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April 2011 Newsletter

Welcome to the latest edition of the NCEC newsletter.

This issue contains the latest information on legislation, events, training and recruitment, and some interesting calls from our files.

NCEC's Hazmat Event 2011 was a great success, and we are already planning next year's event.

If there is anything that you would like to see in future newsletters, please let us know. We are always happy to receive suggestions and feedback – you can contact us by emailing ncec@aeat.com or calling +44 (0)870 190 6621.

Happy reading.

Bill Atkinson
Emergency Response Knowledge Leader

Email: ncec@aeat.com
Web: www.the-ncec.com

 1. LEGISLATION

 EAC List 2011 Published

TSO have just published the 2011 edition of the Dangerous Goods Emergency Action Code List, which was again authored by NCEC.

The 2011 Emergency Action Code List is effective from 1 July 2011 and the previous list (Emergency Action Code List 2009) should no longer be used from that date.

The current version of Chemdata contains the new EACs, so if you are a Chemdata customer and have not yet installed 2010.2 you need to do so now.

The 2011 EAC List is available to buy from the TSO website) at a cost of £29. It is also available in electronic form (pdf file) from the NCEC website.

 

 2.  EVENTS

 Hazmat Event 2011 - Report

A Report from Tabitha Petchey, one of NCEC's newest Emergency Responders

Held at Birmingham’s Crowne Plaza hotel near the NEC on 15 and 16 February 2011, this year’s Hazmat event was judged one of the most informative yet. This was the fourth such event, now established as one of the main avenues for Hazmat specialists to share experiences and knowledge. The basis of the event was a series of presentations set over two days and covering a variety of topics, including the various arrangements that have been put in place to assist response to chemical emergencies, such as virtual training and the ChlorAid scheme.

All the subjects covered were relevant to people involved in chemical incident response and the setting provided a great opportunity to question and discuss content both in the forum and one-to-one. Delegates were drawn from fire services, police forces, the MOD, chemical industry and bodies such as the Environment Agency, the Health Protection Agency and the Met Office. Bill Atkinson, Emergency Response Knowledge Leader at NCEC, chaired the event.

Read the full report

 

 Hazmat 2012 - Information

Hazmat 2012 will be held on 6 and 7 March 2012* – put the dates in your diary now!

We intend to make Hazmat 2012 even bigger and better than before. As in previous years, the conference will draw on knowledge and experience from professionals working in hazmat and related areas.

If there is something you think we should cover at Hazmat 2012, please let us know; we welcome all suggestions.

If you would like to be kept abreast of developments or wish to register your interest in attending (including exhibiting and/or sponsorship) please fill in the form on our website

We have also created a Hazmat Event Twitter feed for those who would like to keep track of updates in that way. We will post updates on developments such as location and confirmed speakers, and we will also be tweeting from the event itself. The feed is called @ncec_hazmat

As with this year's event, we will be offering Early Bird deals for Hazmat 2012 registration – more details will be revealed in the next NCEC newsletter and on our Twitter feed.

*These dates are subject to confirmation; we are currently arranging a venue.

 Hazmat 2012 - Call for Papers

If you are interested in making a presentation at Hazmat 2012, please let us know

We are particularly looking for presentations on matters relevant to people involved directly in chemical incident response but will consider anything relevant to the Hazmat field.

Closing date for submissions is 30 September 2011.

More information

 

 NCEC at Safety and Health Expo on stand Q70

NCEC will be at the NEC Birmingham, on stand Q70 in Hall 2. If you are attending the Expo, please come and visit us!

More information

 

 3. CHEMDATA® FREE TRIAL

Would you like a free two-week trial of Chemdata^® and/or Pocket Chemdata^®?

Previously, our Chemdata^® demonstration program had a very restricted database: we are now in a position to offer a free two-week trial of the full version of Chemdata^® or Pocket Chemdata^®, with the full database.

Chemdata^® contains details of over 40,000 substances with more than 130,000 names, trade names and synonyms. It includes specialised searching algorithms to help you find the substance you are looking for quickly and easily.

Register for a free Chemdata^® trial

Please note that we reserve the right to refuse a free trial.

 4. UPCOMING TRAINING COURSES

CLP & GHS

4 May 2011 - Harwell, Oxfordshire

A one day course which will help you understand the background of CLP and GHS, understand the requirements outlined in the legislation and will inform you of the deadlines for compliance, as well as helping you with classification.

Cost: £295 + VAT

Hazmat First Response

14 June 2011 - Harwell, Oxfordshire
5 October 2011 - Humberside Fire & Rescue Service HQ, Hull

A one-day training course to prepare you and your organisation for dealing with a chemical incident. The course provides practical and up-to-date information on what is expected of you during a hazmat incident.

Cost: £315 + VAT

More information about our training courses

To book a place or ask about our tailored and in-house courses, please contact us

 

 5. KEEPING TRACK OF NCEC

RSS Feeds and Twitter

You can now get updates via RSS feed whenever a news item is posted on our website or when a new post is made in NCEC's HMEPO forum.

To subscribe to a feed, simply click on the orange RSS button (usually at the top of the page) to see the feed page, then click on Subscribe.

We have set up a Twitter feed for our annual Hazmat Event and will post updates on developments such as location and confirmed speakers. We will also be tweeting from the event itself.

Do you find these developments useful? Please let us know!

 

 6. EMERGENCY RESPONSE

 Interesting Calls

 Biocides Theft

NCEC recently received a call from a Police Sergeant who was investigating the theft of a number of biocides from a secure location. The Sergeant was concerned that the products could be used to poison a water supply or have other terrorist uses.

Our Emergency Responder advised the caller of the hazards of the products, namely that they were environmentally hazardous, and liaised with the manufacturers to determine the likely motivation for the theft and the potential for terrorist or clandestine use.

Our Emergency Responder, in consultation with the product specialists, determined that the threat to public safety through misuse of the products was minimal and that there was no obvious motivation for the theft. Our Emergency Responder advised the caller the most appropriate PPE for dealing with the products once they were recovered.

Immediate access to advice like this means the incident can be dealt with quickly and calmly; our team of highly trained chemists work behind the scenes to gather all of the data and give you a single point of contact for concise and precise information.

 

 Fire at Pharmaceuticals Warehouse

NCEC recently received a call from a HMEPO regarding a large warehouse fire involving a number of pharmaceutical products. Around 100 Fire and Rescue Service personnel were in attendance.

Our Emergency Responder advised the HMEPO of the hazards to health and the environment of each of the products, their thermal decomposition products, and methods for decontamination.

Furthermore, our Emergency Responder recommended the levels of PPE for both fire fighting and clean-up operations.  By ensuring that local residents were advised to stay indoors with windows and doors closed and run-off water collected, the threat to public health and the environment was minimised.

Immediate access to in-depth chemical knowledge means that the incident can be dealt with in a calm and informed manner with all the risks and environmental aspects considered.

 

 New Emergency Responders

Neil Thomas joined NCEC's Emergency Response team in 2010, following many years working in the nuclear research field and various manufacturing industries. As part of the team, he answers telephone calls from across the world to give advice in the event of a chemical incident.

 

Tabitha Petchey joined the Emergency Response team in January 2011. She graduated in 2010 with a Master of Chemistry degree from the University of York which involved a year of novel research in the Liquid Crystals Group at the University. During her undergraduate degree she specialised in environmental chemistry. She has also volunteered during spare time in the original Oxfam shop on Broad Street, Oxford, and another on Low Petergate in York since 2007.

 

 7. RECRUITMENT

We are always interested in talking to talented people who could bring value to our team. If you are interested in a career in chemical risk management or emergency response, we would like to hear from you.

Our team consists of both chemists and non-chemists, who work in all aspects of the delivery and sales of chemical safety consultancy.

One of our newest Emergency Responders recently gave this presentation about his role as part of a careers day at Oxford University.

We are actively recruiting now. Please contact us for more information.