Industries across Africa use acids, solvents, fuels, fertilisers, chlorine and many other substances daily, often with limited formal training for the people who move and mix them. Incidents tend to follow a familiar pattern: missing information, poor storage, unclear responsibilities and a belief that a task is routine. Regulators, insurers and customers increasingly expect documented control of these risks.

The course covers three connected layers of protection. The first is the individual and the workplace: understanding hazards, reading labels and safety data sheets, selecting protective equipment, storing and transferring chemicals and responding to spills and exposure. The second is the laboratory, with its own risks from small quantities, glassware, heat, gases and waste. The third is the process, where hazards arise from pressure, temperature, reactions and equipment failure and are managed by systematic studies and engineered safeguards.

Teaching combines demonstrations, inspection walk-throughs and structured exercises on scenarios drawn from plants and laboratories. Participants build their own risk assessments, safe working procedures and emergency plans with feedback from facilitators with industry experience, so the learning transfers directly to the workplace.

By the end of the programme, participants will be able to:

• Classify chemical hazards and interpret GHS labels and safety data sheets.
• Select and use appropriate controls, ventilation and personal protective equipment.
• Store, segregate, transfer and transport chemicals in line with their compatibility.
• Apply safe working practice in a laboratory, including gases, glassware and waste handling.
• Plan and carry out an effective response to spills, fires and exposure incidents.
• Use HAZOP, what-if and layers of protection concepts to examine process hazards.
• Operate permit to work, management of change and incident investigation procedures.

The programme is designed for people who work with, supervise or oversee hazardous substances, including:

• Chemical plant operators and shift supervisors
• Laboratory technicians, analysts and laboratory managers
• HSE officers and safety advisers
• Production and maintenance supervisors in manufacturing
• Water and wastewater treatment staff
• Mining, agro-processing and fuel depot personnel
• Emergency response and fire safety coordinators
• University and research institute laboratory staff

Participants return to work with:

• A chemical inventory and storage compatibility chart template.
• An inspection checklist for stores, laboratories and process areas.
• A completed risk assessment for a chemical task of their choosing.
• A spill and emergency response outline for their site.
• A basic understanding of how a HAZOP session is prepared and recorded.
• A short list of priority improvements to raise at their next safety meeting.

The course is practical and scenario-driven. It includes:

• Demonstrations of protective equipment, spill kits and labelling
• Guided inspection walk-throughs of stores and laboratory layouts
• Small-group risk assessment and HAZOP-style node exercises
• Incident case studies analysed for causes and barriers
• An emergency drill simulation at the end of the week

Participants who complete the sessions and practical exercises receive a CPD-accredited Certificate of Completion issued by Vision Reach Global Consultancy. It reflects training attendance and assessed participation rather than a statutory licence.