Client Reference | G.V.S.

Security is a condition. Basically, only a snapshot.
This is precisely why safety-critical factors in industry must be regularly checked, documented and brought up to date. Nowhere is this better known than in the heart of the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region: here in the Mannheim area, where chemicals and pharmaceuticals dominate the industrial scene, the Gesellschaft für die Verwertung von Sonderabfällen mbH & Co. KG (G.V.S.) has been dealing with the topic of safety for over 40 years.

G.V.S. was founded in 1979, employs 25 people and has generated a revenue of EUR 17 million in 2019. Since 2017, the company has been using GreenGate's GS-Service operations management software primarily as a backup for the legally compliant integrity of people and machines. In this interview, G.V.S. Managing Director Jens Paßmann explains the background for the use and outlines the empirical values in dealing with the software.
 

In a professional system like GS-Service what was the initial reaction to the documentation of staff qualifications, facilities and equipment?

Paßmann: The District President was enthusiastic. His comment during the first incident inspection after the data had been stored in GS-Service: 'That's great'. In our business, the tolerance threshold is extremely low; external stakeholders are grateful if, in addition to the functionality and maintenance status of the systems, the employee certifications are also digitally documented.

The company operates a tank farm in Mannheim (7,000 m³) and specialises in the storage and treatment of solvent-containing and aqueous waste. Would you explain: What is so dangerous about it?

Paßmann: In terms of the media, everything is dangerous: the storage, treatment and transport of the waste. Because each of them usually fulfils at least one of the 15 hazardousness criteria, such as flammable, corrosive, carcinogenic, etc. That's why we also invest a lot of time and effort in quality assurance.

In what way has GS-Service been an integral component of this QA-strategy since 2017?

Paßmann: We are fulfilling our duty of care and documentation.
As a certified waste management company, we have to meet the standards set out in theKreislaufwirtschaftsgesetz (Closed Substance Cycle Waste Management Act) and the Entsorgungsfachbetriebe-Verordnung (Ordinance on Specialised Waste Management Companies). Furthermore, certifications and proofs regarding ship handling "Hazardous waste by ship", Major Accidents Ordinance, ISO 9001-2015 etc. must be provided or customer-specific requirements must be fulfilled. The corresponding information is stored consistently and up-to-date in GS-Service. We regularly use this information for operational inspections, safety reports, audits and inspections with external parties such as customers, expert organisations and industry associations.

What information can be found in GS-Service?

Paßmann: As the operator of the plant, we are obliged to ensure operational safety. Therefore, information on the functionality and maintenance status of the infrastructure is entered, but first the infrastructure itself is digitally mapped. This includes, among other things, the tank farms, the piping system including valves and gates, the safety equipment for explosion and fire protection as well as the office and laboratory building with emergency facilities.

What needs to be maintained at G.V.S. and requires a corresponding system for operations management?

Paßmann: It starts at the transhipment terminal for the tankers, the two sidings or the filling platforms for road tankers. Here, for example, it is about the pressure testing of the operational hoses for loading and unloading. Of course, this also applies to stationary fire extinguishing systems, fall protection, explosion protection devices, containment areas for all tanks, double bottom technology with vacuum monitoring and sun shading or overfill protection for the tanks and so on. In GS-Service, we also manage the equipment from the laboratory with information on calibration and the corresponding test data.

The equipment is one thing, the people operating it and their occupational health and safety are anothe. Especially for safety-critical environments, such as those provided by G.V.S., GS-Service offers options for permit management and medical fitness information management.

Paßmann: This is what we do under certificate management. We primarily employ specialists in the individual disposal departments. They have to have the appropriate qualifications and be physically capable of carrying out their work - the same applies to external service providers. We can keep track of the certificates and authorisations for employees and external service providers in GS-Service, taking into account all data protection principles.