Published: 2003-11-07
ISBN:
ISSN: 1650-3686 (print), 1650-3740 (online)
To avoid accidents it is important to understand the properties of handled materials and also to understand the basic phenomena involved in their normal reactions. It is not always safe to rely only on written instructions and rules. Sooner or later you will meet situations where there are no written rules – you may then act according to instinct or knowledge. Here we believe that knowledge is the prime basis.
At FOI; the Swedish Defence Research Agency; there was an early agreement that safety was promoted by knowledge and that all personnel should have a good basic education on explosives and explosives effects before they were allowed to work with explosives. A course was created which has been successively improved and extended; and has now been run for more than 30 years by FOI. Employees from the Scandinavian explosives manufacturers and from governmental institutions also attend the course today. This education is available on CD-ROM.
People working with research and manufacture of explosives also use chemicals. Many chemicals are combustible and highly reactive and may cause fire and explosion. Therefore a basic course on fire and flammable materials should be the next logical step to promote safety; not only for the explosives industry but also for the chemical industry.
