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

Incident reporting

Three sources of incident information

Incidents reported to SAFEX typically come from three sources:

Members' own experience
Our primary and most important source of incident information is the incidents (including near-events) that SAFEX Members themselves experience. Once we are alerted of such an incident we know we can expect a fuller Investigation Report from which we can learn and apply those lessons to our own workplaces.
Associate members’ sources
Associate members have their own sources and regularly bring incidents to our attention. They are committed to advise us of incidents that come to their attention particularly from their members who may not belong to SAFEX.
Media reports
Finally, Members bring media reports about relevant explosives incidents to our attention. If the media report is inadequate, it triggers a search for more or better quality information about the incident which members or associates may be able to access. We encourage members and associate members to let us have any relevant media reports on incidents or near-events.

Three incident reporting levels

Incident information can be shared within SAFEX at three incident reporting levels.

The first level is the Incident Notice we circulate to members. It tells Members an incident has occurred and the basic facts about the incident e.g. When and Where did it occur; Who experienced it; What and How much explosives was involved; What happened; and What were the consequences.
The Investigation Report is the second level of reporting. This gives us a better appreciation of the incident and tells us more about the Causes of the incident; Recommendations for preventing a recurrence; and what we can Learn from it.
In cases where an official inquiry was held after an incident it may be possible to obtain an Official Report, the third level. This is a full analysis of the incident and gives us as much information as we can possibly get to learn from the incident.