OPCW, University of Wuppertal hold educational courses for worldwide chemical safety

The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), in collaboration with the University of Wuppertal in Germany, recently held two courses that focused on loss prevention and safety promotion in the chemical industry, giving students important information on modern technical safety practices and sustainable chemical safety management.

Each course focused its curriculum around specific situations of chemical safety culture and management such as industry-specific legislation; fire and explosive risks; toxic hazards; hazard assessment; operational and environmental risks; and chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive (CBRNE) protection.

Discussions were also held amongst participants which included process-control engineering, manipulation of protection devices and safety management, disaster management, and emergency response.

During the course periods, participants had the opportunity to conduct practical exercises in a laboratory setting and at a mini-plant built specifically for training purposes.

In addition to their training, students visited the regional Emergency Response Center, the Fire Brigade of Axalta Coating Systems Germany GmbH, and the INEOS Köln GmbH chemical plant.

The course received funding from the Federal Foreign Office and the German government.

OPCW serves as the implementing body of the Chemical Weapons Convention. Entered into force in 1997, the convention represents the most-successful disarmament treaty in history targeting an entire class of weapons. To date, approximately 95 percent of all chemical weapons stockpiles declares by OPCW’s 192 member states have been destroyed under the organization’s verification.