Safety precautions

The German statute concerning the handling of potentially dangerous industrial incidents states that operators of facilities involving the use of dangerous substances must provide information on what to do in an emergency. As we are the operators of such facilities, we offer below an account of the requirements we must fulfill in order to avoid potentially dangerous incidents, or to lessen the impact should an incident occur.

We at Merck have a long tradition of ensuring safe production and see this as the supreme goal. In cooperation with the authorities we endeavor to eliminate health and environmental risks that could theoretically arise from our facilities. Merck has put extensive safety measures in place aimed at preventing potentially dangerous incidents. As near-perfect as the technology might be, and as careful and experienced as the human operators are, it is impossible to fully eliminate the risk of a malfunction or incident.

Please regard this information as part of our safety policy. All the measures we employ have been set down in writing and are known to the authorities. For further information about our safety measures please contact our Public Relations Department or call our Neighborhood Information Service Hotline on 0 6258 - 12 7000. Additional information, should an incident occur, can be found on our website.

If, despite all of the extensive safety measures that are in place, an incident does occur, there could be knock-on effects within and outside the factory site. Depending on the nature of the incident (fire, explosion, leakage), people, animals and plants may be affected, or the air, soil or water may become contaminated. For hazardous incidents Merck has drawn up alarm and contingency plans and had them approved by the authorities.

If an incident or malfunction occurs, the company Fire Prevention Department immediately commences damage limitation operations. At the same time an alarm call is sent by the Fire Prevention Department to the public risk prevention authorities such as the local fire department, the police and the civil emergency coordinating body, and the supervisory authorities are informed. In addition, the Fire and Safety Control Center at Merck calls together the company’s information team. Merck makes sure that interested parties in the surrounding area are warned and kept informed.