Setting the standards for the distribution of chemicals
The inaugural Safety Day, organised by Brenntag UK & Ireland, was attended by number of the leading companies in the water, recreational leisure, life and material science industries, including Thames Water, Solstar Europe, Veolia Water Technologies, Wessex Water, Yorkshire Water, South East Water, United Utilities, Welsh Water, EDF and others.
The theme of the event being “Setting the standards for the distribution of chemicals”, Brenntag safety representatives were joined by some of the key experts in the supply chain. Held in Wychwood Park, Crewe, the day was opened by Brenntag UK & Ireland President Russel Argo, who outlined the agenda and the key learning objectives. Fred Worle, Brenntag UK & Ireland Operations Director, shared some personal experiences and set the scene for the pertinent topics of the day, introducing Ken Woodward OBE, whose highly inspirational talk really drove home the message of the importance of safety in the workplace.
Among the presenters was Richard Scaife, Director for The Kiel Centre, who delivered a thought provoking discussion on the human aspects of safety culture, and Peter Newport, CEO for Chemical Business Association (CBA). Peter Newport’s presentation titled “Security in Distribution of Chemicals” discussed the changing profiles of security in the distribution of chemicals and initiatives on the prevention, detection and response to terrorism both in the UK and EU, an overview of the existing and developing regulatory frameworks, the role of partnership programs and industry voluntary initiatives with regards to raising awareness and capacity building.
The delegates were joined by safety representatives of Brenntag EMEA – Gordon Hay (Operations Director) and Ingo Legermann (HSE Manager) who shared Brenntag’s experiences on a European level on company’s journey to building the safety culture across the organisation.
The day followed with a number of interactive workshops ran by selected companies including: “Active safety systems in fleet management” by Volvo and Thomas Hardie; “Material handling in the workplace” by Briggs Equipment and Pyroban; “The Watermelon Effect: Does a green dashboard mean a health facility?” by ABB and “Safety optimisation of bulk storage, offloading and distribution of hazardous liquids” by Chem Resist. One of the sessions, run by Brenntag IT Manager Martin Peberdy, introduced the new Mobile Delivery Management Platform and further discussed the benefits and advantages this innovative digital technology offers to Brenntag partners.
Fred Worle said: “Safety is at the core of everything we do at Brenntag. We recognise that as a distributor we sit at the very heart of the supply chain and therefore, in ensuring that we get it right and do it safely every time is integral to the success of our business partners, and I would like to extend our specific thanks to Thames Water whose yearly safety seminars inspired us to hold our event. We hope that the delegates not only found our Safety Day of interest, but that the scenarios, examples and initiatives discussed and showcased by Brenntag, our suppliers, associates and of course by Ken Woodward OBE, will help to improve safety in the chemical distribution sector and the wider environment. “
Russel Argo added: “We were absolutely delighted with the industry response to the topics discussed. We very much hope that the Brenntag Safety Day will further facilitate the ongoing conversation on safety, quality, service and innovation, as together we strive to make the chemical industry a safe and enjoyable workplace for all.”
As part of their ongoing commitment to Safety, Brenntag are organising additional Safety Days across the UK & Ireland throughout 2018.
