M&P Risk Management Workshop on the "Opening of Dethlingen Pond" Project

The Dethlingen pond is one of the largest contaminated sites in Germany. Chemical warfare agents and ordnance were dumped here from about 1942 to 1952, after which the pit was covered with rubble and thus secured. Now the former pond is to be opened as part of a test site investigation to make considerations of a potential overall remediation assessable. In the process, potential hazards emanate from the "pond opening" project. What risks do we need to be prepared for? How can these be minimised?

Risk analysis as a core element of risk management

Sonja Krawczyk and Birgit Holzförster from our branch office in Hanover organised a workshop together with the Heidekreis in Soltau on 6 February 2019. The primary goal was to identify potential hazards and define protection goals. Almost forty experts and stakeholders spent a whole morning discussing various hazard scenarios and targeted measures to protect the population. The risks identified in the workshop are now to be analysed and evaluated with regard to their probability of occurrence and extent of damage, among other things. The results form the core for a future risk management manual so that the opening of the Dethlingen pond becomes a calculated and controllable event.