The “UN/OECD seminar in follow-up to the 2020 Beirut port explosion: Lessons learned, experiences and good practices in managing risks of ammonium nitrate storage, handling and transport in port areas, preventing accidents and mitigating their consequences” will be held online on 14 December 2021 from 12:00–16:30 Central European Time (with a 30-minute break). It will be a global seminar and have interpretation in Arabic, English, French, Russian and Spanish.

The seminar will address the effective risk management of the storage, handling and transport of ammonium nitrate (AN) and AN-based fertilizers in port areas and beyond, especially when in proximity to high density areas. It will also address related accident prevention, preparedness and response topics, including transboundary elements. The seminar will include an exchange of information on lessons learned from the Beirut port explosion and other accidents involving AN and AN-based fertilizers. In this respect, the outcomes may also serve to highlight the available instruments and control measures that are essential for controlling risk associated with the handling, storage and transport of all hazardous. More information about the seminar, including its objectives, content, target audience and the international organizations organizing it, is available in the concept note (AR) (EN) (FR) (RU) (SP).

The agenda of the seminar features a diverse range of speakers. Experts will provide information on AN and AN-based fertilizers, past accidents involving AN and lessons learned. International organizations will present on international legal instruments and recommendations addressing AN and AN-based fertilizers, their work in responding to accidents involving AN and on the results of a global UN/OECD survey recently conducted to collect information on managing the risks of AN and AN-based fertilizers, which included 101 responses from all five UN regions and informed the preparation of the seminar’s agenda. Member States and industry associations will exchange information on their related experiences, good practices and lessons learned. A panel discussion will also be held. More details are available in the agenda (AR) (ENG) (FR) (RU) (SP).

UNECE, under the leadership of the secretariat to the Industrial Accidents Convention and in close cooperation with the secretariats to the Sub-Committees of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods (TDG) and on the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS), formed a unique partnership to organize the seminar. This included forming an Organizing Committee with the following partners:

• United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)
• International Labour Organization (ILO)
• International Maritime Organization (IMO)
• United Nations Environment Programme/Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Joint Environment Unit (UNEP/OCHA JEU)
• United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) Regional Office for Arab States
• Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

In addition to the Organizing Committee, an advisory group, composed of expert members and industry association observers, convened to guide the seminar’s organization.

Video recording of the seminar

Available in the UN Audiovisual Library at https://media.un.org/en/asset/k17/k17jc6msyv

Presentations

The seminar was co-moderated by Michael Struckl, Chair of seminar’s Advisory Group and Vice-Chair of the UNECE Industrial Accidents Convention’s Bureau (Austria); and Torill Tandberg, Chair of the UNECE Industrial Accidents Convention’s Bureau and member of the OECD Working Party on Chemical Accidents’ Bureau (Directorate for Civil Protection, Norway).

Session 1: Ammonium nitrate (AN) and AN-based fertilizers, accidents involving AN and lessons learned

• Heike Michael-Schulz, Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM), Germany:  Characteristics and types of AN and AN-based fertilizers
• Maureen Wood, Major Accident Hazard Bureau, European Commission Joint Research Centre: Lessons learned from past accidents involving AN and AN-based fertilizers
• The Beirut port explosion, Video investigation produced by Forensic Architecture video

Session 2: International legal instruments and recommendations addressing AN and AN-based fertilizers

• Rosa Garcia Couto, Scientific Affairs Officer, Sustainable Transport Division, UNECE; and Franziska Hirsch, Secretary of the Industrial Accidents Convention, UNECE: Overview of UN/OECD legal instruments and recommendations addressing the storage, handling and transport of AN and AN-based fertilizers and related accident prevention, preparedness and response
• Antti Nironen, Technical Officer, Maritime Safety Division, IMO:International Maritime Organization’s Recommendations on the Safe Transport of Dangerous Cargoes and Related Activities in Port Areas
• Manal Azzi, Global Team Lead on Occupational Safety and Health, ILO: International Labour Organization’s Conventions on Chemicals and on the Prevention of Major Industrial Accidents
• Margherita Fanchiotti, Programme Management Officer, UNEP/OCHA Joint Environment Unit: UNEP/OCHA Joint Environment Unit’s response and support following the Beirut port explosion
• Joseph Orangias, Consultant, UNECE secretariat to the Industrial Accidents Convention: Synthesis of results from the UN/OECD joint survey: Strengths and gaps in implementing legal instruments and recommendations that address AN and AN-based fertilizers and reported challenges

Session 3: Good practices and lessons learned

• Claude Pfauvadel, Head of the Mission for the Transport of Dangerous Goods, Ministry of Ecological Transition, France: Post-Beirut port explosion actions being taken in France to further increase the safe transport of AN and AN-based fertilizers in port areas 
• Vygantas Nagys, Dangerous Cargo Inspector, SE Klaipėda State Seaport Authority, Lithuania: Implementation of rules and regulations covering AN and AN-based fertilizers at the Port of Klaipėda
• Daisi Käger, Chief inspector of Safety Supervision Bureau, Estonian Rescue Board, Estonia: Application of the guide for planners and designers on land-use planning and methodologies for calculating AN risks
• Richard Bilman, Australasian Explosives Industry Safety Group Inc.; Kishore Shah, Fertilizers Europe; and Noel Hsu presenting on the Institute of Makers of Explosives, SAFEX, National Fire Protection Association: Joint presentation of selected industry practices
• Philipe Pontes Barbeiro, Environmental Analyst, Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama), Brazil: Brazilian task force in ports and hazmat warehouses: Preventive actions triggered by the Beirut port explosion and São Francisco do Sul incidents
• Jurie van Staden, Section Commander of Explosives Control/Office of the Chief Inspector of Explosives, South African Police Service, South Africa: Rules on inspecting storage and transport sites and port areas with AN and AN-based fertilizers and challenges in their implementation
• Lisa Long, Director of Office of Engineering Safety, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and on behalf of Environmental Protection Agency, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, United States: Guidelines and programs to ensure the safety and security of sites with AN and AN-based fertilizers, following the West Fertilizer Company explosion in Texas in 2013

Session 4: Panel and closing

• Panel moderated by Rachel McCann, Chair of the OECD Working Party on Chemical Accidents (Health and Safety Executive, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland): Questions to panellists
  • Camille Siefridt, Policy Officer, Industrial Emissions and Safety, Directorate General Environment, European Commission: Statement 
  • Delphine Ruel, Deputy Director of Accidental Risks, Technological risk department, Directorate General of Risk Prevention, Ministry of Ecological Transition, France: Statement
  • Ayda Elhage, Environmental Assessment Officer, Regulatory Development Division, Transportation of Dangerous Goods Directorate, Transport Canada, Canada: Statement
  • Oksana Morozova, Senior Researcher, Research Center “Risk Assessment and International Coordination” of the All-Russian Research Institute for Civil Defence of EMERCOM, Russian Federation: Statement
  • Kishore Shah, Consultant, Fertilizers Europe: Statement
• Torill Tandberg, Chair of the UNECE Industrial Accidents Convention’s Bureau and member of the OECD Working Party on Chemical Accidents’ Bureau (Directorate for Civil Protection, Norway): Summary and conclusions of the seminar
• The seminar’s full summary and conclusions ENG, RUS (as presented to the Sub-committees on the TDG and the GHS)

Additional seminar documentation

• Geneviève Sansoucy, Chief, Regulatory Development, Regulatory Frameworks & International Engagement (RFIE) Branch, Canada, Transportation of Dangerous Goods (TDG) Directorate: Ammonium Nitrate
• Questions and Answers