At the end of 2016, the campaign "Monitoring the handling of carcinogenic hazardous substances" was carried out in Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany. At the request of the Regional Administrative Authority in Freiburg, ChemCon agreed to participate in this campaign. During a one-day visit that included a company tour and the review of a questionnaire, ChemCon explained its concept for handling carcinogenic substances to the local authority.
Mr. Malte Thoms, Head of Quality and Occupational Safety, has been working for ChemCon for more than 13 years. Together with his six-membered team, he ensures full compliance with current quality standards according to cGMP guidelines and the company’s occupational health and safety.
Health and safety of the employees are of highest priority for ChemCon, Mr. Thoms explains. The first approach is always the attempt to substitute CMR substances (carcinogen mutagen reprotoxic). If this is not possible, technical options are sought to reduce the manual handling of the substance to an absolute minimum. In order of priority, the last measure to protect people is personal protective equipment.
During a comprehensive company tour, Mr. Thoms demonstrated to the representatives of the Freiburg Regional Administrative Authority how ChemCon implements above procedures.
A technical solution (Fig. 1), for example, was developed to ensure safety at work in a project using aziridine. Aziridine passes into the reactor through a conveying system of pressure-stable metal pipes excluding any possibility of personal contact. Such innovative solutions are developed at ChemCon in interdepartmental teams and in close coordination with the customers.
Appropriate measures are also necessary in quality control. Fig. 2 shows, for example, a laboratory assistant working on a laminar flow workbench, wearing disposable sleeves in addition to the standard personal protective equipment. These gauntlets prevent the contamination of the lab coat.
In Germany, the handling of hazardous substances is regulated in the Ordinance on Hazardous Substances. As an employer, ChemCon is responsible for its employees and the environment and protects them. Mr. Thoms was able to demonstrate to the Freiburg Regional Administrative Authority representatives that ChemCon takes the handling of carcinogenic hazardous substances very seriously.
