February 19th, 2026

Safety in Numbers: How a Sector-Wide Partnership is Rewriting the Rulebook

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Petroleum Training Courses FAQ#7: What is MATTE?

Q) Petroleum Training Courses FAQ: What is MATTE?

A) A Major Accident To The Environment – or MATTE – refers to an event with the potential to cause severe, widespread, long term or even permanent damage to ecosystems.

Now, our good old friends at COMAH define the conditions under which an environmental accident has to be reported to the European Commission as:

1. Permanent or long-term damage to terrestrial habitats
2. Significant or long-term damage to freshwater and marine habitats
3. Significant damage to an aquifer or underground water

Related reading:

• What is MAPPS?
• An indepth look at the inner workings of competency