Testing of Major Hazard Pipeline Plans
Halton Borough Council Tests Major Accident Hazard Pipeline Plan
Cheshire has for many years been associated with the chemical
industry. The Major Accident Hazard Pipeline Regulations
require Local Authorities to work closely with
national and multi national companies to produce plans to
ensure the safe transporation of chemicals within pipelines.
Halton Borough Council has been working with key partners including
INEOS, National Grid, Sabic Petrochemicals Ltd and Shell UK to
raise awareness of and test their multi-agency plan that would be
activated in the unlikely event of an incident involving a major
accident hazard pipeline.
A multi-agency exercise took place at the Stobart Stadium Halton to validate the Major Accident Hazard Pipelines Plan.
Agencies from across Cheshire, including the emergency services, health agencies, the Environment Agency, neighbouring local authorities, utilities, voluntary agencies, and the pipeline operators, attended the exercise.
Delegates were posed questions regarding the exercise objectives, such as testing the notification and activation procedures, command and control structures and the role and responsibilities of agencies.
The Civil Contingencies Act 2004 (CCA) places a duty on a number of agencies, such as Halton Borough Council, Cheshire Police and Cheshire Fire & Rescue, to assess the risk of an emergency occurring within, or affecting, an area for which they are responsible.
Stephen Rimmer, Divisional Manager responsible for Risk and Emergency Planning at Halton Borough Council added: “This was a good opportunity for the business community in Halton to join forces with the council, the emergency services and other agencies in ensuring our community is resilient in coping with any such emergency.”
Cheshire Local Resilience Forum has produced a Community Risk
Register which can be viewed on the Cheshire Fire and Rescue
Service website: www.cheshirefire.gov.uk
This has identified certain risks associated with major accident
hazard pipelines which the plan addresses.
For more information on emergency preparedness please go to the
Council’s website: www.halton.gov.uk.