Transportation and storage
Our regulations and measures for transportation and warehouse safety cover the delivery of raw materials, the storage and distribution of chemical products among BASF sites and customers, and the transportation of waste from our sites to the disposal facilities.
Strategy
- New reporting approach on transportation incidents
In 2014, we had already nearly achieved our goal of reducing the number of worldwide transportation accidents per 10,000 shipments by 70% from 2003 to 2020. That is why we redesigned our reporting on transportation accidents in 2015. From now on, we are focusing on transportation incidents with dangerous goods spillages that significantly impacted the environment. We will report on dangerous goods leaks of BASF products in excess of 200 kilograms on public transportation routes, provided BASF arranged the transport. The global requirement for reporting on transportation incidents was adjusted accordingly and implemented worldwide.
Transportation incidents
In 2015, there were two incidents resulting in product spillage of more than 200 kilograms of dangerous goods (2014: 5). None of these transportation incidents had a significant impact on the environment (2014: 1).
Accident prevention and emergency response
- Revised questionnaire for assessing transportation safety of chemicals and gases on seagoing vessels
- Risk assessment conducted for shipments involving high hazard potential
We stipulate worldwide requirements for our logistics service providers and assess them in terms of safety and quality. In 2015, we evaluated around 500 companies in all regions. Our experts use our own evaluation and monitoring tools as well as internationally approved schemes.
We revised our questionnaire for the transportation of chemicals and gases on seagoing vessels to align with that of the Chemical Distribution Institute in 2015. Particular emphasis is placed on crew training and experience, especially in the selection of service providers.
We regularly evaluate the risks in transporting raw materials with high hazard potential using our global guideline. This is based on the guidelines of the European Chemical Industry Council, CEFIC.
Activities in external networks
We are actively involved in external networks, which quickly provide information and assistance in emergencies. These include the International Chemical Environmental (ICE) initiative and the German Transport Accident Information and Emergency Response System (TUIS), in which BASF plays a coordinating role. In 2015, we provided assistance to other companies in around 200 cases worldwide. We apply the experience we have gathered to set up similar systems in other countries: For example, in 2015 we were able to connect our site in India to just such a system.