Published on: Thursday, 13 November 2014

On the 10th November, 2014, 28 staff from Pfizer’s Little Island and Ringaskiddy plants were presented with single module certificates recognising their success in achieving the module in Chemical Process Safety (Module CHEP8023 at NFQ Level 8).  A total of 41 have reached this standard and a further 16 are currently undertaking the module. Furthermore, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals Ireland has recently been successful in winning a national Responsible Care Award in the area of “leading edge approaches to achieving Health & Safety excellence” for its work in the area of building process safety knowledge in the plant in Little Island, in part built around the development of this education programme.  

Delivery of the module embodies the site commitment to becoming an injury and incident free environment through the creation of an interdependent health and safety culture and is a great source of information, knowledge sharing, motivation, and above all a platform to recognise the health and safety results achieved and build a vision for the future.  Now being delivered to the fourth participant group, it has also been adopted in Pfizer’s Ringaskiddy site.

The importance attached by Pfizer to this achievement was illustrated by the attendance at the presentation of Niall Condon, Senior Vice President, Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing Operations, Ken Bradley, Vice President, Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient Operations, Seamus Fives, Site Leader (Ringaskiddy & Little Island) and Donal Mulkerrins, Safety Team Lead.

The development team consisted of CIT’s Pat Kennedy, aided by Noel Duffy, both in the Dept of Process, Energy and Transport Engineering, who worked closely with Pfizer’s Shane Horgan, EHS Team Lead at Little Island, supported by Michael Lynch, the site’s process safety specialist, to develop the module, with further support from Dr Nuala Kerley in adapting the module for a Ringaskiddy audience.

The module, CHEP8023 Chemical Process Safety, provides single subject certification at NFQ Level 8 for successful participants.  It provides a thorough grounding in the issues that must be considered when assessing the hazards arising from the processing of chemicals on an industrial level. It was devised to provide a “high-level” view of the fundamentals, an orientation to the needs of the sector and a sharp focus on local operations.

 When combined with CHEP8024 Chemical Safety Applications, it leads to a Special Purpose Award: Certificate in Chemical Process Safety.