Loss Prevention Working Group

Chemical Safety Hot Line The Benefits for Loss Prevention

The contaminated land market has always been one requiring a sophisticated comprehension of chemical knowledge. In the early days this was not regarded by practitioners as needing any more than applying laboratory data to look up tables to obtain the required decision triggers. As time marched on:

• increasing sophistication of analytical techniques;
•  recognition that the number of substances that needed to be considered was growing; and
• the industry recognised that more than simple lookup tables were required and risk models such as CLEA 2002 were introduced.

All of this has lead to a need to provide key information about potential chemical risk at an early stage; if for no other reason than to inform the safety risk assessments required of the site investigation process to protect workers on site.

Often adequate information about unknown substances, and trade mixtures, is not available at a time that is practical relative to the development of site safety plans. The same can also apply to the correct scheduling of laboratory testing and development of safety notices for the transit of samples. There may also be occasions when unknowns are unexpectedly found on site which can complicate matters further.

The Chemical Safety Hotline can assist with:

• identification of unknown substances on site, as a preliminary to laboratory involvement, (reducing standing time and potentially dangerous exposures);
• advise on the practicality of field testing, where appropriate;
• the provision of enhanced safety information relative to potential health impacts;
• assistance with laboratory test scheduling for non routine substances; and
•  information required to allow advanced use of the Environment Agency's CLEA model for advisory limit setting.

Loss Prevention Measures

1. Ensure that current material safety data sheets are available for the chemicals of concern;

2. Ensure that this information is incorporated in site safety risk assessments;

3. Ensure that 'firstaiders' are equipped with the knowledge and equipment to deal with necessary first responses, even if this is only a mobile phone and the availability of clean water; and

4. Ensure that waste management procedures for spoil, generated during a site investigation, take into consideration any enhanced risk to workers, or the public, arising from potential exposure to buried material brought to the surface.

If you need to use any of the Chemical Safety Hotline services contact the hotline on:

0800 083 4610

TC White Marquis & Lord