The Chemical & Allied Industries’ Association played an important role in The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons’ recent seminar that was held in Durban, that focussed on chemical safety and security management. The seminar’s main objective was designed to increase knowledge and capacity in the African region regarding Article XI of the Chemical Weapons Convention, chemical safety as well as chemical security. Delegates from 20 African countries participated in the seminar.

Specific topics that were dealt with included the need for international cooperation programmes, the state of chemicals management in Africa, issues surrounding chemical safety and security, modern approaches to chemical safety, the management of chemical processes and the management of change. A very informative presentation on the importance of a positive safety culture and the human factor, an area that is often neglected, was also given. South African presenters went on to highlight near-misses, incident investigation, emergency planning, appropriate responses to emergencies, the Responsible Care initiative and its benefits, risk assessment and examples of how such assessments should be conducted.

Delegates were given the opportunity to discuss and share information on the trends and current status of chemical safety and security management in their respective countries and were also taken on a tour of two chemical production sites where information was shared on how each operation deals with the management of chemical safety and security.

The seminar proved to be an exciting few days filled with networking opportunities and the sharing of valuable information, including learning more about the state of chemical safety and security management in Africa. This successful seminar opened the door for further networking opportunities and capacity-building ventures in the future which will involve both the OPCW and CAIA.  The seminar was well attended by the Chemical Weapons Convention’s African State Parties and plans were made to improve safety and security management on the continent through multilateral engagements. Contact Deidré Penfold on 011 482-1671 or at deidre.penfold@caia.co.za for further information.