3rd Process Safety Symposium and Exhibition Draws Strong Attendance

Third Process Safety Symposium and Exhibition Guiding Turkish Industry Welcomed 2,000 Participants All stakeholders of the manufacturing industry came together on 10-11 May at Kocaeli Gebze IT Valley for the 3rd Process Safety Symposium and Exhibition to prevent industrial accidents. Organized under the coordination of Kocaeli Chamber of Industry and in cooperation with Chem Media/Artkim Group, the two-day symposium featured leading names from Turkish industry alongside national and international expert speakers, 5 sessions, 26 presentations, and 3 keynote speakers. Process Safety, which is of major significance for both industrial establishments and Turkey's future, was evaluated in all its aspects. The Kocaeli Chamber of Industry, which has kept environment, occupational health and safety, and industrial safety issues on its agenda since its early years of operation, organized the third symposium this year. Opening remarks were delivered by Ayhan ZEYTİNOĞLU, Vice Chairman of the Board of Turkey's Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges and Board Chairman of Kocaeli Chamber of Industry; Hasan ŞEREFHAN, Chairman of the Symposium Organization Committee and Technical Factory Director of DYO Paint Factories Construction Paints; Yaşar ÇAKMAK, Deputy Mayor of Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality; and Ahmet Serdar İBRAHİMCİOĞLU, General Director of IT Valley. At the Process Safety Symposium, all sector actors came together on the same platform to chart Turkish industry's security course. The symposium and exhibition, supported by the Ministry of Labor and Social Security, the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization, the Ministry of Industry and Technology, as well as over 50 civil society organizations and industrial companies, hosted 2,000 participants.

Exhibition and Commercial Workshop Area Attracted Heavy Visitor Traffic

In the exhibition area organized as part of the event, 40 domestic and foreign companies showcased their new products and technologies. Company representatives and visitors gathered in this heavily visited exhibition area. Additionally, during the workshop program held throughout the event, representatives from numerous companies and institutions informed visitors through their presentations. Visitors also gained access to important details regarding process safety from 19 poster papers displayed in the event area. Over the two days, visitors had the opportunity to experience "fire suppression, LOTO and hazard hunting" scenarios free of charge through VR headset and virtual reality applications.

Entire Program Broadcast Live on Turkchem TV Channel

The program held in the IT Valley Conference Hall, which drew significant visitor interest, was broadcast live on Turkchem TV. In the symposium program where process safety regulations, implementation, technical knowledge, R&D, and products and services were shared with the sector, discussions focused on measures to be taken to ensure effective and continuous protection within the framework of topics such as SEVESO III Directive, ATEX Directives, Pressure Vessels/Equipment, CLP Regulation/SEA Regulation, REACH Regulation/KKDIK Regulation, and the Effects of Digital Transformation on Process Safety. The symposium program, which began following presentations by keynote speakers and featured five different sessions over two days, saw expert speakers deliver a total of 26 presentations. A recording of the entire symposium program is available on the Turkchem TV channel. Additionally, all presentation files can be accessed via the prosesemniyeti.org website.

"We Are Among the 5 Countries with the Most SEVESO Facilities!"

Pointing out that Turkey is among the first five countries with the most SEVESO facilities and noting that 13% of facilities falling under SEVESO scope operate in Kocaeli, Kocaeli Chamber of Industry (KSO) Chairman Ayhan Zeytinoğlu said, "As a chamber, we have been working on the SEVESO Directive, which is one of the directives in the EU harmonization process and forms our agenda today, since 2013. When comparing the number of SEVESO facilities, we are the 6th European country with the most SEVESO facilities after Germany, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, and Spain. We are even double the Netherlands, which comes after us, in terms of SEVESO facilities. These statistics tell us that we have a greater likelihood of encountering hazards and that we need to work hard to prevent industrial accidents and reduce their effects."  

"We Need Increased Incentives"

Pointing out that 13% of facilities under SEVESO scope operate in Kocaeli, Zeytinoğlu continued as follows: "We know that millions of people die every year worldwide as a result of workplace accidents, and unreported or underreported workplace accidents increase this number and make the current situation even more concerning. In our country, the number of workplace accidents that occur and the number of people who lose their lives as a result of these accidents, unfortunately, show an upward trend according to official data. According to data in the BEKRA declaration system, 13% of facilities under SEVESO scope operate in our province. This issue directly concerns our province. We, as Kocaeli Chamber of Industry, are proud to be part of many projects that will take the lead on this issue. We once again thank our relevant Ministries for their unwavering support throughout all these efforts. However, to ensure that necessary measures are taken within the scope of the aforementioned directive, very large investments must be made in facilities. Within this scope, our demand as a chamber is the establishment of an incentive or support mechanism for investments to be made on this matter."  

"Kocaeli Has Great Potential"

"With very small efforts, precautions, and process arrangements, it is possible to provide both economic advantages and take very important steps that will directly affect human life," said Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality Deputy Mayor Yaşar Çakmak in his remarks at the Process Safety Symposium: "By revisiting certain precautions we can easily take, updating and adapting the existing regulations on this matter, and monitoring them, we can prevent major disasters. There are things to be done before and when an earthquake arrives. There are steps we must take regarding transportation, communication, and wired/wireless systems. It is possible to achieve very high efficiency with very low costs. The heart of industry, the heart of production, and many technology companies are here. Kocaeli can and will continue to produce applications that will be exemplary not only for Turkey but for the world as well."

"Technology and Industry Are an Inseparable Whole"

Expressing his satisfaction with hosting the 3rd Process Safety Symposium and Exhibition, Ahmet Serdar İbrahimcioğlu, General Director of IT Valley, said: "The world is now transforming through systems based on rapid data processing and its continuing use. Digital transformation has influenced all areas and has marked important developments in terms of Process Safety. As IT Valley, in line with our vision, we are working to produce national and international beneficial technologies that will change the world through a national technology initiative. On this path, we operate with the awareness that Process Safety is the foundation of human-centered technology and how important these efforts are in all processes that will protect human life and natural living." Announcing that IT Valley, together with 3 organized industrial zones, developed a "Digital Transformation Roadmap" with the Doğmanlar Development Agency, İbrahimcioğlu noted that 15 companies created their digital development plans together with these organized industrial zones.  

"Chemical Industry Continues Its Operations as One of the World's Largest Industries"

Noting that the chemical industry continues its operations as one of the world's largest industries and forecasting further growth in global chemical production by 2060, DYO Paint Factories Construction Paints Factory Director and Symposium Organization Committee Chairman Hasan Şerefhan stated, "Preventing the threats that industrial and chemical accidents can pose to human and environmental health and reducing the effects of these accidents is of utmost importance. This is why the 3rd Process Safety Symposium is assuming an important role in transferring regulations, implementation, technical knowledge, R&D, products and services necessary for preventing major industrial accidents in facilities containing hazardous substances and minimizing the harm of potential accidents to people and the environment, ensuring high-level, effective and continuous protection to all relevant sectors. As industrialists, we regard making our production processes safer, preventing major industrial accidents and reducing their environmental impact as our most important responsibility, which we take very seriously. We aim and expect that all participants at this symposium, which is supported by Ministries and over 50 NGOs and industrial companies, will apply the knowledge, experience and best practices they gain from this symposium in their own work areas and industries," he said. Emphasizing that digital transformation efforts and Process Safety in Turkey are advancing in line with technological developments, Hasan Şerefhan said, "Digital transformation (Industry 4.0) efforts are gaining significant momentum in our country's industry as in the rest of the world. Our industrialists are conducting digital checkups in their facilities, performing digital maturity analyses of their enterprises, and preparing digitalization roadmaps. We know that facilities that seize opportunities in the digitalization process and adapt quickly achieve significant gains. It is at this point that companies in Process Safety that follow technological developments and manage processes with digital twins, creating big data with modeling systems, have much safer safety systems and, through controlled process management, minimize accident risks," he said.

"As TİSK, Our Primary Priority Is Worker Health"

Emphasizing that the development of industrial establishments and sustainable competitive and healthy production is a fundamental priority for TİSK, and providing information about their activities, Levent Kocagül, Member of the Board of Management and Executive Board of Turkey's Confederation of Employer Associations and Chairman of the KİPLAS Board of Directors, made the following remarks: "Looking at the sectors and cooperation represented by our Confederation in all 81 provinces, we are talking about 2 million employees. For this reason, in the fields of Occupational Health and Safety, TİSK and the TİSK Microsurgery Foundation conduct numerous activities to help enterprises produce more safely. The Occupational Safety and Health Technology Dissemination Project aims to establish an Occupational Safety and Health culture in enterprises, disseminate it widely, and provide a healthier and safer environment. Through the AI-supported Occupational Safety and Health Video Analysis Software Platform, occupational accident risks can be identified in advance. The TİSK Academy Online Platform provides an opportunity for personal and professional development that our affiliated unions, workplaces, employees, and their families can benefit from online free of charge. The Occupational Safety and Health Forum Theatre contributes to behavioral change in the approach to workplace safety.

"We Expect Employers to Be More Sensitive About Process Safety"

Stating that the Ministry continues intensive social efforts to solve problems affecting work life, Semih Özçakır, Assistant Head of Guidance and Inspection at the Ministry of Labor and Social Security, said, "In our country, the regulation regarding the prevention of major industrial accidents and the reduction of their effects was last published on 2 March 2019. Following the publication of this regulation, with the publication of the Safety Report Notification, the Major Accident Prevention Policy Notification, and the Major Accident Scenario Document Notification, the regulatory work that needed to be undertaken within the scope of the regulation has been completed. In inspections conducted within the scope of the regulation, employers who have the will to remedy the shortcomings identified are given time to do so. However, based on the impression gained from inspections conducted by our presidents, we have found that our employers and workplace managers do not have the resolve to solve problems related to process safety without an inspector visiting," he said. The last keynote speaker, Abdurrahman Akman, an occupational inspector at the Ministry of Labor and Social Security, delivered his presentation titled "Developments Within the Scope of SEVESO Regulation and the Ministry of Labor and Social Security Inspections." Subsequently, protocol members and guests visited the stands of approximately 40 companies that had booths in the exhibition area and gathered information.