Making industry safer to protect our water resources

On 3-5 October 2001 the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) will hold an international workshop and simulation exercise on industrial safety and water protection in Tiszaújváros in Hungary. Tiszaújváros is located in the Tisza river basin, which was polluted by the accident at Baia Mare in Romania last year.

Unfortunately, the well-publicized cyanide spill at Baia Mare is not the only industrial accident to have made headline news in the UNECE region in recent years. A fireworks factory exploded in Enschede in the Netherlands last year and, more recently, an accident at a chemical fertilizer plant in Toulouse, France, killed 29 people and left hundreds injured. These accidents have highlighted the need for more measures to be taken to prevent industrial accidents and to prepare contingency plans.

The workshop in Hungary will:

• Review national and international regulations on prevention, preparedness and response to industrial accidents involving hazardous substances;

• Provide a forum for sharing experience in introducing and implementing preparedness and response measures;

• Provide a forum for sharing experience with local civil defence organizations;

• Demonstrate the role of civil defence organizations in emergencies;

• Demonstrate response systems and procedures for eliminating the consequences of major accidents involving hazardous substances and accidental water pollution.

Two simulation exercises are planned on the second day of the workshop at locations near the town of Tiszaújváros.

The workshop and exercise are organized under the UNECE Conventions on the Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents and on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes.

For more information, please contact:

or:

Ref: ECE/ENV/01/14