Current situation and future implementation of safety curricula for chemical engineering education in France

Abstract

The paper describes an overview of the curricula concerning the safety and loss prevention courses delivered in the three following French departments of chemical engineering: Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Industries Chimiques de Nancy (ENSIC), Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Ingénieurs en Arts Chimiques et Technologiques de Toulouse (ENSIACET) and Ecole Nationale Supérieure en Génie des Technologies Industrielles de Pau (ENSGTI). The arguments to introduce safety in the chemical engineering were first examined. The two main ways to teach safety, health and loss prevention concepts were then discussed. The detailed content of the courses was reported and compared with the recommendations of EFCE Bologna (I), of IChem (UK) and of Dechema GVC (D) guidelines. The proposed core compulsory curricula and the optional or elective courses were formulated according to the first and second cycle degrees European system, with the corresponding European Credit Transfer Unit (ECTU). Finally an evaluation of the safety education experimented in the three chemical engineering departments was commented. Some propositions concerning the amelioration and the future development particularly from the point of view of the ethics and social process of safety were suggested, but the challenge is strong.