In the Czech Republic, there is a lack of advanced tools to effectively learn from serious incidents. Scientists from Mendel University and the Brno University of Technology are therefore focusing on a new project to design a comprehensive system that would enable businesses and other parties to more easily communicate experiences from serious incidents involving dangerous chemical substances or mixtures.
Major incidents are extraordinary events – such as leaks, fires or explosions – that occur in facilities where hazardous substances are produced, used or stored. These incidents can lead to serious threats to the lives and health of people, farm animals, or the environment.
“Companies have a legal obligation to learn from past events that occurred in other companies when preparing a new security report. But we lack a platform where information could be obtained and possibly shared,” explained research leader Petr Trávníček from the Faculty of Agriculture at MENDELU.
The connection concerns approximately 200 businesses, firefighters, police officers, the Czech Environmental Inspectorate, the State Labor Inspectorate, regional hygiene stations, the Ministry of the Environment, the Czech Mining Office and a number of other authorities, as well as Czech universities.
As part of the project, scientists monitored the situation in selected enterprises, and also gathered information through questionnaire surveys. Based on the obtained data on the current situation, they plan to develop a comprehensive system by the end of this year, which could be used by the Ministry of the Environment. “We will propose a variant solution – it will depend on the ministry how the whole system will be set up in the end,” says Trávníček.
The scientists are looking for inspiration in France, Germany or Great Britain, where similar systems are already used for the effective sharing of information about major incidents. “For example, the French have created a very open web portal where information about accidents and how to learn from them is recorded. Every two years they also organise a large meeting where experts from all over Europe come together and share their experiences,” explained Trávníček.
One of the outputs of the project is a professional workshop, which will take place on 10 September in Brno. “Representatives of the Czech Environmental Inspectorate, regional authorities and other institutions and industry bodies will meet for a joint discussion,” said Trávníček.
The SAFE-BASE project ends at the end of this year. Since spring, however, it has been partially followed by new research focused on the risks associated with ageing in companies. “There are many types of ageing. Technologies age, technical equipment, even knowledge ages. Imagine a situation in which you have established work procedures in your company, but as new and safer procedures are developed over time, your company lacks this information. Your employees are also getting older, and you need them to pass on their knowledge to younger colleagues,” explained Trávníček.
In Western Europe, it is common for inspection bodies to check the state of ageing in companies – but in the Czech Republic, these tools are missing. “The goal of our research is therefore to design and test a specific methodology according to which the Czech Environmental Inspectorate could inspect businesses,” said Trávníček. The scientists want to obtain the data through discussions with interested entities that they connected in the framework of the previous project, but they will also take inspiration from abroad, such as the system used in Italy.
The SAFE-AGEING project will last until 2026. As in the previous case, scientists from the MENDELU Faculty of Agriculture are working on it together with colleagues from the BUT Faculty of Mechanical Engineering.
