Robust safety measures at works

SAFETY measures at a Warrington chemical industrial site have been described as ‘robust’ and ‘practical’ after a mock emergency to test them out.
Crisis teams from Cheshire Fire Service, Cheshire Police, the Health Protection Agency, Warrington Primary Care Trust and Warrington Council joined emergency planners at Chemical company Solvey Interox in Lower Walton for the drill.
The mock incident, which was hailed a success, involved staff acting as if there was a real emergency – a practice has to be carried out every three years by law to see what the local impact would be.
Theresa Whitfield, emergency planning manager for the council, said “Residents should feel reassured that, while we cannot go into detail, we carry out these exercises to cover a variety of major incidents throughout the year.
“They make sure that the safety of the local community and all staff involved is protected in line with the Off Site Emergency Plan and that all the right procedures are in place.
“While the exercise demonstrated some learning which will be incorporated into our Emergency Plan, we were pleased that the overall exercise went very well.”
Solvay’s safety manager, Martin Griffiths, said: “We are always happy to take part in these exercises and work closely with the council to test our procedures. Of course real major incidents are rare but it is still crucial that we are all prepared for any eventuality.”