Safety and emergency advice - Stenungsund, Sweden

This section of the website is aimed at people who live or work near to the INEOS operations at Stenungsund, Sweden.

Safety, health and the environment at Stenungsund Site

The operations at Stenungsund Site are at the centre of the petrochemical industry in Sweden, employing around 2,200 people and having a combined turnover of 12 billion Swedish Kroner. 

The five different companies based in the area (INEOS, AGA Gas, Akzo Nobel, Perstorp Oxo and Vattenfall) have a vested interest in the long term prosperity of this important industrial community and co-operate fully with each other, and with local and national authorities, to ensure that industrial activity does not adversely impact on the health or welfare of local people or the environment. A recent independent report confirmed that average emissions for the Stenungsund area are no higher than those for any other community in Sweden.

The INEOS ChlorVinyls operations at Stenungsund Site achieved the Environmental Management Standard ISO14001 in 1996, followed by a successful registration to the European Commission Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS).  The excellent safety record at Stenungsund Site is testament to the high priority placed on safety, health and the environment by all INEOS companies.

Stenungsund Site, like all similar chemical operations, operates under very strict regulations and controls.  We have the equipment and technical expertise to ensure that the risks involved in handling hazardous chemicals have been minimised, so that manufacturing can be maintained safely 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Case study: Working together at Stenungsund, Sweden

INEOS ChlorVinyls works closely with the other petrochemical companies and the local authority in Stenungsund, including the development of a common rescue service. The chemical industry in Stenungsund employs a wide range of highly trained specialists and therefore it is natural that the National Rescue Service draws upon these resources whenever there is a serious incident involving chemicals in the Region.

Over recent years there have been several serious accidents in Scandinavia.  For example, in Sweden the derailment of a train in Borlänge; an ammonia accident at Kävlinge and, in Norway, a railway incident at Lilleström involving propane gas. In all these cases the local rescue services required the outside support of chemical specialists - these specialists came from Stenungsund.

Stenungsund also has an expert fire training centre called “Bränningen”, which is jointly owned by the local community and the petrochemical companies. It was constructed specifically for rescue training within the petrochemical industry. Today organisations from all over Scandinavia visit Bränningen for state of the art fire training.

Important safety and emergency advice for residents living or working near to Stenungsund Site

In the unlikely event of a major emergency occurring at Stenungsund Site, which could impact upon the local community, a siren will sound.  During the incident the siren will sound intermittently as a seven second blast followed by a four second silence. 

If you become aware of a serious emergency or hear the warning siren:-

  1. Go indoors immediately.  Shut all doors, ventilators and windows.  Also shut the doors between rooms.  If you have a room high up in the house, stay there.
  2. Any escaped gas would be blown by the wind.  If caught outside, you should try to stay upwind of the gas escape.
  3. If you have a radio, turn it on and listen to the emergency information that will be provided.
  4. Avoid using the telephone as the system may become overloaded.
  5. Further information about the emergency would also be available at www.stenungsund.se

When the emergency is over

When the major emergency is over the siren will sound a single 30 second blast, which means that it is to go outside again. 

Testing of the major emergency alarm

The major emergency alarm for Stenungsund Site is tested at 15:00pm on the first working Monday in March, June, September and December. 

Want more information?

More information, in Swedish, is available online at www.stenungsund.se/vma.