New eLearning module available

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

New eLearning module available

By Dr Martin Held

At the 2023 SAFEX congress, Maria Virginia Ramirez (‘Marivi’) gave a presentation with the title ‘Emanation of Nitrous Gasses 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.

As reported in the May 2023 SAFEX Newsletter, the idea was born that this incident – which has multiple Management of Change (MOC) components in it – would be an ideal candidate for the next SAFEX eLearning module.

With permission of Enaex to use the incident report and supporting investigation findings, a new eLearning module with the title "Why we need to do Periodic Hazard Studies on existing plants" has been developed and now been launched on the SAFEX website. This incident and its learnings are a good example of how periodic safety assessments such as PHS (Periodic Hazard Studies) can help identify and correct potential safety gaps in process design or of process conditions. This is especially true for older plants which may never have been subject to such a detailed assessment, or which may have been modified at some time in the forgotten past. There are several reported incidents in the explosive industry where lack of PHS has been identified as a root cause. This will thus be very relevant to many SAFEX members.