Laws and regulations

To maximise the safety gains achieved, the Safety Board has wide-ranging powers to conduct investigations.

For instance, investigators can enter buildings to collect information and take equipment with them to conduct additional technical investigations. Under Dutch law, every person is obliged to provide all cooperation necessary to investigators in the execution of their duties. When the investigators work abroad, they do so based on the arrangements in treaties and European directives, or pursuant to the laws and regulations of the country in question. 

Dutch Safety Board Act

The Dutch Safety Board Act took effect on 1 February 2005. This Act governs both the investigation of accidents and the structure of the Board. It also describes how the Board must handle material collected as part of its investigations.

Coordination with other parties

The Dutch Safety Board is fully independent in its governance and operations. It often happens, however, that other bodies are also conducting investigations into the same incident. Coordination protocols are in place to ensure that parallel investigations run smoothly. The coordination protocol between the Dutch Safety Board and the Dutch Public Prosecution Service (OM) can be found here.