INDUSTRIAL RISKS IN COUNTRIES IN TRANSITION UN/ECE TACKLES PROBLEM HEAD-ON
10 March 1997
24 November 1996, a fire breaks out at an oil refinery in the north-west of the
Czech Republic, a few dozen kilometres from the German border. It takes the
rescue services several days to put it out. The German authorities meanwhile are
kept informed throughout the incident and are on stand-by.
This is only one of several accidents that have recently taken place in central and
eastern Europe, where the safety standards at many industrial plants are a far cry
from those in other European countries. But this has a double negative impact on
neighbouring countries: it puts their populations at risk, and it undermines their
international trade.
To allay fears about this situation, the UN/ECE is setting up a monitoring system
within the framework of its Convention on the Transboundary Effects of Industrial
Accidents. Teams of experts will systematically check industrial installations that
pose risks to people or to the environment. They will verify compliance with
international safety norms to protect both the workers and the local residents,
regardless of whether these live in the country of the plant or across the border.
It is well-known that, to encourage economic growth on their territory, some
countries often turn a blind eye to violations of safety norms at industrial plants.
This approach has attracted some companies, which have been able to cut
installation and production costs and have an edge over similar companies in other
countries.
The price to pay for this lax attitude is an increase in risk, not only for the workers
at these plants and the local residents, but also for the people in neighbouring
countries that abide by the safety norms. Countries that stick to the rules
therefore receive a double blow. Not only are they at an economic disadvantage
because of higher production costs, which undermine their exports, they also risk
seeing unemployment rise as companies move their production units to countries
where safety is laxer. So "law-abiding" countries suffer two major drawbacks,
without benefiting from a real drop in risks, since production may shift just a few
kilometres across the border.
By setting up international expert teams to ensure better safety for all, UN/ECE
wants to tackle the problem head-on. The teams, which will operate in connection
with the Convention on the Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents, are an
innovative way for some member States to express their support for this
Convention and to apply it even before it comes into force, which given the
region's industrial trends is increasingly pressing.