Participants at a workshop on industrial chemical safety and security practices conducted by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in Nairobi, Kenya 5-7 September 2016.
Chemistry professionals from across Africa are better equipped to implement the industry-related provisions of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) after participating in a workshop on industrial chemical safety and security practices conducted by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in Nairobi, Kenya from 5-7 September 2016.
“It is essential to learn how to reduce and eliminate the safety and security risks at chemical plants,” said OPCW’s Senior International Cooperation Officer, Rohan Perera, adding that: “While large companies usually have proper safety and security practices in place, small and medium enterprises require a degree of capacity building. This workshop presents a step-by-step guide on how to set up and manage an effective safety and security framework in a chemical plant.”
The 36 attendees represent 16 States Parties to the OPCW and form a diverse group ranging from government officials responsible for chemical industries and small to medium chemical industry professionals, to academics and chemists.
The workshop’s programme included briefings on various African countries’ experiences in safety management in chemical industries. Such topics included: industry outreach, chemical safety and security risk assessment for accident prevention and preparedness, simulation technologies applied to risk assessment and chemical security threats and mitigation strategies.
Expert speakers at the conference comprised of specialists from:
- European Responsible Care Association
- Sandia National Laboratory
- Chemical and Allied Industries Association in South Africa
- BASF Responsible Care group
- Kenyan Chemical Society
This training was supported by the European Union’s voluntary contribution.