Chemical Safety Department
Tasks and Specializations:
- Establish clear policies and adopt procedures to ensure permanent control of all activities related to chemical safety management.
- Establish procedures and requirements to be taken into account for handling chemicals.
- Participate in the development of a national plan to implement the SAICM methodology.
- Follow up the international procedures for registering hazardous chemicals thereof, regulating their circulation and notifying the concerned authorities inside the country.
- Follow-up and study of chemicals before they are imported, such as notifications from countries regarding the export of dangerous materials to the State of Kuwait.
- Follow up on complaints of chemical handling and misuse.
- Follow up the international procedures and studies for registering chemicals, regulating their circulation, and notifying the concerned authorities thereof.
- Establishing recommendations and requirements for maintaining the health and safety of citizens from the risks of exposure to chemicals in coordination with the departments and authorities concerned.
- Exchanging information locally and abroad about toxic substances and the risks involved.
- Preparing reports, statistical tables and questionnaires for chemicals.
- Strengthening national capacities to deal with chemicals.
- Contributing to the implementation of the environmental awareness media plan at the Public Authority for the Environment by giving lectures - publishing the educational instructions through the print and audio media regarding safe handling of chemicals and in coordination with the competent authorities.
- Contribute to preparing national cadres from graduates of scientific colleges and applied institutes on chemicals management.
- Participation in national campaigns between the departments of the General Authority for the Environment or with the relevant authorities in the country on local environmental issues of a chemical nature.
- Coordination with the Planning and Evaluation Department of the environmental impact on development projects regarding the use of chemicals in industrial activities to study them and determine the extent of their danger to the environment and its living and non-living components and the possibility of using alternatives.
- Participation in conferences and workshops locally and abroad to follow developments in chemicals handling.
- Preparing the national chemical safety program and setting plans and programs to implement it with the relevant authorities in the country.
- Follow-up to international agreements and prepare a national plan for them such as: (Stockholm Convention for Persistent Organic Pollutants, Rotterdam Convention, Minamata Agreement).
- Qualification, approval and follow-up of the companies specialized in the work of inspection, auditing and conformity with chemicals as determined by the committee.
- Preparing the annual work plan and the proposed operating budget for the department.
- Preparing periodic reports on the activities and achievements of the department.
Sections of this department: