Emergency Response
In compliance with 2015 Control of Major Accident Hazards (COMAH) regulations, specifically regulation 11 ‘Objectives of Emergency Plans’, it is necessary for every site containing hazardous substances to have plans in place to deal with any loss of containment should it arise.
Emergency plans should “describe the arrangements for restoration and clean-up of the environment after a major accident” (Regulation 11, HSE, COMAH 2015). “Operators must take appropriate remedial measures or arrange for them to be taken. These measures should be proportionate to the level of harm caused by the major accident and the risk of continuing harm to people and the environment” (HSE, COMAH 2015).
In order to protect the environment, it is essential that appropriate response measures are in place to contain and remove hazardous substances should they escape primary containment. In order to effectively implement the response, it is important that the personnel carrying out the response have been supplied with the necessary information.
RAS have significant experience in compiling environmental emergency response plans for clean-up contractors which detail all the information required in addition to recommending suitable response measures for different release cases.
Effective mitigation of environmental harm is highly dependent on the time it takes to respond therefore the information provided to emergency services must be concise and specific to release cases. RAS has a wealth of experience working with a number of response firms to develop effective emergency plans to meet the expectations required by the HSE but also to prevent environmental harm should a release occur.
