2010 H1 public consultation and changes brought in with the Environmental Permitting Regulations (2010). The tool is a work in progress. This latest version (2.4) contains further improvements:
If you are having difficulty opening the H1 software tool, then you may be able to view it via this Microsoft Office website:
Consultation on the hierarchy for the derivation of new Environmental Assessment Levels
The number of substances now assigned an Environment Assessment Level has declined by over 70 per cent since 2008. The previous hierarchy used Expert Panel on Air Quality Standards (EPAQS), the World Health Organization (WHO), EU Limit Values and values derived from Occupational Exposure Limits (OELs). Following a review by the Health and Safety Executive, the robust nature of some OELs has been questioned. This has resulted in the need for a new methodology to derive new Environmental Assessment Levels for substances which no longer possess them.
This consultation proposes a hierarchy which contains new methodologies that no longer rely on occupational exposure as the basis for their calculation. We welcome your views on these proposals. You can view all of the consultation documents on the consultation web page.
- H1 Environmental risk assessment for permits - Overview (PDF, 377KB)
- H1: Annex A - Amenity and accident risks from installations and waste operations (PDF, 441KB)
- H1: Annex B - Intensive farming (PDF, 556KB)
- H1: Annex C - Accidents (PDF, 417KB)
- H1: Annex D - Surface water discharges (basic) (PDF, 985KB)
- H1: Annex E - Surface water discharges (complex) (PDF, 925KB)
- H1: Annex F - Air emissions (PDF, 752KB)
- H1: Annex G - Disposal or recovery of waste produced on site (PDF, 384KB)
- H1: Annex H - Global warming potential (PDF, 418KB)
- H1: Annex I - Landfill (PDF, 564KB)
- H1: Annex J - Groundwater (PDF, 1MB)
- Annex J1 - Prior examination for discharges to land of waste sheep dip and pesticide washings (PDF, 1.3MB)
- Annex J2 - Guidance on the discharge of small quantities of substances for scientific purposes (updated February 2011) (PDF, 589KB)
- Annex J3 - Hydrogeological risk assessments for landfills and the derivation of groundwater control levels and compliance (updated February 2012) (PDF, 1.4MB)
- Annex J4 - Groundwater risk assessment for treated effluent discharges (issued February 2011) (PDF, 1MB)
- Annex J5 - Infiltration worksheet user manual (issued February 2011) (PDF, 790KB)
- Annex J5 - Infiltration worksheet (version 1.1, January 2011) (PDF, 550KB)
- H1: Annex K - Justifying and cost-benefit analysis of control measures (PDF, 453KB)
H2 Energy Efficiency
H3 Noise
H4 Odour
Supporting documents:
H5 Site Condition Report Guidance
H6 Environmental Management Systems
This guidance note gives advice on management systems and is also relevant to householders. The guidance tables are now available in Word format as well as a PDF as some operators have requested this. However, if you use the Word version you are responsible for the contents.
Fly management guidance
