ISSUE 39
AUGUST 2014
Chemdata News
2014.1 Update
The Newsletter for all
Chemdata users, highlighting
program developments and
other issues of interest to
Emergency Responders.
iOS Pocket Chemdata is here and so is Arabic…
Chemsafe Refresher
Training
The 2014.1 release of Chemdata
is ready – and this time the apps
were released first, in June!
NCEC is currently offering
Emergency Services which use
Chemdata a free* training visit, to
help remind you about the use of
the Chemsafe line, which is a free
service at the point of use (other
than phone call charges).
Over 5,000 documents have been
added or updated. There are now
over 55,500 substances in
Chemdata with over 164,000
synonyms and trade names!
We have completed work on two
major developments, these being a
Pocket Chemdata app for iPhones
and iPads – which some of you are
already using – and the addition of
the Arabic language to Chemdata.
With these developments we are
aiming to expand the Chemdata
customer base and also give
existing users access to Chemdata
across more platforms so you can
access the data whenever and
wherever it is needed.
This issue's legislation briefing
reviews Hazmat 2014 and looks
forward to Hazmat 2015.
Hazmat 2015 is expected to be
even bigger than Hazmat 2014 and
will again incorporate practical
scenarios and training as well as
the usual presentations. We are
also encouraging multi-agency
attendance at the event. Book your
place now to secure the best rate!
Maria
Mini iPad winner...
NCEC customer satisfaction prize draw winner announced
For the second year in a row the winner of the NCEC customer
satisfaction prize draw has come from our Chemdata user community!
Congratulations to Richard Cropley from Nottinghamshire Fire and
Rescue Service who said:
“This is great, no one else put their hand up to do your survey, it was left
to me and I got ribbed about it, so now I can show them all a shiny iPad
and they’ll be very jealous. We’ve been struggling to get sign-off to get
iPads for us in the field, so I can also show them all how useful it is and
hopefully we can get some more!”
NCEC tel: +44 (0)1235 753654 www.the-ncec.com
You may already have a training
day planned, or we can plan a
customised visit to suit your
needs. During the presentation we
remind you of the Chemsafe
scheme, and give you a good
understanding of our role and
operations and an outline of
recent changes in legislation. We
discuss and provide examples of
the calls we take, use Chemdata
to run through some examples
and exercises, and answer any
questions.
The presentation is aimed at
Hazmat Officers, Fire Control
Operators and Police Officers,
and we would encourage the
attendance of any others who
might find it useful (e.g. your local
EA rep). We currently aim to visit
every UK Fire Service once every
three years and are hoping to
develop a similar visit schedule for
UK Police Forces.
*We may ask you to make a contribution to
travel and subsistence costs. There is no
charge for the training.
ISSUE 39
AUGUST 2014
New Screen Language
Arabic is now available in Chemdata's language options
Following continued interest in Chemdata from the Middle East we have
included Arabic as a screen language for the first time.
As part of our ongoing commitment to continuously improve Chemdata and
make it accessible to more users we have undertaken a significant
development to the user interface to allow the display of Arabic fonts. This
development will also allow us to add other languages such as Japanese.
We have kept the familiar look and feel of Chemdata so existing users will
notice very little difference apart from a few Arabic names!
Pocket Chemdata for iOS is here!
Pocket Chemdata can now be installed on iOS, Android and selected
Blackberry devices
Over the last year we have had many requests for a version of Pocket
Chemdata for iPhones and iPads. We have acted on them, and a version for
these devices is now available at the App Store.
With both Android and iOS Pocket Chemdata apps now available you have
the option to use Chemdata on the most commonly used modern mobile
devices. With the release of Blackberry’s 10.2.1 operating system Blackberry
users (e.g. of Z10 and Z30) can also now install Android apps on their
Blackberry devices, further increasing the availability of Pocket Chemdata.
Existing Chemdata subscribers benefit from substantial discounts to the
standard Pocket Chemdata licence prices, with volume discounts also
available, making this a great way to extend the availability of Chemdata in
your organisation. Hazmat Officers in particular are benefitting from
Chemdata access on the go. To request a quotation please contact us.
Scale cards
Building on the success of the Hazchem scale cards, NCEC has published
two new editions, one concerning supply legislation and the other transport
regulations.
The supply card explains the changes from CHIP to CLP and provides
information on the legal requirements for CLP labels, information needed on
CLP SDS, a timeline for EU implementation of GHS and a list of commonly
used abbreviations.
The transport card provides information on training requirements,
documentation, labelling and placarding and safety equipment required to
ensure legal compliance regarding the transportation of dangerous goods.
Download an order form for these new cards or the standard Hazchem
scale cards from http://the-ncec.com/hazchem-scale-cards/
NCEC tel: +44 (0)1235 753654 www.the-ncec.com
ISSUE 39
AUGUST 2014
Legislation/Event briefing
Hazmat 2014 review
The Hazmat event has continued to demonstrate itself as one of the
leading forums for hazardous materials response, chemical exposure and
monitoring, and emergency planning. Attendance at this year’s event was
the highest for the last 5 years. Attendees were able to experience the
usual mix of keynote presentations from industry stakeholders and
practical workshops.
The presentations and workshops covered a wide range of topics across
the hazardous materials agenda including plume meteorology, logistics
safety management and dangerous goods transport incidents, substance
identification and incidents involving biological agents.
This year Mike Callan, a 40-year veteran of the US fire and rescue services
and winner of the prestigious John Eversole Lifetime Achievement Award,
gave a presentation. He provided in-depth insight into the escalation of an
incident – a compelling presentation discussing practical approaches to
handling hazardous materials. Mike also delivered a very enjoyable afterdinner speech.
This year’s conference has already received many positive comments, with
100% of attendees who completed the feedback form stating that they
would recommend the event to a colleague.
The Hazmat conference continues to be an important part of sharing best
practice with relevant stakeholders, as Jonathan Gibbard, Practice Director
for the National Chemical Emergency Centre explains “The Hazmat event
was initially established to provide guidance on best practice for
professionals involved with hazardous materials and, while the conference
has grown considerably over the years, the objective remains the same.
Hazardous material incidents not only impact on the company involved, but
also on the industry as a whole. This is why it is so important that, as a
community, we continue to work together to demonstrate and share the
processes and procedures that help to proactively mitigate risks and
efficiently control incidents. We’re pleased that the Hazmat conference is
an important part of maintaining that.”
NCEC would also like to say a big thank you to the event’s media partner,
Fire Times, for their continued support of the event; to co-organisers,
Tactical
Hazmat, for
their
contribution,
and to all
our
speakers
and
workshop
presenters
without
whom the
event would
not be
possible.
NCEC tel: +44 (0)1235 753654 www.the-ncec.com
ISSUE 39
AUGUST 2014
Hazmat 2015
When and where?
13-14 May 2015 at Eastwood Hall, Nottingham.
th
Super Early Bird Rate (until 30 September 2014) = £575 +VAT
Early Bird Rate (1 October 2014 to 31 January2015) = £625 + VAT
Standard rate (1 February 2015 onward) = £700 + VAT
We are at an early stage of planning for the programme for the event but
will be continuing with the current format of a mixture of presentations,
workshops and parallel presentation sessions. For 2015 we will be offering
a choice of five different workshops giving you the greatest selection yet!
We are also using delegate feedback from this year to determine the topics
for 2015; they are likely to include waste fires, gas monitoring,
decontamination, environmental protection, case studies and the ever
popular wet chemistry workshop. We will also hopefully see the return of
Mike Callan!
If you are interested in speaking at Hazmat 2015 please contact us
outlining your proposed presentation. In particular we are looking for case
studies where there were a lot of lessons learnt, and if you have one that
would be suitable for a workshop session we would love to hear from you.
Each year the Hazmat conference grows bigger and better and 2015 is
set to be no exception!
Book now to secure your place and to be at the front of the queue to
secure your preferred scenario/workshop sessions. We look forward to
seeing you there!
http://the-ncec.com/hazmat-2015/
Delegates participating in a workshop at Hazmat 2014
NCEC tel: +44 (0)1235 753654 www.the-ncec.com