EIH practical skills Chemical Incident Management

Question 1

What are the 4 phases of managing a chemical incident?

Answer 1

Phase 1: first few hours - protect human life

Phase 2: first 24 hours - protect the environment

Phase 3: remainder of management period - manage, mitigate and monitor

Phase 4: post incident - remediation

Question 2

What happens in phase 1: the first few hours - protection of human life?

Answer 2

Initiate immediate evacuation if non-emergency response personnel

Assess adverse health risks (inhalation / contact)

Assess ignition hazard

Cordon area and divert traffic

Consider the need for decontamination facilities

Assess need for issue of PPE to persons in area

Question 3

What happens in phase 2: the first 24 hours - protection of the environment?

Answer 3

Assess environmental contamination risk (source - pathway - receptor)

Consider the nature of contaminant (toxicity, volatility, reactivity)

Speed of spread and ecological transfer

Proximity of receiving media to site or incident

Special considerations (SSSI, arable land)

Prevention of spread into surrounding environment (diversion / retaining trenches, booms, absorbent spill kits)

Question 4

What happens in phase 3: remainder of management period - management, mitigation, monitoring?

Answer 4

Methods depend on risk assessment

Clear majority of contamination from ground surface (absorbent kits, neutralising chemicals)

Damping foam used to prevent vaporisation to atmosphere

Question 5

What happens in phase 4: post incident - remediation?

Answer 5

Sampling of soil (depth, radius)

Continuous sampling of nearby water courses

Atmospheric monitoring

Removal of contaminated soil (to landfill)

Remediation if affected area (replacement of soil/items)