Safex Newsletter No.78 July 2023

Welcome to SAFEX’ s Newsletter, I hope you will enjoy and find much learning in it.

We start of as per usual with a safety message from a CEO in our community, in this case Juan Andrés Errázuriz from ENAEX.

This is followed by a report back on the recent Congress held in Salzburg.

Flowing out from the Congress are notes on adding to our eLearning portfolio with the support of Juan Andres Errazuriz, CEO of ENAEX.

Dan Reinke from Chemring reports back on the ESD Work Group and the programme going forward.

The Salzburg Manifesto is discussed in the Congress report back and a copy signed by the CEOs is also presented.

Moving away from the Congress, Andy Begg reports on a very successful PETN workshop, hosted by Austin Powder at Their Red Diamond plant. Two presentations from the workshop are included for more clarification.

Paulo Siqueira from our Expert Panel discusses the decommissioning of an emulsion plant in Brazil.

The successful application of the “Stop Work Authority Card” is presented by Bob Woolley from EPC.

The last article is one by Bo Janzon on Peace Technology very pertinent to the world currently.

We end this Newsletter with a flyer on a new book by KD Shah on Ammonium Nitrate and Fertilizer Safety, which contributes to our available knowledge in this area of safety.

SAFEX International: Overview and Legal Disclaimers

SAFEX International operates independently and is not classified as a Trade Association. The organization primarily focuses on critical issues pertaining to safety, health, environmental protection, and security in relation to explosives and their precursor chemicals throughout the entire product life cycle.

To support these objectives, SAFEX International has developed a series of documents and guidelines known as the Basis of Safety (BoS). These materials have been collaboratively created by various member companies on an international scale, with the aim of enhancing safety standards in the operations, transportation, storage, and disposal of explosive products and hazardous chemicals.

It is important to note that the BoS documents are intended solely as training materials and guidelines for users. While SAFEX International strives to provide comprehensive and accurate resources, the organization expressly disclaims any legal liability arising from the application or execution of actions undertaken by individual users based on the content provided. Users are encouraged to exercise their own judgment and seek professional advice as necessary when implementing safety practices and protocols related to explosives and hazardous materials.

By utilizing the BoS documents and guidelines, users acknowledge and accept that SAFEX International cannot be held responsible for any consequences resulting from their actions or decisions.

SAFEX Newsletter

The SAFEX Newsletter was initiated for all members and other interested parties:

To inform the SAFEX Community of what is happening in SAFEX.

To provide a forum for readers to learn from the published articles and opinions expressed.

To encourage networking among members of the SAFEX Community.

To ensure SHE practices stay current and is shared.

Incident Notification

Members can now notify SAFEX of incidents online by completing the Notification of Incident form after accessing the restricted pages (Intranet) with their access codes.

If your Company is a SAFEX Member and you don't have your individual access codes, please request them using the Member Nomination Form. Please do NOT use anyone else's access codes

Newsletter 78

Executive Summary Newsletter 78

Dear Safex Members,

I live in Chile. A country that is located at the convergence of tectonic plates, the Nazca and South American to be more specific. This is a zone of high seismic activity known as the Pacific Ring of Fire.

Although earthquakes are a reality of Chile, the country has developed a solid capacity for risk response and mitigation. This has been possible thanks to the experience accumulated over generations, which has contributed, to a great extent, to reducing their impact and protecting people's lives. It is a natural phenomenon that we cannot control, but we can mitigate.

SAFEX Congress XX, Salzburg, Austria

After three false starts the 20th SAFEX Congress was held at the Salzburg Congress Centre and what a success it was.The Congress and preceding events were attended by 180 delegates from 50 countries.

ESD Work Group SALZBURG

At the Salzburg Congress about 30 people met to discuss SAFEX resources to support our members in identifying and managing the hazards from electrostatic discharges (ESD). Our current Good Practice Guide on ESD hazards was updated most recently in 2012 and is a very good source of information to support ESD risk assessments....

SAFEX eLearning modules - ENAEX

At the recent SAFEX Congress in Salzburg, an update on the available eLearning modules, formats, translations, and its use had been given. Though starting early in the morning, we experienced high participation of attendees to listen in. On the 2nd day of the congress, Maria Virginia Ramirez (‘Marivi’) gave a presentation with the title ‘Emanation of Nitrous Gases in [the] Nitration Process’ at ENAEX Rio Loa plant in Chile. The paper discussed the immediate and root causes and inconsistencies in the emergency procedures very openly.

PETN workshop in Austin Red Diamond

Austin Powder installed a new continuous PETN process at the RD facility several years ago. The plant was the most recent design and very similar to one installed by EXSA in their Lima Plant...

Challenges of Plant Decommissioning

Many of us have already experienced the satisfaction of participating in a new project and the construction of new plants. This is a great experience. However, like any other man-made structure, explosives plants also have a limited life span and will reach the end of their operational life and eventually require a decommissioning.

Stop work Authority Card

The safety culture at EPC-UK has evolved significantly over the past two decades, with the introduction of our visionary STOP WORK AUTHORITY CARD initiative and the effect it has had on our employees, customers, and values, cited as a particular triumph.

Peace Technology

A paper by the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences published in 2015 reported a study on ”Peace Technology”, i e non-military (technical) measures that can help remove obstacles to the return to (or creation of) a normal, peaceful society.

The study focused on some nations affected by war and armed conflict, in a situation where large-scale fighting has ceased and the community should be geared towards normalization. There are often many obstacles, but some might be possible to eliminate or at least reduce through the use of existing technologies...

Ammonium Nitrate and Fertilizer Safety

In this book, the author - Kishore (Kish) Shah - has attempted to consolidate advanced expertise and practically relevant literature published over the last century. He has supplemented that with his own observations, experience and analysis, to provide an accessible resource of reliable and practical information on hazardous behaviour of AN-based products and corresponding safety implications.