Beirut explosion scares ports

COULD IT HAPPEN HERE?

EXPLOSIVES • AMMONIUM NITRATE IS STORED AROUND THE WORLD, USUALLY SAFELY BUT OCCASIONALLY DISASTROUSLY. RPMASA WANTS OWNERS AND WAREHOUSES TO WAKE UP TO THE RISK

THE RECENT TRAGEDY in Beirut, with the catastrophic destruction of most of the port and much of the city, should act as a serious wake-up call for all chemical manufacturers, importers and storage facilities. The question all should ask (and many are) is: could it happen here?

There are plenty of well-documented disasters involving ammonium nitrate over the past 100 years, not least the 2015 explosion in Tianjin, China, which killed more than 170 people, and the fire at the Sandoz plant in Basel, Switzerland in November 1986, which resulted in the spillage of tonnes of pollutants into the River Rhine due to the overflow of fire water.

Commenting on the Beirut explosion, Liz Anderson, technical director of the Responsible Packaging Manufacturers Association of Southern Africa (RPMASA), asks her community: “let us give thought to what we can do to prevent such disasters happening in our region”. And she is not alone: there are many other responsible associations and experts asking the same question around the world right now.

KNOW THE HAZARD Ammonium nitrate, classified as UN 1942 or, for ammonium nitrate-based fertilisers, UN 2067, is regulated in South Africa under the Explosives Act No 26 of 1956; its import, export and transport into and through the country’s ports is well regulated by the Explosives Division of the South African Police Service (SAPS). But the warehousing and storage of ammonium nitrate and other chemicals in areas outside the ports is less well regulated; Anderson is concerned at the potential for misdeclared or unknown cargoes to cause a serious reaction with other, incompatible products, which could have disastrous consequences. She reminds her audience of the warehouse fire that broke out in South Durban in March 2017, which sent black smoke over the city for several days, requiring some evacuations.

“What may be lurking from years past, and what condition could it be in?” Anderson asks. It is thought that the ammonium nitrate identified as the cause of the Beirut explosion had been in storage for some six years after being impounded by the authorities, and the Tianjin explosion involved improperly stored ammonium nitrate, which detonated after fire spread from stocks of nitrocellulose in the same warehouse.

The answer, Anderson says, is for a full inventory and audit, along with effective permitting, of all warehouses storing chemicals. This should be accompanied by: - Inventory control and the importance of maintaining good product hygiene and the good condition of packaging - Compliance with permit levels - Risk assessment and emergency plans to be in place and be shared with the emergency services and local communities, and - Training for all those involved in the storage of chemicals, so they understand the

THE BEIRUT EXPLOSION WAS AN ACCIDENT WAITING

physical properties and compatibility of chemicals and can ensure effective separation and segregation during storage.

POINT OF CONTACT RPMASA is the lead point for dangerous goods information in southern Africa and is also the only industry association from Africa with observer status at the UN Committee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods and GHS. It has a wide network of contacts and colleagues from international industry and government, and has memoranda of understandings with the Chemical Distribution Institute (CDI) and ICHCA International. In 2017 RPMASA launched the CDI’s International Marine Packed Cargo Assessment Scheme (IMPCAS) in South Africa, which includes audit schemes for warehouses and freight forwarders as well as terminals, to help them benchmark their safety, efficiency and compliance performance and to set improvement plans to achieve global excellence.

“Implementation of these assessments by all chemical warehousing operators would be a great start to identifying and eliminating potential risks in warehousing and provide peace of mind to those who store chemicals and to the surrounding communities,” says Anderson (pictured right).

Unfortunately, support for IMPCAS assessments and RPMASA’s training courses has been poor, something that, Anderson says, has contributed to the high number of chemical-related incidents in southern Africa. “The lack of cooperation from other industry sector associations to encourage member participation and to promote the benefits is lamentable, to say the least,” she says, adding: “It is time for all industry sectors to stop working in silos and work together to prevent potential future disasters and tragedies.”

Ultimately, it is not just about ammonium nitrate, there are plenty of other potentially dangerous chemicals manufactured, imported and stored in South Africa. Ignorance and the avoidance of compliance with regulations and industry best practice is not acceptable and could be the cause of a serious disaster, Anderson stresses. “Product stewardship and producer responsibility mean sharing, caring and working together for the good of all. Remember: we are all part of a community that needs to be protected!” www.rpmasa.org.za