SAFEX Newsletter No.35 - EU-Excert

More documents

Recommendations

Info

SAFEX Newsletter No.35, 4 th Qtr. 2010 8 Numbers at Workgroup meetings have to be restricted The following Workgroups will meet on Wednesday, 25 May 2011 led by the Workgroup leaders whose names are shown in parentheses: • Explosives decontamination and remediation (Paul Harrison) • Emulsion explosives safety (Leigh Hart) • Safe explosives transport (Henry Merrick) • Good explosives practices (Martin Held) • Explosives traceability (Noel Hsu) We will also make provision for the Workgroup that produced the TGAN Storage Good Practice Guide to meet. This meeting will be by invitation only. There will be two Sessions of Workgroup meetings: one in the morning for three of the Workgroups and another in the afternoon for the remaining three. For the Workgroups to function optimally, Workgroup leaders will have to limit the number of participants in each Workgroup meeting. To give leaders sufficient time to organise their meetings, we are obliged to impose a cut-off date for Workgroup registrations. Therefore, after 28 February 2011we will not be able to entertain any registrations for Workgroups. As the Workgroups have to restrict numbers for each meeting, leaders cannot guarantee that everyone who registers in time will be assured of a place. Those who register first will be given priority. Therefore, if you are interested in participating in the Workgroups, please register right away using the Registration Form sent out with Bulletin No.5. Register NOW for the Congress Training Session The previous Newsletter (No.34) gave details of the Congress Training Session. It will focus on the application of Basis of Safety (BOS) and Good Explosives Practice (GEP) principles in explosives operations. The training is relevant to all company personnel including managers, supervisors, engineering and field services personnel as well as safety specialists. SAFEX hopes member companies will try to have at least one of their personnel exposed to the training. These individuals can then lead the implementation of BOS and GEP programmes in their respective companies.” The training, for which there is no charge to SAFEX Members, is scheduled to take place on 23 and 24 May 2011. It will be conducted by four experienced facilitators from companies who have active BOS and GEP programmes. To optimise interaction during the training, 30 participants is the maximum that can be accepted. Registration for the Training Session is going briskly. To avoid disappointment register NOW if you wish to participate in the Training Session. Please use the Registration Form attached to Congress Bulletin No.5. Research Notes from CERL The International Group of Experts on the Explosion Risks of Unstable Substances (IGUS) Dr Phil Lightfoot © Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, as represented by the Minister of Natural Resources, 2010. The contents of this report may be based on work in progress or may contain speculative comments by the authors. Readers are cautioned to rely on their own judgment in assessing the correctness of the contents. CERL does not warrant the quality, accuracy or completeness of the contents and is not responsible for any errors or omissions, or any technical inaccuracies. CERL disclaims liability for any injury, damage, or other loss resulting from any use of or reliance on the report or its contents
SAFEX Newsletter No.35, 4 th Qtr. 2010 9 Introduction IGUS is the International Group of Experts on the Explosion Risks of Unstable Substances. Given the remarkably unwieldy full name, the group is invariably known by its acronym. IGUS brings together from all over the world independent experts on the risks of dangerous substances. The aim of IGUS is to exchange information on the behaviour of unstable substances and improve safety in production, handling, storage and transport. Full members of IGUS work for governments and independent research organizations. Experts from industry can and do attend meetings by invitation. The purpose of this short article is to familiarize SAFEX members with the activities of IGUS and to encourage them to participate where appropriate. IGUS was set up in 1962 with the aim of harmonizing test methods used by different countries to identify and quantify the explosive properties of unstable materials. Since then, its scope has widened and now broadly covers the hazardous properties of all kinds of unstable and reactive substances. Over the years, IGUS has continued to offer scientists who are advisers to their governments, as well as other interested parties, a forum to exchange data and information. This exchange takes place primarily in support of the development of harmonized classification regimes to protect society from hazards of unstable substances and to remove barriers to international trade. One of the main goals of this exchange has always been to understand and quantify the resulting effects from accidents involving dangerous goods. There are relatively few fora where technical experts can share views and opinions at a formative stage and exchange information that benefits national and international programs, but IGUS is one such body. The regular attendance of policy representatives and regulators at IGUS meetings, as well as the extensive participation of industry, is clear indicators of the value and influence of IGUS. The links forged between the national bodies participating in IGUS over the years provide a good basis for continued discussion and collaborative work to achieve their common goals. Much of the information provided here was taken from the IGUS web site, which may be found at: http://www.oecdigus.org/. A Brief History of IGUS In 1959, the European Productivity Agency of Co-operation (OEEC) initiated an international cooperative study on unstable substances. In 1961, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) approved the creation of an expert working group and this group (now IGUS) first met in Paris on 8 and 9 May 1962. The rationalization of test methods has always been an important area of interest within IGUS, from the very first meeting in 1962. Harmonization has moved forward substantially since then, with classification schemes being developed by the United Nations and various modal regulations now being aligned in respect to transport. Global harmonization with other classification schemes for safety in handling of materials (e.g., the EU notification procedure) is now a goal. Since 2005, IGUS no longer operates under the formal umbrella of OECD. However, it continues to operate according to the same principles as it did before and offers its members an independent discussion forum. Over the years IGUS members have produced a great deal of work to provide a scientific basis for safety-related regulatory regimes around the world. IGUS meetings are ideal venues for deliberations and argument on the fine details of test methods, which would otherwise encumber the various international regulating bodies in the plenary sessions. Some IGUS members attend international meetings (UN, EU, CEN, etc.) as technical advisers to their national delegation, and thus have direct contact with the various international working groups on dangerous goods. Consequently, IGUS has influenced technical considerations underpinning international recommendations and legislation concerning the testing, classification, packaging and labelling of dangerous goods. For example, it has made direct submissions to the UN Committee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods, which deals with the “Model Regulations” and the “Manual of Tests and Criteria”; these documents are in turn assimilated into legislation by various bodies, such as those controlling international carriage by sea (IMO) and air (ICAO), the European road, rail, and inland waterways regulations, the EU ammonium nitrate directive and the EU user directives for dangerous substances. IGUS Structure IGUS is run by a steering committee that oversees the general direction and administration of the organization. At the IGUS plenary meeting held every two years, national delegates elect the IGUS officials for the following biennium. At the end of their term, they can be re-elected. The (co-)chairmen of the working groups are nominated by their respective working groups and their appointment is confirmed by the plenary meeting. The chairman and secretary of IGUS are elected by the plenary meeting.
Page 1 and 2: SAFEX Newsletter No.35, 4 th Qtr. 2
Page 7: SAFEX Newsletter No.35, 4 th Qtr. 2

SAFEX Newsletter No.35 - EU-Excert

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?