4.4 Emergency planning

Question 1

Emergency plans should focus on the following three key groupings of people:

Answer 1

 Vulnerable people, who are less able to help themselves in an emergency than self-reliant people.  Victims of an emergency, including those suffering bereavement or the anxiety of not knowing what has happened.  Responder personnel, whose welfare should be given due consideration in the planning process.

Question 2

Procedures for serious and imminent danger and for danger areas Every employer is required to: 3

Answer 2

 Have appropriate procedures in place to be followed in the event of serious and imminent danger to persons at work in his undertaking.  Have a sufficient number of competent persons to implement the procedures and effect the safe evacuation from premises of persons at work in his undertaking.  Ensure that employees do not have access to danger areas (access restricted on grounds of health and safety) unless they have received adequate health and safety instruction.

Question 3

An establishment is subject to CoMAH if

Answer 3

it produces, uses, handles or stores on site any dangerous substance specified in Schedule 1 of the Regulations, above a qualifying quantity. Part 1 of Schedule 1 lists named substances and thresholds; Part 2 lists thresholds for other substances that are not named but are classified as

Question 4

The on-site emergency plan (OnSEP) should address the operator’s complete response to a major accident involving dangerous substances on the establishment. It should: 3

Answer 4

 Concentrate on those events identified as being most likely to occur.  Be proportional to the probability of the accident occurring.  Have the flexibility to allow it to be extended and increased to deal with unlikely consequences which may arise through combinations of accidental circumstances and weather conditions.

Question 5

On-site emergency plan (OnSEP)The plan should detail: 4

Answer 5

 How people on site (including contractors and visitors) are prepared for an emergency.  How to control, contain and mitigate the effects of any emergency.  How to summon assistance from other organisations off site.  How those who work on the establishment will assist any external organisations, including assisting with off-site mitigatory action.

Question 6

The OnSEP should identify nominated key personnel (by name or by job title) with contact numbers. The key personnel are 2

Answer 6

the site incident controller and site main controller.

Question 7

Information to be included in on-site emergency plan (OnSEP) 7

Answer 7

(1) Names or positions of persons authorised to set emergency procedures in motion(2) Name or position of the person with responsibility for liaison with the local authority (3) a description of the action which should be taken to control the conditions or events and to limit their consequences(4) Arrangements for limiting the risks to persons on site(5) Arrangements for providing early warning of the incident (6) Arrangements for training staff in the duties they will be expected to perform(7) Arrangements for providing assistance with off-site mitigatory action

Question 8

Content of an off-site emergency plan (OffSEP)

Answer 8

Authorised persons Early warning Co-ordinating resources On-site mitigation Off-site mitigation Public information Trans-boundary incidents

Question 9

Regulation 11 of CoMAH requires that at least once every ? years the on-site and the off-site emergency plans for a top-tier CoMAH establishment should be reviewed, and where necessary revised.

Answer 9

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