Until a few weeks and months ago, "Chromate" or "Chromium (VI) compounds" known only to a few.
Everyone has heard something about it, the occupational safety and health professionals took notice, the massive chromate contamination of combined heat and power plants, especially through calcium-containing insulation, was unsettling Operators and service personnel alike.
The so-called "Safety Engineer", also known as "SiFa", who is responsible for occupational safety mentioned, must re-evaluate work steps, create new risk assessments and measure packages, carry out a substitution test and decontamination arrange and monitor and finally the contaminated insulation must also be disposed of accordingly.
Too much responsibility for a single person, so it would be good if there was a Network, which brings together the above-mentioned building blocks for safety in the workplace and is a contact point for those affected by #thechromatedisaster.
"We are only strong together!" said the men in 2023
Stephan Effinowicz
Volkan Parlak
Markus Sommer
Ferdy de Smet
because tackling the chromate problem is impossible alone, without a team.
While Stephan Effinowicz as a safety engineer assists those affected with his company Occupational safety Effinowicz provides advice and assistance in preparing the necessary risk assessments and measures, he also carries out substitution tests on behalf of his customers through and monitors the ordered substitutions, for example the replacement of calcium-containing insulation with calcium-free insulation systems.
Since substitution also involves deinstallation and decontamination work, during which the carcinogenic chromates can be released in high concentrations, specialists who are familiar with this are needed, like the company Kavarmat s.c - The Cleansulation company, represented by Markus Sommer.
In order to complete the substitution process, i.e. the restoration of safe working conditions, professional waste treatment and disposal is required and these are things that is familiar with Volkan Parlak, Managing Director of MRP - Metal Recycling Parlak UG.
The network is rounded off by another chromate expert, Mr. Ferdy de Smet, who is CEO of the Dutch company SEEF B.V.
SEEF B.V. has developed a patented test method for detecting heavy metals, particularly carcinogenic chromates and is Europe's only source of detection certified by an EU authority.
Together, the four pioneers in fighting chromate have formed the network “the chromate experts which will soon also operate as an independent company.
The Chromate Experts website has already been published in German, English and Dutch; you can access it by clicking on the network logo below:
From now on, the editorial team of harmfuldust.com will be regularly informed about the activities of the chromate experts report and wishes all founders the necessary success, there is definitely enough to do in the next few years, if not decades.