Elements 9

A unique industry, with unique companies and unique news

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Elements Summer 2014

REACH 2014 – a time to plan Security/Safety Feature Chemical Focus in Cheshire

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CONTENTS AND MEMBERSHIP

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Contents

Contact details John Roche Operations Manager Email: RocheJ@CIA.org.uk Alex Heys Member Services & Events Manager Tel: 01928 515678 Email: alex.heys@ chemicalsnorthwest.org.uk Advertising Anthony McKeown, Distinctive Group Tel: 0845 887 3810 Mob: 0755 702 6900 Email: anthony.mckeown@ distinctivegroup.co.uk Disclaimer

Distinctive Publishing or Chemicals Northwest cannot be held responsible for any inaccuracies that may occur, individual products or services advertised or late entries. No part of this publication may be reproduced or scanned without prior written permission of the publishers and Chemicals Northwest.

Sponsor

This edition is sponsored by Borregaard

Front cover image supplied courtesy of Fli Energy – www.fli-energy.com and Adrian Waine (Photography for Industry) – www.photographyforindustry.com

Chemicals Northwest are part of The Chemical Industries Association

5 Foreword and CNW News 7-9 CNW News 10 The REACH Centre 11 CNW News 12-13 CNW Conference – REACH 14-23 Security/Safety Feature 26 Big Interview 27 A Week in the Life of 28-32 Chemical Focus in Cheshire 30 Q&A 34-39 Skills 42-44 New Members 45 Members Charity Spotlight 46 CNW Awards 2015 47-49 CNW Events

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Membership of Chemicals Northwest Would your company benefit from joining an organisation that supports and promotes the chemistry-using sector in the Northwest? Do you want to understand more, and contribute to, the industry issues within the region?

If you are a manufacturer, chemical user or offer a service to the sector, why not join us today? contact: Alex Heys – Member Services and Events Manager, alex.heys@chemicalsnorthwest. org.uk, 01928 515678 or join online www.chemicalsnorthwest.org.uk/ membership/join_cnw/

Benefits and Rates...

Member Benefits... n Free/reduced entry to Chemical

Elements and Breakfast Networking events plus the opportunity to present n Discounted entry to co-hosted and other events n Feature opportunities in the quarterly Chemical Northwest magazine n Free access to the Chemicals Northwest REACH user group n Free website profile to promote your business n Speaker opportunities at Chemicals Northwest and other industry events. n Free entry into the annual Chemicals Northwest Sector Directory n Discounted advertising rates for Chemicals Northwest Sector Directory and Website n Support and assistance with regulation and other legislative issues n Discounted ticket/s for the Chemicals Northwest Awards Dinner

n Free/reduced rate exhibition

opportunities at Chemical Elements and Breakfast Networking events n PLUS - Access to additional member benefits including: • 25% discount off the REACHReady Gold Subscription • Chemicals Northwest Buyers’ Club on a no savings, no fee basis • Discounted Insurance Rates • Free and Discounted Recruitment Services • Discounted rates to attend the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Essential Skills Management courses.

2014 – 15 Rates...

Micro Corporate Membership (Businesses with 1 -10 employees) £373 + VAT Standard Corporate Membership (Businesses with 11 – 100 employees) £649 + VAT Large Corporate Membership (Businesses with 100+ employees) £825 + VAT Once your application is complete, you can benefit from being part of the community of chemistry-using industries in the North West.

Membership year runs from 1st April 2014 to 31st March 2015 For further details contact Alex Heys – Member Services and Events Manager, alexandra.heys@chemicalsnorthwest.org.uk or phone 01928 515678

ELEMENTS SUMMER 2014

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FOREWORD AND CNW NEWS

Spring into Summer 2014 Elements

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Mutual benefits

Over the last quarter, the team at Chemicals Northwest have been busy with the quarterly Elements magazine.

Plus our events programme including; our one-day REACH conference, the introduction of a new supply chain forum and also putting plans in place for the 2015 awards dinner, which has been confirmed for the 19th March 2015 at the Hilton, Manchester Deansgate. For a more detailed round up of the previous quarter’s events please see the back pages in Elements.

Please keep an eye on our events page, www.chemicalsnorthwest.org.uk/events, to see what events are coming up for the rest of 2014. We have a busy year planned and any suggestions and sponsorship for our events would be gratefully received.

Member renewal letters have now been sent out and we wish to thank you all for your help and support over the last few years which has been much appreciated.

Without your contributions we would not be able to offer the events and services we provide for the chemical industry of the North West. If you are not members of Chemicals Northwest but would like to be please contact alexandra.heys@chemicalsnorthwest.org.uk Alex Heys Member Services & Event Manager

Sean McDonagh, Business Manager Chemical - Siemens Industry GB&I

Siemens Industry is an active member of Chemicals North West. We have seen great benefits resulting from our links with the Association and its Membership base. Together we are passionate about the chemical sector and safeguarding its future position in Great Britain & Ireland. Thank you to all your team for your support and dedication to the Chemical community, we very much look forward to continuing our engagement with you.

North Wales and Merseyside Cell celebrates 23 years!!

John Roche, Responsible Care Manager and Aila Bursnall, Responsible Care HSE Executive attended the North Wales and Merseyside Responsible Care Cell meeting on 19 March, at the Heath, Runcorn.

The group had a special focus and discussion to celebrate 23 years of activity, and as a group was still able to boast some founding and long standing members still active to this day! Discussions were around memories over the years of hot topics such as risk assessment, emergency planning,

safety reports , and stories around experience sharing, events such as open days, and community liaison and talks.

It just went to show the value obtained from experience sharing, and how the group has supported each other over many years of regulatory changes and organisational challenges.

The normal round table discussion included topics such as legionella audits, general intervention visits, the behavioural aspects of injuries, accidents and case studies in competence management.

As part of the 25 year Responsible Care celebrations, the CIA is planning a special Conference in September, as a forum for Responsible Care. The plan is for best practice sharing, regulator presentations and case studies. There is an open invite to all coordinators, and anyone who would like to present or have particular ideas for the conference please get in touch.

For further information contact Aila, BursnallA@cia.org.uk

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CNW NEWS

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Why join Chemicals Northwest – by ReAgent ReAgent is part of the largest industry in the UK; the chemical sector. To stand out in this sector, we have to constantly look for ways to improve and be ahead of the competition.

5. Support with regulation issues Regulation is rigid in the chemical industry and there are countless rules to follow to ensure products are suitable for use in the UK. Chemicals Northwest provides support with the strict regulation issues. Being knowledgeable about all of the standards in the industry means our customers can be assured that their products adhere to regulations and we take full responsibility for that, so our products will always be safe and legal.

6. Opportunity to present ReAgent We are given the chance to speak at networking events and widen our visibility, so we can spread the word about the services we offer.

That’s why we appreciate support from organisations such as Chemicals Northwest, which sets up networking events and projects, as well as provides information about key issues in the industry, giving us confidence that ReAgent will never be left behind.

Here we’ve compiled our reasons – which are by no means definitive – for being a proud member of Chemicals Northwest.

1. Chemical Industries Association Chemicals Northwest is now owned and supported by Chemical Industries Association, the “most powerful collective voice in the industry”, which represents chemicals and pharmaceutical businesses in the UK.

2. Access to fresh industry information Chemicals Northwest ensures its members understand emerging issues in the UK chemical industry, so we’re always prepared for any changes or advancements and we remain current.

Chemicals Northwest distributes a magazine, Elements, where members can read about all they need to know. This reliable source of information helps us to continue to improve our services, as we get to hear about the best materials for safety and the environment, changes in the market and any alternative methods that would be useful to us and our customers.

3. Networking and learning events As a member, ReAgent receives free or reduced entry to networking and learning events run by Chemicals Northwest. These events provide us with the chance to meet other businesses in the industry and set up new contacts; our address book is growing substantially as there are over 150 members and that number increases each year.

Chemicals Northwest conducted a survey and found that 85% of members stated that their main reason for joining the organisation were the chances to network and share information. This is a statistic that reflects our own stance on the organisation, as we’ve gained valuable customers from previous events run by Chemicals Northwest.

4. Advertising and exposure Members can receive exposure in both the organisation’s magazine and directory.

The magazine places a strong focus on the members and includes any news of note, as well as features members, which is priceless publicity for us. Additionally, members have the opportunity to advertise, which is useful for when we want to share information about our services.

The members directory gives ReAgent exposure to a group of people that may require our services and get in touch with us. Being a member of Chemicals Northwest automatically gives us a profile on their website and entry into the directory

We exhibited at a Chemicals Northwest Breakfast Event earlier this year, where our Sales Director, Darren Wilson, spoke about life at ReAgent and our goals for the future.

After the talk, we had the opportunity to chat to new people in the chemical sector who we hope to be working with long into the future. The Breakfast Events are held regularly and around 40-60 people attend each time, so it’s a great opportunity to exhibit to a wide audience.

7. Support for the chemical industry Chemicals Northwest supports the growth of the chemical industry and aims to improve the sustainability and competitiveness of the industry by proving information and support for those in the industry Key areas of focus include creating opportunities for people to grow and promote their business, and contributing to the industry’s voice as well as improving the image of the sector, at a regional and national level.

If your business is part of the chemistryusing industries in the Northwest, then you may want to consider joining this community, where you can get the assistance, publicity and contacts needed to grow.

ELEMENTS SUMMER 2014

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CNW NEWS

Introduction to Sadara PlasChem Park

Sadara Chemical Company is a new Joint Venture (JV) established in October 2011 between the Saudi Arabian Oil Company ”Saudi Aramco” and the Dow Chemical Company “Dow”. This new undertaking by the two giants in their businesses is a $20 billion investment with a product mix that is highly specialized. Sadara will be a gamechanger and among the worlds most competitive petrochemicals enterprises, offering a highly stable earnings profile made possible by a confluence of enabling conditions that will perfectly position Sadara for success.

It is precisely the kind of project Saudi Arabia wants to pursue both for its commercial attractiveness and for its positive impact on the Saudi national agenda. The PlasChem Park initiative led by the Royal commission of Jubail and Yanbu (RC) and Sadara will contribute to the local GDP through employment, elimination if imports, and enhancing the value of the exports thus making a positive impact to the Saudi economy.

products can be sold in the local or export market or supplied to the Conversion Park tenants for further processing and conversion. The Conversion Park tenants will receive final products mainly from Sadara or the Chemical Park or other Jubail players for further conversion by investors involved with fabrication or custom formulation.

PlasChem Park in Jubail

These are the final Sadara products that are targeted for the local and export markets and for the Conversion Park investors located in the Jubail PlasChem Park. They include:

n Amines: Sadara will produce both

n Elastomer and Polyethylene: these

Sadara intermediate products: these are mainly the products of the steam cracker or other products generated by other process units with potentials for upgrade based on chemical content. They include but not limited to:

The PlasChem Park is an 8 square kilometer site dedicated for chemical and conversion industry in Jubail 2 next to Sadara new complex. This is a collaborative effort between Sadara and RC to establish a world class industrial park for chemical and conversion industries in Jubail. The PlasChem Park will be located next to Sadara Complex in Jubail and it will consist of two main parks; the Chemical Park and the Conversion Park.

The Chemical Park tenants will receive intermediates from Sadara streams such as C4s, cracked fuel oil, pygas, waste streams and use these streams for their chemical content to produce final products. These

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ELEMENTS SUMMER 2014

Sadara finished products

are the C4, C6 and C8 PE used in many applications such as specialty films, hygiene and medical. n Ethylene and Propylene Oxides (EO/

PO): these are targeted for many Kingdom strategic applications such as oil & gas chemicals, water treatment, home and personnel care and construction material and coating. n EO/PO derivatives: we will also have

oxides derivatives available through

tolling and are very interested in niche applications based on small volume oxides. n Isocyanates: we will have TDI, MDI and

Polyol and the applications ranges from Adhesives and sealants to foams for many applications. n Glycol Ethers: This includes BGE with

potential applications for household products and paints and coatings. ethylene amines and ethanol amines and these can be used in many applications such as personnel care and oil and gas applications.

n Raffinate from Cracker C4 n Cracker Light Fuel oil n Cracker Heavy Fuel oil n Aromatic extraction unit bottoms

CNW NEWS

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Below is a more detailed list of the targeted opportunities based on Sadara Products mix and the Kingdom strategic need.

Potential PlasChem Park Opportunities The Sadara Value Park team is interested in exploring potential opportunities that are based on the Sadara products mix: These may include:

Products

Markets Targeted

RO Membranes (Dow)

Water Treatment

Coating Additives (Dow)

Industrial & Architectural Paint

EO/PO Derivatives Cluster

Oil & Gas, Water Treatment Chemicals Home and Personal Care Construction Material

PU Derivatives Cluster

Insulations, Furniture & Auto foams Adhesive/Sealant

BGE Derivatives

Brake Fluids, Solvents

PE Speciality Applications

Hygiene Films

Support products

Hydrogen, Nitrogen and others

Chemical Additives

Anti Microbial, viscosity additives

Waste and off spec products

various

n Other Sadara streams with potential

for upgrade. These diversified and differentiated products will target many market segments some of which are new to Saudi Arabia and some others are currently served by imports.

The Conversion Park is a key element differentiating Sadara from prior petrochemical, chemical, and plastics manufacturing projects in Saudi Arabia. This is due to the large number of downstream opportunities that it will create by its diverse product portfolio and the choice of raw material from Sadara own products or from the Chemical Parks product mix.

Sadara products will complement the inputs locally available (from Jubail, Dammam and Ras Alkhair) to enable downstream industries based on polyurethane, amines, solvents, polyethylene and other products.

When added to the demand created by Government initiatives in the development of new housing, infrastructure, and industrial clusters, the availability of such new inputs is expected to provide an excellent platform for new downstream opportunities. Examples of downstream opportunities include:

n Paint, adhesives and insulation

materials for the construction Industry: n Plastics, foams, coatings and oil for the

automotive industry. n Packaging materials, detergents, and

appliances. components for consumer products. n Chemicals and additives for Oil & Gas

Industry. n Soaps, detergents, cosmetics and other

personal care products. n Chemicals for water treatment. n Pharmaceutical applications based on

Sadara and other products n Many plastic application based on PE

For further guidance on doing business in Saudi Arabia and direct investment in PlasChem Park please contact Julian Birchett, Strategic Alliance Advisor, UKTI Northwest, Tel: 07764 836915 Email: Julian. birchett@uktinorthwest.co.uk

Construction Chemicals / Products: Adhesives / sealants, Roof membranes, Concrete additives / plasticizers, Insulation materials – foams, mineral fibres, Industrial flooring materials (epoxy, polyurethane) Automotive Industry Application: Brake fluids, Adhesives / sealants, Tires, Spare parts, Aftermarket products Paints & Coatings: Powder coatings, Industrial paints Water, Power and Oil & Gas Chemicals: Gas separation, Emulsifiers & Demulsifiers, Anti-corrosion, Drilling muds, Others: Water treatment chemicals, Reverse osmosis membranes, Anti-scalants, Anticorrosion, Anti-micobial, Ionexchange resins Home & Personal Care Detergents, Cleaning Fluids, Surfactants / Soaps, Emulsifiers, Shampoos, Cosmetics Consumer Goods / Appliances: Refrigerators, Freezers, Air conditioning units, Furniture (sofas, chairs), Mattresses, Packaging / Films, Hygiene films (diapers etc.) Medical applications, Food packaging films.

The value Park team is also interested in exploring potential opportunities from the below list of target applications, which even though are not based on the Sadara products mix, are of strategic importance to the Kingdom: Alternative Energy: Photo-voltaic panels / technologies, Concentrated solar technologies, Wind energy applications Pharmaceutical products: Prescription drugs, OTC products, Containers and packaging

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THE REACH CENTRE

Free support available to scope your biocides obligations A free Scoping Assessment service is available to Northwest companies to determine what they need to do to ensure that their biocidal products and treated articles comply with the Biocidal Products Regulation (BPR). The new Regulation, in force since 1st September 2013, does not only affect manufacturers and importers of biocidal product, but also of treated articles; thus complying with the BRP has become an increasing issue for many industries.

You may be affected by the BPR if: n You are an EU manufacturer or

importer into the EU of products that contain pesticides, detergents, preservatives or other biocidal products. n You manufacture or import a

substance, mixture or article which has been treated with a biocidal product (treated article). n You are in the chemicals, paint,

furniture, food, hygiene, preservatives, pest control or retail industry. n You place biocidal active substances on

the market in the EU. The Scoping Assessment contains a detailed guide, and outlines whether your product is covered by the scope of the

EU regulatory regime for biocides and, if so, clarifying the potential costs and steps to ensure your product is in compliance.

The assessment will be conducted by The REACH Centre, a leading international provider of technical and analytical services, regulatory advice and training in the field of chemicals management and risk assessment.

The offer is valid for Northwest companies from June to August 2014 and available for one product or article per company.

To register for the Free Scoping Assessment, contact The REACH Centre on 01524 510278 orenquiries@ thereachcentre.com. To find out more about the BPR, go to www.thereachcentre.com/biocides

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CNW NEWS

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North West Chemicals Supply Chain Forum met during IFB 2014 Law firm Brabners and corporate finance firm Brabners Stuart, in conjunction with Chemicals Northwest, have held the second Chemicals Supply Chain Forum during the International Festival for Business (IFB).

The forum was for supply chain professionals from the chemicals sector to share best practice. This event marked the follow-up to the successful inaugural chemicals supply chain workshop held at The Heath Business Park, Runcorn in March of this year.

A varied programme had been produced that reflected the output from the initial workshop and covered the wider business-related aspects that impinge on the supply chain function. Guest speakers at the event were leading chemical supply chain expert Phil Browitt of Chainology, Frans Cruijssen, Partner at ArgusI and Workpackage leader in the CO3 project, and Lesley Batchelor, Director General, Institute of Export International Trade.

There were also case studies provided by Chemicals Northwest members, Innospec and John Hogg Technical Solutions, who shared experiences of how the supply chain function is managed within their

are delighted to be able to satisfy the delegates’ enthusiasm for a regular forum to exchange best practice and facilitate supply chain networking.”

Steve Stuart of Brabners Stuart said: “By holding the forum during the International Festival for Business we are giving attendees an excellent opportunity to connect with other chemicals supply chain industry specialists from across the globe.”

businesses. In addition, delegates also took part in a tour of the Liverpool 2 project organised by Peel Ports.

Denise Walker, Corporate Partner at Brabners said: “The inaugural Chemicals Supply Chain Forum was a great success with over forty delegates participating in a workshop to determine the issues, topics and format of future forums. We

John Roche, Operations Manager at Chemicals Northwest added: “This is the second meeting of this new business forum and Chemicals Northwest is delighted to include it in its growing range of membership offerings. With the event also listed by the International Festival of Business, we are doubly proud to be a part of the region’s success.”

The forum took place on Wednesday 11 June 2014 at Brabners, Horton House, Exchange Flags, Liverpool, L2 3YL.

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CNW CONFERENCE – REACH

“REACH, a time to plan” The second annual CNW conference on 4th June 2014, Runcorn, focussed on REACH and we were pleased to partner the Royal Society of Chemistry in its staging. Most stakeholders agreed that this was not at period of relaxation and regrouping, but a time for urgent preparation for the next four years.

Chemicals Northwest was delighted to stage an illuminating event that brought together industry, the regulators and our technical service providers. The presentations highlighted the practical difficulties that companies (both large and small) face and the growing importance for businesses to include REACH in their wider risk management portfolios. All should note however that help is out there in many places.

The European Chemicals Agency, Helsinki remains keen to help our SMEs engage with REACH and be compliant.

Petteri Makela works in the Communications Directorate and he reminded the conference of the objectives of the REACH regulations: n Protect human health & the

environment n Promote non-animal testing n Enhance the competitiveness n Ensure functioning of the internal

market n Increased transparency n Integration with international efforts n Conformity with obligations under

WTO The Agency’s data so far shows: n 48 500 registrations submitted n 12900 unique substances n 2 million study summaries

Petteri also acknowledged the significant cost factors that SMEs face and the specific challenges for registrants (e.g.

SIEFS, language issues, and the overall complexity of the obligations). All companies would need to come to terms with: “long term gain vs short term pain”.

ECHA supporting materials include: guidance, the website, webinars, IT tools and the helpdesk.

The conference generally agreed that

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ELEMENTS SUMMER 2014

‘REACH is here to stay’, including the chair, Mark Pemberton Director at Global MSDS based in Manchester.

However he was keen to explain some of the practical details that provide a different picture. Marks’ observations include: specialisation appearing to shift from industry to a new generation REACH registration experts, an increased demand for toxicology testing leading to a drop in testing capacity, guidance now becoming “requirements” and how “data hunger” and moving of “goal posts” is impacting on standards of acceptable data quality.

There can be some distortion if companies influence pricing when reacting to compliance costs. “This is not enhancing competitiveness”.

Mark predicts that data ownership and regulatory compliance will be essential for business success and growth in the future. The wider impact of REACH on the global economic picture should not be overlooked. The European chemical industry is changing dramatically in terms of size, employment, investment and skills and the changing regulatory landscape may have additional adverse impact on its sustainability.

The “A” in REACH is for Authorisation. It is one way of regulating substances of very high concern and targets with a view to driving out problem substances. Dr Joanne Lloyd, Director for EHS and Chemicals at Chemical Industries Association provided detailed background on how substances become subject to authorisation based on their classifications. So far 151 substances have been added to the ‘candidate list’ (for authorisation) with 22 now gone forward to the ‘authorisation list’. There are a number of chemicals that can also apply for Annex XIV which means exemption from authorisation. CIA’s ReachReady service is there to help companies with developing application strategies and communicating to your supply chains.

With 50 employees working at its Trafford Park site, John Hogg Technical Solutions is in the right position to give another SME view on the impact of REACH. Michael Goodwin is the Regulatory Compliance Manager and singularly goes about ensuring the company complies with REACH. But there have been difficulties, in particular the routes available for cost-sharing on data and dossier production. Understanding one’s supply chains again comes to the fore.

There are instances when others in the same supply chain do not share the same urgency to communicate with fellow players and hence comply.

The company has a quite different supply network centering around key manufacturing units in India. Hence movement of starting materials and products in and out of the EU boundary is ensuring additional focus. Michael reported how difficult it can be in sourcing the right information and the need for toxicological and legal support from outside the company. “We have found some unexpected uses for our products which means more studies of exposure scenarios – we have to think differently now”.

Northwest formulation company, ReAgent Chemicals of Runcorn, is classed as a downstream user and with no duty to register their products; they fully understand they still have duties under REACH. Graham Bayliss, Systems Manager says they have procedures in place that ensure they meet their responsibility to supply information up and down the supply chain with the management of SDS taking up most of the site’s time on REACH compliance. There is an additional work area around compliance with CLP as well. Resource is always an issue for SME’s, but ReAgent has adapted its business systems through, awareness-raising, IT improvements and communications with its supply chain partners.

CNW CONFERENCE – REACH

The company’s product range includes many mixtures and compilation of safety data sheets has presented several headaches regarding consistency of classifications from various sources. The company is worried that discrepancies could be sent down the supply chain, however it remains committed to compliance, seeing the long term benefits of REACH to society.

Ciara Dempsey, Regulatory Affairs specialist at the Royal Society of Chemistry explained just what a downstream user is. They include manufacturers of articles, end users, formulators, re-importers and importers with Only Representative. ECHA is worried that downstream users generally are not fully aware of what is required, quoting 60% as not currently REACH compliant.

The key messages are that companies must communicate further with their suppliers and customers, keep up to speed with REACH developments and take the appropriate safety measures. Ciara outlined various relationships that will exist between suppliers and downstream users and customers, suggesting how each variation will need to comply. In particular these companies must know how to produce a downstream user chemical safety report.

The nuances surrounding how polymers are managed under REACH were described by Chris Howick, Product Stewardship Manager at Ineos Chlor Vinyl, Runcorn. Polymers are currently exempt from registration providing that the original monomer has been registered.

To register polymers would raise more complications, in particular in relation to the classification and labelling inventory which now has six million entries. There are already several short-comings (e.g. volumes) of the inventory and the confusion that could also arise between polymer substance and compounds.

Classifying polymers which are mostly non-hazardous, will relate more to the presence of hazardous additives or a fine particle size. Chris outlined possible supply routes for polymers and monomer, inside and outside of the EU. The vast majority of polymers are not classed as hazardous and industry will maintain that there is no need for their registration under REACH. Dr Trevor Rhodes is Site Health & Safety Advisor at Harman Technologies Ltd based in Knutsford, an SME

manufacturing photographic chemicals.

The company has found that REACH is having a significant impact and they are still unable to see the benefits it will bring to the business. Besides an estimated spend of £1/4 million on compliance steps such as; substance registration, packaging changes, re-formulation trials and safety data sheets software, has put unexpected strain on the resources within the management team.

obsolescence”. The company’s supply chains are very complex and within the engine product it is vital that material performance is not compromised. Time is of the essence as the absence of suitable alternatives, RR must ensure the appropriate formulators or manufacturers make the authorisation so that supplies can continue. They have vouched to support their supply chains as much as they can in achieving this.

SMEs do rely on external support and Harman Technologies still has concerns for the future, for instance how many of their raw materials may be removed from the market, complying with exposure scenarios and answering customer queries, including those from schools and the general public.

Steve’s final request to chemical manufacturers is to get a better understanding of your downstream supply chains and for all to analyse better the potential risks of REACH and unmanaged obsolescence of your materials.

Planning has been a running theme through this conference and Dr Chris Eacott, Managing Director of Stewardship Solutions in Rossendale, proposed that companies revert to the “plan-docheck-act” model when starting REACH compliance. If not already engaged, then start now, set strategies and get expert help if needed. Registration is seen as the ‘big issue’ and his tip is that SMEs should choose to take on the lead registrant role, as you could be in the driving seat, making sure your material and business interests are progressing as expected.

With Letters of Access, there are some questionable practices such as arbitrary surcharges, refusals to negotiate and various unclear costs that are difficult to challenge. Chris urges companies to limit damages by for instance challenging letters of access charges and referring to the European authorities.

Aeroplane engine manufacturer, Rolls Royce has set about protecting its materials sourcing routes by ensuring a closer understanding of the issues affecting security of supply. Steve George, Supply Chain Director outlined the steps taken by a large company in scrutinising many links upstream, including the initial chemicals used in the manufacture of crucial engine components.

Rolls Royce has a global cross functional team that manages supply chain risks as well as ensuring compliance. With a strong desire to avoid supply chain disruption, a lot of work has been done to find alternative chemicals should one product in particular be removed from the supply chain due to the producer not wishing to comply with REACH – “commercial

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Hannah Doherty is a member of the Compliance Team, Chemicals Regulation Directorate at the Health & Safety Executive and the UK REACH Competent Authority. The Executive describe their approach to REACH enforcement as proportional, targeted and transparent.

They also stress that non-compliance will be dealt with in a constructive way for a company that confesses to a breach and who has tried their best to litigate and comply. However they will be harder with blatant disregard of the law following a registration complaint, or perhaps a company dealing with hazardous chemicals who may also have an existing poor health and safety record.

Their strategy however will focus on promoting compliance through education and advice and providing guidance on the UK enforcement regime. In terms of action, there is not much difference with other areas of health and safety. Up to now there have been 435 interventions with 65 improvement notices issued. On a more proactive basis HSE has run topic specific campaigns based on those cases seen, for example, fireworks and asbestos in sky lanterns and gas masks. Looking forward they expect to see a reduction in registration and pre-registration issues and an increase in referrals (e.g. safety data sheets) in addition to being ready for the authorisation phase.

Feedback we received included: “There were some very interesting presentations, covering different aspects of REACH. It was very useful to hear real life examples of REACH compliance/issues.”

“Really enjoyed different industry perspectives.”

“Event fulfilled objective of highlighting some topics beyond registration.”

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Protect your sites with SASO

Integrated Security and Safety SASO - The enhanced guarding service from G4S Whatever security and safety requirements your sites may have, SASO is designed to protect them.

Our Security & Safety Officers (SASOs) are specially trained to recognise and reduce risk.They will work with you to understand your unique environment and requirements, providing an effective response when the need arises.

Key benefits of SASO l

l

l

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SASOs are highly qualified in security, health and safety SASOs can be trained with additional capabilities to create the optimum security and safety solution for your specific site SASOs promote a safety-conscious culture and can help decrease costs through reduced Lost Time Incidents G4S has unrivalled expertise in COMAH/high risk sites in hazardous industries

For more information on SASO, contact: 0843 634 6468 enquiries@uk.g4s.com www.g4s.uk.com/saso

SECURITY / SAFETY

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Reconsidering safety and security in the chemical industry Each and every one of the UK’s Control of Major Accident Hazards (COMAH) and high risk sites possesses a unique profile, built up by layers of risk and challenged by a range of threats as broad and diverse as the chemical industry itself. Given the scope for serious business damage arising from major incidents, COMAH and high risk sites demand and deserve the best provision of security and safety.

Historically, security across most industries has been standardised as an offering where officers protected people, buildings and valuable assets. Times are changing.

Now the direction of travel in the industry is to complement traditional security services with a strong emphasis on safety, tailored to the specific on-site demands of individual customer environments – a trend with powerful implications for the chemical industry.

The Enhanced Guarding Model Whilst security itself remains a key requirement across the chemical industry, security companies are increasingly training their staff in additional competencies, in order to provide their customers with a higher level of skill and service; a logical step in the evolutionary cycle of COMAH and high risk sites, particularly in light of changing regulations. This ‘enhanced guarding’ concept is a move to effects-based security in hazardous industry, rather than treating security solutions simply as a commodity appended to high risk sites.

Security officers with enhanced health and safety training (particularly tactical first aid, which is tailored to reflect site and chemical-specific risks) can play a more active role in a company’s wider COMAH strategy. Equipped with the appropriate competencies to identify, escalate and make site-specific hazards safe, they can provide an extra layer of vigilance and support on-site staff during incidents, should it ever prove necessary.

Advancements in case management software also make a significant contribution in enhancing the safety services provided by security officers by automatically translating data into an actionable format. Recording incidents and establishing patterns is vitally important for mitigating the risk of major crises in the future; equipping security officers with the technology to do this reinforces the culture of safety that is already deeply engrained in the chemical industry.

Risks to sites in the chemical industry are

multifarious and complex; the enhanced guarding model is similarly configured. As a result, the service security officers provide is significantly broadened, leading to overall levels of security and safety being increased and key messages regarding risk being strengthened among staff.

Safety and Strategy Adherence to regulations is woven into CEOs’ business plans, as without the pillar of safety, their businesses would not survive. As the Seveso III directive will come into force on the 1st June 2015, the focus on ensuring safety at COMAH sites and their operations is becoming an ever larger part of the strategic view of business leaders in this field. Moreover, with greater transparency planned in regulation of high risk sites, CEOs will be increasingly keen to ensure plans are both understood and inspire confidence. The enhanced model can help operators comply with industry regulations in support of their own security and safety strategies.

The Seveso requirement on COMAH sites to provide a Major Accident Prevention Policy (MAPP) obliges companies to

set out their emergency planning and monitoring arrangements. In the event of a hazardous incident or indeed threat which could contribute to an on-site issue, a combined safety and security offering can best render the incident safe, as well as ensuring the security integrity of the site by containing incidents where necessary.

Conclusion Being culturally vigilant, the chemical industry recognises the need for enhancements and improvements wherever and whenever possible. Just as new technology is adopted as the pace of change demands, security should also be seen through the prism of continuous product/service development. Now is therefore the time to take enhanced security and safety officers seriously.

The enhancement of security and safety measures in the chemical industry should be seen as a part of the wider emphasis on safety in the workplace. With this trajectory already established, the chemical industry is well positioned to lead the way.

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CHILWORTH

Where Next for Process Safety?

Many industrial processes involve risk to people, the environment and the economic viability of our enterprises. The operation of safe plants requires proficiency among the staff (competency, know-how, experience), solid programs to address the range of hazards (safety management systems) and a company culture that supports excellence in process safety practice. The skills developed and the systems created to achieve this need to be suitable, applied correctly, monitored, embedded and sustainable in the long term. Doing this well will result in process safety excellence.

Occupational safety principles are generally well understood, but companies can become “conditioned” to focus on occupational safety which can create substantial blind spots in the perception of process safety risks. The often quoted Heinrich safety triangle (whose foundation is lagging performance indicators) is accurate descriptively, but not predictively.

This can lead to a misleading view of a company’s process safety performance. It can focus on relatively trivial occurrences, without considering event potential and most critically, the underlying complex causes of serious injury and fatality (SIF) events.

Although the business environment is more stable than it has been in recent years, there is still uncertainty and a tendency for companies to be risk-averse.

In the last 5 years, many companies have extracted “excess” spend from their budgets. This focus on cost control, as opposed to revenue generation, may mean that manufacturers across a range of industries are missing an opportunity to increase the value of their operations by overlooking the business value of investing in good Process Safety Management (PSM).

For those companies that adopt a risk based PSM system, there is an opportunity to increase value by going beyond the minimum standard. Those that do more than simply complete a checklist of requirements and invest wisely in a more robust, tailored PSM program are seeing their assets outperform those that haven’t implemented a PSM system.

n 5% increase in productivity

In the case of a company with €180M in revenue, the increase in productivity alone translates into €9M. The companies that are seeing the high return on investment are not implementing at the minimum regulatory compliance level, nor are they investing blindly across every element in PSM. They recognise that certain elements can provide greater returns, the most substantial of which have been found to be:

At Chilworth, our Process Safety Excellence approach aligns closely with these findings, focusing on solid process safety information and programs, developing competence in process safety (through our Chilworth Process Safety Academy Programs) and addressing the challenging area of organisational culture in order to drive employee engagement and personal contribution to Process Safety Excellence.

n 3% reduction in production costs

n Mechanical Integrity

n 5% reduction in maintenance costs

n Management of Change

n 1% reduction in capital budget

n Training

For more information visit: www.chilworth.co.uk/process-safetyacademy.aspx

n 20% reduction in insurance costs

n Employee Engagement

In a study by the Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS) on the business value of PSM, senior executives noted the following benefits of investment in process safety:

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ABB

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Human Factors The much discussed ‘Human Factors’ topic has been with us in the process industries for some time now, with increasing levels of understanding and rigour being required by legislation and regulatory bodies. It can be difficult to define, often being seen as solely the domain of the safety team. EHS professionals are either embracing the discipline or are being dragged ‘kicking and screaming’ into it by the regulator, whose 10 Human Factors topic areas should be well integrated into any EHS system n Managing human failures n Procedures n Training and competence n Staffing n Organisational change n Safety critical communications n Human factors in design n Fatigue and shiftwork n Organisational culture n Maintenance, inspection and testing

However, these are often treated as distinct and separate EHS ‘initiatives’ and sometimes a larger opportunity to change the culture regarding human performance and human error can be missed. Human factors is not simply a safety initiative. It is an understanding of human behaviour, performance and limitations in everything we do; and this is not the responsibility of a single group or department, but everyone engaged in the business. If we are truly going to engage the entire workforce in recognising human performance, with all its failings and strengths, we need to think beyond individual initiatives.

There are some simple things that can be done to address human performance in safety critical industries.

Basic training allows people to recognise the potential for human error and, in some cases, take action to avoid either the error or the consequences of error.

behaviours. When all else fails, our last line of defence is often the human, whether a pilot, surgeon or process operator. Our systems, training and culture should be set up to maximise their potential as hero, just as much as to minimise their potential for error.

We can and should employ experts to help us in these tasks. Being human only gets us so far in understanding human behaviour and limitations. And we should not limit ourselves to ‘human factors’ experts or industrial psychologists.

Sociologists and even anthropologists are generating valuable insights into the culture of many organisations in the operational, maintenance, management and engineering functions.

Recognising the potential for error is not enough. We should build a culture and environment that wants to eliminate error not just for the individual, but for others who might be exposed to the error provoking circumstances. Eliminate the issue at source by reporting and correcting those conditions or equipment deficiencies.

And finally, we should look to other sectors and industries for learning and experience. We all share a single component, the mk.1 human being. This component is prone to similar ‘failure’ whether installed in a hospital, a flight deck, or an offshore platform. Limiting ourselves to humans operating in our organisation or sector blinds us to a lot of significant learning.

We should recognise that Human Factors is not just about minimising human error or human deficiencies. It should be as much about maximising what people are truly good at, adaptable and flexible

The article has been written by Tony Atkinson. Tony leads the ABB Consulting’s Operational Human Factors team. He has spent over 30 years in the process industries, working in control rooms

around the world, in the fields of ergonomics, control and alarm systems, control room design and operational and cultural issues such as communications, competency and fatigue.

Tony has been blogging on diverse topics that interest him in the widest sense of ‘human factors’, all of which share the same common element, the ‘Mk.1 Human Being’ and their unique limitations, abilities and behaviours. In his blog he discusses everyday as well as technical and organisational issues that affect safety and performance of these process operators and technicians and how this impacts control rooms and the wider plant. However learning comes from many places and you can expect entries from aviation, automotive, marine, healthcare, military and many other fields.

Please feel free to visit Tony’s blog on www.tinyurl.com/humanfactorsblog For more information on ABB Consulting please visit www.abb.com/consulting

Tony Atkinson ABB Principal Consultant, Safety (Human Factors)

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Training in Human Factors in Process Safety for the Oil & Gas Sector

Human Factors is recognized as a key topic for addressing safety in the oil, gas, and power utility industries. Buncefield, Texas City and Deepwater Horizon have emphasized the need to understand and address the systemic operational and management failures that led to these incidents.

Human Reliability Associates are offering a comprehensive training programme in Human Factors in Process Safety. This includes hands-on workshops and case studies based on our extensive practical experience over the past 30 years. The course can be taken as individual days, two day modules or as a complete, integrated four day course.

Why you should take these courses?

Trainers

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Human factors is a necessary complement to engineering skills and training in order to maximise safety and efficiency

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This course provides the essential knowledge and tools in a modular format you can tailor to your individual requirements

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The course is designed to develop practical skills that can be readily applied to address specific human factors issues in your organisation

Fees (excluding VAT) Single days (See course programme opposite)

£750

Single module (Two Days):

£1000

Complete Course (Two Modules-4 days):

£1800

The courses will be given by Dr David Embrey (Managing Director), and our team of qualified in-house human factors specialists, with over 40 years of collective experience.

Our Qualifications Human Reliability Associates was selected to develop the HF training programme for the Energy Institute. We have provided the human factors module for the prestigious Sheffield University MSc in Process Safety and Loss prevention for the past 30 years, and training for leading oil and gas companies across the world. We authored the influential Center for Chemical Process Safety book ‘Guidelines for Reducing Human Error in Process Safety’.

Summary of Course content Module 1: Plant design, safety cases, procedures and competency Day 1 Introduction to human factors in process safety

• Understanding the role of HF in process safety • Case studies of major accidents involving human error • Understanding and preventing human error

Incorporating human factors inputs into onshore and offshore plant design

• Applying design standards such a ISO 11064 6385 and EMMEU 201 to plant layout and Control room design • Human Factors aspects of alarm design using EEMUA standards, and alarm review tools

Day 2 Safety critical task and error analysis for safety cases

• Human factors requirements for engineering safety cases • Identifying safety critical tasks • Task and error analysis tools and case studies

Procedures and competence management

Developing risk assessed procedures based on task and error analyses Matching procedures detail to the needs of the end user How to eliminate procedure non-compliance

Module 2: HF Causal analysis, safety critical communication, workload and human reliability assessment Day 1 Analysing the human causes of process incidents

• Mapping the incident sequence • Getting to the human factors, systems and organisational causes of process incidents

Safety critical communications

• Shift handovers • Improving team communications

Day 2 Workload, staffing levels and fatigue

• How to measure mental workload and stress • Assessing staffing levels

Human reliability assessment

• Overview of Energy Institute guidance on Quantitative Human Reliability Assessment (QHRA) • Review of available tools and techniques • Case studies and Workshops: Quantification of human reliability for safety critical tasks

Course dates Module 1: Human Factors in Plant design, safety cases, procedures and competency

November 19th-20th, 2014

January 28th-29th, 2015

Module 2: HF incident analysis, safety critical communication, workload and human reliability assessment

December 10th-11th, 2014

February 25th-26th, 2015

Booking a place Contact us at the address below: T: +44 1257 463121

E: dembrey@humanreliability.com

www.humanreliability.com 1 School House, Higher Lane, Dalton, Wigan, Lancashire WN8 7RP, UK

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HFL RISK SERVICES

Putting Process Safety at the heart of your business Fundamentally, the primary responsibility for the board of any company is to set strategic aims and objectives for the business and then deliver to them, to ensure longterm profitability and sustainability for the shareholders. But most will appreciate that profitability will not necessarily guarantee sustainability, especially if the needs of the stakeholders are not adequately addressed. For example, businesses that continue to hurt their employees, cause distress to their neighbours or damage the environment, or ones that fall foul of the Regulators will ultimately feel increasing pressure to change. In the worst cases, this pressure to change can lead to crisis and throw strategy into turmoil.

Good Corporate Governance in Process Safety Balancing the “ask”, that is balancing the demands of the business, requires those in control to understand and assess the wider needs of the stakeholder group, take appropriate action, and apportion resources in a way that will help meet expectations. But this is nothing new and board members will be well accustomed to balancing conflicting demands and managing risk - they will define actions, grant power to subordinates and verify performance through a system of governance. When it comes to good corporate governance in process safety, however, individual board members, especially those from non-technical backgrounds, can sometimes have difficulty in fulfilling their duties, either because they do not fully understand the technical detail or because their subordinates do not collectively possess the technical knowledge and management skills to ensure that appropriate risk control systems – internal controls – are in place and remain effective. All too often we find that the underlying causes of accidents lie in poor management decisions resulting from a lack of adherence to adequate policies for process safety.

Effective Internal Controls and the need for Competent Staff Simply put, good process safety management requires an organisation to understand and define safe operating conditions for its hazardous processes and put appropriate measures in place to ensure they are maintained.

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ELEMENTS SUMMER 2014

In practice, the measures will be a mix of engineering and procedural controls, requiring competent people to design and implement them. Many of the training courses available have been developed to improve knowledge and understanding of key technical aspects, such as the approach to HAZOP, LOPA and SIL studies, hazardous area classification, human factors, etc.

Relatively few, on the other hand, focus on good management practice in process safety and fewer still provide a demonstration of competence.

Vocational training offers greater business benefits Being competent in a role does not necessarily equate with being qualified to do it. In order to demonstrate competency, individuals need the requisite skills to be able to perform the tasks required of them, but also an understanding of the consequences of not performing those tasks in the correct manner, in the correct sequence, at the correct time and so forth. Having the correct attitude towards the job in hand is also crucial, as is an appreciation of how to apply skills and knowledge in unfamiliar and emergency situations, since this is invariably when accidents occur.

Training is, of course, an essential element in demonstrating competency but without practical application of those skills in real-life situations, competence cannot be assured. This is where vocational training courses have a considerable advantage over their academic counterparts.

Building on an understanding of industry needs through pioneering benchmarking (work supported by the CIA, HSE and NSAPI), HFL Risk Services has developed a suite of process safety management

qualifications covering continuous Improvement in Process Safety. The CIProS™ qualifications have been designed to promote good management practice in process safety, from senior management to supervisory levels, across all functional groups. In fact they will be of value to anyone who has an active part to play in process safety. Vocational in nature, the qualifications can be used to help demonstrate individual and organisational competence, drive positive change and improve process safety overall.

The CIProS™ Qualification Series: Regulated training for all levels The CIProS™ Qualification Series comprises certificates and diplomas in Continuous Improvement in Process Safety at QCF Level 3 and Level 7.

The structure and content has been developed to build on the NSAPI accredited awareness training in Process Safety Leadership and Process Safety Management to deliver tangible business benefits. The qualifications, which are awarded by PAA\VQ-SET and regulated

by Ofqual, have been designed in direct response to industry research into process safety policy setting and deployment, and have been deliberately aligned to support the Cogent Sector Skills Council’s Gold Standard.

Training is provided through a series of interactive presentations, workshops and directed learning relevant to the learners industry, and workshops and training courses can be delivered in-house or as part of an open learning arrangement. The modular composition of the courses gives flexibility and allows delegates to study at a time and pace convenient to their own working hours.

HFL RISK SERVICES

Qualification & Credit Framework

Underpinning Knowledge

Demonstration and application of knowledge

Level 7

Certificate in Understanding Continuous Improvement in Process Safety

Certificate in Leading Continuous Improvement in Process Safety

Diploman in Continuous Improvement in Process Safety

Level 3

Certificate in Continuous Improvement in Process Safety Fundamentals

Certificate in Applying Continuous Improvement in Process Safety

Diploma in Continuous Improvement in Process Safety

Whether at Level 7 or Level 3, successful completion of both Certificates leads to the automatic award of the Diploma in Continuous Improvement in Process Safety, at which point candidates will have the skills, competence and confidence to help implement, embed and sustain a culture of Continuous Improvement in Process Safety within their own companies.

Why train with us?

HFL Risk Services is a National Skills Academy Process Industries (NSAPI) Centre of Excellence for Process Safety Management and as such we have provided professional advice and assistance for the development of the Cogent Sector Skills Council’s national

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training standards for Process Safety Leadership and Management. Building on this our CIProS™ qualifications are the only nationally-recognised and independently regulated process safety qualifications of their kind, developed in collaboration with industry, for industry.

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Dangerous Goods Outsourced Solutions

DGSA SERVICES CONTACT

+44 (0)151 494 5900

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Dangerous Goods Consultancy angerous Goods Safety Advisor D Qualification Course Bespoke Dangerous Goods Training

chemicalseu@agility.com

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ELEMENTS SUMMER 2014

TEL

Health & Safety Training Independent Dangerous Goods & Safety Compliance Auditing DGN & Label Procurement www.agility.com/chemicals

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support for global chemical registration, comprehensive

A scientific and regulatory consulting regulation, and A scientific and sustained regulatorycompliance. consulting firm firm providing providing strategic, strategic, comprehensive support for global chemical registration, comprehensive support for global• Global chemical registration, Agent and Representative • Global Chemical Notification regulation, and sustained compliance. regulation, sustained Services REACH, TSCA,and K-REACH, CEPA, compliance.

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•• Testing Strategy Coordination No. 7Notification Global Agent andand Representative • China GlobalOrder Chemical • Global Agent and Representative •• Global Chemical Notification • Services Toxicology & Ecotoxicology Biocides, Pesticides, Antimicrobials, REACH, TSCA, K-REACH, CEPA, Services REACH, TSCA, K-REACH, CEPA, •• Transport and Dangerous Goods Nanomaterials Testing Strategy and Coordination China Order No. 7 • Testing Strategy and Coordination China Order No. 7 •• Dossier Preparation and Expert Review Communication, GHS Classification Toxicology & Ecotoxicology •• Hazard Biocides, Pesticides, Antimicrobials, • Toxicology & Ecotoxicology • and Biocides, Pesticides, Antimicrobials, •• Data Compensation Labelling, SDS Transport and Dangerous Goods Nanomaterials • Transport and Dangerous Goods Nanomaterials • Dossier Preparation and Expert Review • Hazard Communication, GHS Classification • Dossier Preparation and Expert Review • Hazard Communication, GHS Classification CONTACT OUR• EU TEAM: Data Compensation and Labelling, SDS • Data Compensation and Labelling, SDS Leslie S. MacDougallCONTACT CONTACT Director of Regulatory Affairs lmacdougall@actagroup.com Leslie S. MacDougall Leslie S. MacDougall Director of Regulatory Affairs Director of Regulatory Affairs lmacdougall@actagroup.com lmacdougall@actagroup.com Ruth C. Downes-Norriss Regulatory Specialist rdownes@actagroupeu.com Ruth C. Downes-Norriss Ruth C. Downes-Norriss Regulatory Specialist Regulatory Specialist rdownes@actagroupeu.com rdownes@actagroupeu.com Jane S. Vergnes, Ph.D., DABT Senior Toxicologist jvergnes@actagroup.com Jane S. Vergnes, Ph.D., DABT Jane S. Vergnes, Ph.D., DABT Senior Toxicologist Senior Toxicologist jvergnes@actagroup.com jvergnes@actagroup.com

OUR EU TEAM: Andrew R. Bourne OUR EU TEAM:

Regulatory Specialist abourne@actagroupeu.com Andrew R. Bourne Andrew R. Bourne Regulatory Specialist Regulatory Specialist abourne@actagroupeu.com abourne@actagroupeu.com GyĂśngyi (Pearl) NĂŠmeth, M.Sc. Regulatory Specialist pnemeth@actagroupeu.com GyĂśngyi (Pearl) NĂŠmeth, M.Sc. GyĂśngyi (Pearl) NĂŠmeth, M.Sc. Regulatory Specialist Regulatory Specialist pnemeth@actagroupeu.com pnemeth@actagroupeu.com Lara A. Hall, MS, RQAP-GLP Scientist lhall@actagroup.com Lara A. Hall, MS, RQAP-GLP Lara A. Hall, MS, RQAP-GLP Scientist Scientist lhall@actagroup.com lhall@actagroup.com

www.actagroup.com

Beijing, China (86-10) 8453-4538 Beijing, China Beijing, China (86-10) 8453-4538 (86-10) 8453-4538

Manchester, U.K. www.actagroup.com www.actagroup.com +44 (0) 330 223 0610 Manchester, U.K. Manchester, U.K. +44 (0) 330 223 0610 +44 (0) 330 223 0610

Washington, D.C. +1 (202) 266-5020 Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C. +1 (202) 266-5020 +1 (202) 266-5020

The importance of preparing for interview With the economy picking up, individuals in the chemical industry are beginning to open their minds to the idea of making a career-enhancing move to an alternative workplace. As a result, we are beginning to see more competition for exciting opportunities between candidates. Therefore, it is necessary to take the necessary preparation to ensure you stand out in the minds of your prospective employers.

Research It is vital that candidates research their prospective employers comprehensively before attending an interview. Research means more than learning simply what the company does, as any candidate can easily demonstrate this. Differentiate yourself by being able to share the company’s history, achievements, growth, current development activity and future goals. Read blogs, industry articles, company publications and annual reports.

achievements that are relevant to the decision maker. At every stage, keep in mind: ‘How does this benefit the decision maker?’.

Enthusiasm & Extra Steps Enthusiasm and energy can make the difference between a successful and unsuccessful interview. While a candidate can be less strong in one skillset area, a positive attitude and a demonstrable desire to learn can carry you when a potential employer is evaluating post-interview.

Furthermore, take some extra steps to impress your interviewer. Things like providing letters of recommendation, proof of qualifications, case studies of previous (and relevant) projects and relevant articles, can really make the different in edging you over another candidate when it comes to a final decision.

Prepare to ask and answer key questions

Guy Cohen

Candidates who go into an interview with a few key questions, based on their research, stand out in the eyes of employers. These questions demonstrate organisation, preparation and a passion for the role and also help to stir up a detailed business conversation. These questions can focus on company goals & challenges, department interests and the experiences of the hiring manager.

Senior Executive Search Consultant Antal International Network

Equally, candidates must prepare strong examples to competency questions. Use the STAR method to effectively demonstrate previous experiences and major

www.cypartners.co.uk

0191 477 4733

01925 747 700 gcohen@antal.com

info@cypartners.co.uk

@CYPartners

specialists for science, engineering & technology recruitment

CY Partners; delivering dedicated, focused and quality staffing solutions to the scientific, engineering & technology community throughout the UK

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ELEMENTS SUMMER 2014

RECRUITMENT

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Lead Mechanical Engineer £50,000 - £60,000 + benefits | Yorkshire Exciting opportunity for a Lead Mechanical Engineer at one of the largest UK manufacturing bases of one of the world’s leading chemical manufacturers. Join 26,000 employers across 90 countries, with the opportunity to lead CAPEX projects up to £25m.

This role will provide mechanical engineering and project management to support our client’s asset revamp and expansion on site.

This individual will also play a key role as a

mechanical expert on site, with the opportunity to expand their global responsibilities while based in the UK or abroad.

The successful applicant must be degree educated in Mechanical Engineering, with demonstrated experienced managing capital projects on a Top-Tier COMAH plant in the UK. To apply please send your application to gcohen@antal.com

Technical Sales Specialist – Pharmaceutical Industry Salary £30-50K + bonus +car A new division is being created within a global instrumentation company to deliver strategic business development to the pharmaceutical / chemical sector.

Reporting to the Sales Director this is a homebased role servicing a range of UK territories.

Candidates must have direct experience of selling, developing contacts and building long term business relationships with customers across sites and across corporation. The

product is of a technical nature so candidates with a background in instrumentation or related engineering/scientific discipline, coupled with a track record of successful sales within the pharmaceutical/ chemical industry would be highly desirable.

www.cypartners.co.uk 0191 477 4733 info@cypartners.co.uk

@CYPartners

specialists for science, engineering & technology recruitment

Are you looking for a new challenge?

Lead Mechanical Engineer Leeds A new opportunity has arisen for a Lead Mechanical Engineer on either a permanent or contract basis.

The ideal candidate would be someone with a good combination of Project Management and Mechanical skills to lead their team of contract engineers and designers.

Kelly Services is deeply connected to the chemicals industry and is a leading provider of engineering and scientific staff, as well as specialising in sales and marketing,

For more information on this vacancy

office professionals and HR.

please contact Nadia Stevens:  0161 429 9853  nadia.stevens@kellyservices.co.uk

KellyServicesUK

kellyservices.co.uk

@KellyServicesUK

ELEMENTS SUMMER 2014

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BIG INTERVIEW

Diversification the key to success in an ever-changing world Neil Blackhall has seen plenty of change during his career. Taking advantage of the opportunities that such change presents underlines his approach to business.

He came to his current job at a time when the chemicals industry had experienced the most dramatic transformation in its history.

Having worked Neil Blackhall for ICI for 17 General Manager years, he had seen Consulting & Control the company Technologies at ABB broken up, a process which encouraged him to chase his dream of running a business.

Today, he is General Manager, Consulting & Control Technologies at ABB, based in Daresbury in the North West, a company that has been growing rapidly over recent years. Educated at Cambridge University, Neil chose engineering as his career over accountancy, because he felt it offered ‘More of an opportunity to make a difference‘.

He said: “I was interested in a career which allowed me to solve real problems. That is why I chose engineering.”

“I had also always wanted to run a business.

Having the ultimate responsibility was something that excited me.”

He cut his managerial teeth with ICI, latterly working as Business Engineering Manager at ICI Petrochemicals & Fertilizers, before moving to become Managing Director of Electrical Machines at Alstom, which he turned from a loss making business to a profitable one in two years.

Neil said: “I was at ICI for seventeen years, but when the company started to break up, I could see the writing on the wall.

“I looked for a career that would allow me to run a business, so when the opportunity came to work for Alstom I jumped at it.

“It was loss-making at the time, not my idea of what I wanted to take on, but I had full responsibility for the business everything from R&D, Sales, Purchasing and Manufacturing as well as HR and Finance. It was a great chance to get to learn how a complete business works and what levers you can pull to improve it.”

That experience eventually brought him nine years ago to ABB Consulting, which offers technical support to a number of sectors. Under his leadership, it has been an expanding company, one which has grown by 59 per cent since 2010, built on the back of a worldwide reputation as a leader in process safety.

It provides technical consulting and engineering services to customers in the chemical, petrochemical, oil and gas, power, and pharmaceutical industries worldwide.

ABB Consulting expands its workforce by more than 40 a year, a mix of graduates and more experienced staff, and has bases in Daresbury, Teesside, Aberdeen and Hull; 70 per cent of its work is UK based.

Neil said: “Basically, we support companies with their safety and integrity. A few years ago, we were mainly operating in the chemical sector but now oil and gas has overtaken that.

“When I started out in ABB, oil and gas was a very small sector for us but it has grown dramatically over recent years and presently makes up 60 per cent of our turnover.

“We have grown through being able to offer expertise and our growth has been helped because safety has been given a much higher profile after a number of serious incidents, including BP Texas City and BP in the Gulf of Mexico. We are able to support companies in identifying and reducing their risks.

“The chemical sector remains important to us as well, although since the break up of ICI, it has become a more fragmented sector and is going through some very tough times.

“We employ about 400 people and are continually looking to grow the business as we help companies with their technical issues.”

Daresbury is not only the headquarters for ABB Consulting, it is also home to the ABB UK headquarters. ABB Consulting can also tap into the services offered by parent ABB, a global leader in power and automation technologies. Based in Zurich, Switzerland, the company employs 150,000 people and operates in approximately 100 countries.

Today, ABB is the largest supplier of industrial motors and drives, the largest provider of generators to the wind industry, and the largest supplier of power grids worldwide.

Neil said: “I think it helps that we are part of a larger company. Our experience is that clients prefer to deal with well known, large companies who have the capability and experience to support them.

“We are a sizeable business, which can also draw on the resources offered by ABB. That means we offer our customers a wide range of services through what is unique expertise.

“As a company, we are continually developing our competencies, which is why in addition to taking on young people just out of university we are also continually on the look out for more experienced people.

“We are targeting even more growth, gratified that our approach is allowing us to prosper.”

For more information on ABB Consulting please visit www.abb.com/consulting

When I started out in ABB, oil and gas was a very small sector for us but it has grown dramatically over recent years and presently makes up 60 per cent of our turnover.

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A WEEK IN THE LIFE OF

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AWEEKINTHELIFEOF attend, including one with a new client interested in our PSM benchmarking programme.

At 10.00 it’s time for my weekly update meeting with Julian, the MD, where we discuss progress on current projects with existing clients, new business prospects and the latest marketing activity.When I get back to my desk I’ve had an email from our marketing agency, attaching the visuals and copy for our new CIProS™ brochure, which I check to ensure that everything we discussed has been included. Just a few minor tweaks here and there and it should be good to go.

Sarah Grindrod Development Director, HFL Risk Services Ltd

Sarah Grindrod is Development Director at HFL Risk Services. She is a Chartered Engineer, a Fellow of the Institiute of Mechanical Engineers, and has over 25 years’ experience in manufacturing ranging from aerospace to top tier COMAH sites.

For the past 12 years Sarah has worked for both HFL Risk Services and its sister company, PICME, an award winning business improvement consultancy.

In her current role as Development Director, she is responsible for managing the delivery of strategic business development projects and the promotion of services, using internal and external resources.

As an NSAPI Centre of Excellence for Process Safety, and the only company to offer nationally recognised vocational qualifications in Continuous Improvement in Process Safety, HFL Risk Services is regarded as one of the UK’s foremost consultancies for process safety management and loss prevention.

Monday I can hardly believe it’s Monday again – where did the weekend go? As usual I’m at my desk by 8.00am responding to client and supplier emails, listening to my voicemail messages and checking my diary for the week – looks like a busy one as we’re in the process of finalising and launching our Level 3 CIProS™ qualifications; plus there are a couple of offsite meetings to

For the rest of the day (in between phone calls and emails) I concentrate on writing proposals for bespoke CIProS™ training, for a client who has asked us to deliver training at their plant in the North. They are keen to demonstrate organisational competence in a number of areas but with particular focus on human factors.

Tuesday Today I am delivering CIProS™ training to a group of senior managers and board members at The Heath in Runcorn. It’s an all day session with a combination of presentations, workshops and a Q and A session.

The training is towards our Level 7 Certificate in Understanding Continuous Improvement in Process Safety. The course itself is designed to help senior decision-makers to make informed decisions on policy and budget based on an understanding of the close links between process safety and business profitability.

The day has been very successful . I enjoy training and find it very fulfilling.

There were some new faces there as well as several of our existing clients. I call the office to pick up any messages and then drive home, tired, but happy with a job well done.

Wednesday I’m not in the office on Wednesdays, but no chance of a lie-in as I have two very energetic, young daughters! The day is spent washing, cleaning, cooking and shopping. We even manage to fit in a baking session and make some chocolate buns for tea.

All the while I am keeping a lookout for any important emails. When my youngest daughter is settled in front of the television, I respond to them. One of them contains the amended CIProS™ brochure as artwork, which I approve for print. Another is from a cluster group, asking HFL Risk Services to speak about PSM benchmarking activities at their next meeting.

Thursday Our marketing agency has come in to the office this morning and we are discussing the best ways to publicise the Level 3 qualification. I agree to a number of advertisements, advertorials and direct mail activity. We also discuss our e-marketing strategy and opportunities for PR. Next, I’m on the phone to one of our longstanding clients to arrange a meeting for the following week.

Then it’s back in the car and off to our other premises at The Wilton Centre, Redcar, for a mentoring and coaching session with one of the delegates who is taking the Understanding Continuous Improvement in Process Safety Management Certificate.

Friday Today I’m in the North West for a new client meeting. I’ve brought along one of our human factors specialists, as we’re discussing our human factors programme, how it works and how this particular company can benefit.

We tell them about our previous benchmarking studies, including the first ever PSM benchmarking of the UK chemical industry, and how we’ve been able to help other companies to improve processes, safety and profitability – even on a global scale.

They seem keen to start, so we leave them our literature and schedule a follow-up meeting.

The remainder of the day is spent reviewing project progress and allocating internal resources, in order to best match customer requirements.

The time has flown by today and I should have left half an hour ago. Looks like I’ll be writing the presentation for the cluster group meeting over the weekend!

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CHEMICAL FOCUS IN CHESHIRE

Cheshire is a county in the North West of England. It borders Wales, Merseyside, Greater Manchester, Derbyshire, Staffordshire and Shropshire. Cheshire’s county town is Chester and its largest town is Warrington. The population of the area is approximately 1 million people and the area is mostly rural.

Chester

History of Cheshire and its Chemical Industry heritage Cheshire is famous for the production of Cheshire cheese, salt, bulk chemicals, and woven silk.

The chemical industry in Cheshire was founded in Roman times, with the mining of salt in Middlewich and Northwich. Salt is still mined in the area by British Salt who manufactures white salt for food and allied industries in Middlewich. Salt produced by British Salt in Middlewich has 57% of the UK market for salt used in cooking. Rock Salt is still mined in Winsford and this is the largest working salt mine in Britain.

It uses the world’s largest underground digger, weighing in at 130 tonnes, and over the years has cut 135 miles of tunnels beneath the Cheshire countryside, yielding

former headquarters of ICI were at the Heath Business and Technical Park, where Chemicals Northwest are currently based.

Other chemical companies, including Ineos and Mexichem have plants at Runcorn. Not to mention the former Shell Stanlow refinery which produced 270,000 barrels of oil per day and since 2011 has been owned by Essar after being bought for approx $1.3 billion.

Transport in Cheshire Cheshire is linked to the rest of the country via the M6, M62, M53 and M56 motorways. It is also part of the West Coast Mainline with train interchanges at Crewe, Warrington and Chester.

British Salt, Middlewich

1,000,000 tonnes of salt annually. Until 2013, salt mining had led to a continued chemical industry around Northwich, with the former Brunner Mond site which had been producing soda ash in Winnington since 1874 being based in the town. (The Brunner Mond soda operations site was a major part of the North West’s industrial heritage and a major constituent of Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) when it formed in 1926.) Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) was a British chemical company, the subject of a takeover completed in 2008 by AkzoNobel, a Dutch conglomerate. In its heyday, ICI was the largest manufacturing company in the British Empire. It produced paints and speciality products (including ingredients for foods, speciality polymers, electronic materials, fragrances and flavours). It employed around 29,000 people and had a turnover of just over £4.8 billion in 2006. After the January 2008 change of ownership, AkzoNobel immediately sold off parts of ICI to Henkel, and integrated ICI’s remaining operations within its existing organisation. The

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This is because the author, whose real name was Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, was baptised in the church in 1832 - his father was the vicar there, and many of the characters that feature in Lewis Carroll’s books are thought to have been inspired by the strange carvings within the church.

Crewe was once the centre of the British railway industry, and remains a major railway junction.

Crewe is also the home of Bentley cars.

Also within Cheshire are manufacturing plants for Jaguar and Vauxhall Motors in Ellesmere Port.

Our members in Cheshire Out of the 156 member companies in Chemicals Northwest membership, a large percent (52 companies) are from the Cheshire area. These members range from being single person companies to large multinational organisations and range in business type to include Technical services, Public Body/Org, Non-technical services and Chemical manufacturers (approximately 18 companies are chemical manufactures)

Facts about Cheshire Chester Racecourse is Britain’s oldest sporting venue with the first race occurring in 1539.

Chester is sometimes referred to as “The Walled City” as its medieval walls form the most complete circuit of medieval walls around any town or city in England.

Warrington has been a major crossing point on the River Mersey since ancient times and there was a Roman settlement at Wilderspool.

A window in the church of Daresbury portrays characters from Lewis Carroll’s book “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”.

Bentley production in Crewe

Daniel Craig, Gary Barlow, Paula Radcliffe and Harry Styles are all from Cheshire.

Under a Tudor law it is supposedly illegal for Welshmen to enter Chester after nightfall – and apparently legal to shoot them with a bow and arrow within the city walls there after midnight?

(With thanks to Wilkipedia Cheshire en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheshire, Shell - www.shell.co.uk/gbr/aboutshell/mediacentre/news-and-media-releases/2011/ stanlow-refinery-sale.html, Wilkipedia ICI - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_ Chemical_Industries and Invest in Cheshire - www.investincheshire.com/ ellesmereport/information/facts-aboutcheshire for the information contained in this article.)

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RAS Ltd focusses on Recruitment within Risk and Hazard Management Services

Cheshire is a county defined by its Roman heritage, and their legacy can be recognised in many aspects of development in the region through time, including in the development of industry. The chemical industry in Cheshire is, perhaps surprisingly to some, no exception. What began with Roman salt mining has evolved exponentially into one of the most prolific and diverse industries in Cheshire.

Today, the chemical industry in Cheshire employs thousands directly, within the local industry leaders who produce and export chemicals, and indirectly, within the supporting industries who provide chemical related services, one of those being risk and hazard management.

large developments in the UK over the last 10 years. As well as developing new safety reports and revisions for existing sites, RAS also provide training and development in process safety and COMAH regulations, which is tailored to suit individual organisations’ needs.

RAS Ltd are an independent firm of risk specialists based in Cheshire and established in 1993, who work within the chemical industry nationally and internationally to manage risk to people, business and the environment.

Such adaptability and wide variety of services has proved vital in providing the most comprehensive support for the client in what has become such a diverse industry in Cheshire. This is why companies such as RAS make it a basic principle to only recruit the best in the industry.

RAS offer a wide range of services which are adaptable to cater to the individual client needs. Their services cover all areas of risk management, including HAZID, HAZOPs, project risk management, corporate regulatory compliance, environment permit preparation, and planning applications.

Compliance with the COMAH regulation is a particular specialism of the company, they have developed the Pre Construction Safety Reports for the majority of the new

Recruitment of the best graduates ensures that the industry continues to develop sustainably by guaranteeing the best expertise in years to come.

In the modern day chemical industry, companies such as RAS look for graduates with a range of science and engineering degrees, all of which carry the necessary technical skills to become an asset to the industry. These skills include the ability to collect and analyse data to draw

conclusions based on a solid understanding of industry expectations and best practice.

As well as these technical skills, RAS place strong emphasis on finding people with the correct ‘softer’ skills. Graduates must be able to communicate their complex findings in written and spoken form.

They must be able to solve problems effectively and efficiently and be capable and confident enough to make the right decisions that will enable the industry to continue to evolve.

Employers such as RAS now place great value on the personal skills of graduates.

Honesty and integrity assure the client that their support network are dedicated to doing what is right. Graduates who demonstrate a positive attitude towards academic achievement and a dedication to personal and professional development are important, as it is this that will drive the industry forward in years to come.

For further information on RAS Ltd and graduate recruitment, please visit www.ras.ltd.uk

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QUESTION & ANSWER

would they be and why? If I could choose anyone to attend my dinner party (living or not) I would choose Mick Jagger (Rolling Stones), Jim Morrison (The Doors), Anthony Kiedis (Red Hot Chilli Peppers) and Debbie Harry (Blondie). A lot of rock and roll stories which would provide hours of endless chatter along with down to earth discussions about what these guests do day-to-day when not involved in their music. I’m sure this would be a fascinating evening.

Lesley Lunt Sales and Marketing Manager for SOG

What is your favorite Chemical Element and why? It has to be Ag SILVER as I love silver jewellery and polished silver tableware on a dinner table.

Who was your Hero as a child?

Because I competed in gymnastics on a regional level for many years Olga Corbut and Nadia Comaneci Olympic gymnasts were my heroes. Plus the usual Spiderman, Batman superheroes – not sure they count!

If you could have a superpower, what would it be and why? Top of the list would be to be able to close my eyes, pinch my nose and think of a destination which is where I would be when I opened up my eyes! Imagine where you could get to with that power and how much you could fit in to a week!

Have you ever been fired from a job?

Never What is your biggest regret? Shaving my son’s hair with a set of clippers when he was about age 4. Not sure what got in to me but I thought I could do it and still retain a decent length on his hair but ended up having to phone a hairdresser I know to rescue the situation. I then had to phone my husband to prepare him for the shock when he returned home from work – eek! Hairdressing skills are definitely NOT in my portfolio of skills.

If you were on ‘Come Dine With Me’ and could choose your 4 guests, who

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Tell us a funny story involving yourself? A youthful story here with many life lessons to be learned.

Approximately 25 years ago whilst travelling through France on our Scooter my now husband and I crashed following a blown tyre and were quickly abandoned by friends who needed to catch the ferry! Although cut and bruised following a check over by paramedics we were held overnight at the local police station whilst they decided whether or not to charge us for damaging the road! Thankfully we were released the next morning with our damaged scooter and eventually hitched a lift to Cambrai where we met a railway station employee who allowed us to store the scooter in an empty railway carriage with the promise of us returning to collect it. Since we were penniless our new friend purchased 2 rail tickets to Calais and set us on our way home.

A day late we boarded the ferry at Calais and met another Good Samaritan on board, this time from Gravesend where we were put up for the night and after a hearty breakfast were dropped off in London where my husband’s father was working. We used his hotel room to shower and put on clean clothes - our new souvenir t-shirts (the only thing clean by that point) and we drove his car home. The scooter was collected the following week and debts were re-paid. Following a blow out in the car (now loaded with a scooter and ample boxes of duty free) the scooter made it home!

Lesson to ourselves: prepare your vehicle in advance, book European travel cover, take a credit card, don’t damage French roads, learn some local

lingo and never lose faith in humanity as by hook or by crook we travelled about 600 miles on a wing and a prayer! Oh and these days please take a mobile phone – so much easier than replacing the handset in a phone box because you don’t understand the instructions!

In your opinion what is the greatest ever invention? So many great inventions to name just one but I think a camera, telephone, the Internet, telescopes, satellites and flying are amazing inventions.

When was the last time you cried?

Why? Every time I watch Mama Mia DVD and Sophie is with her Mother Donna preparing to get married and Donna (Meryl Streep) sings “Slipping through my Fingers”. It happens every time I watch the film! Just makes me sad thinking about children leaving home and going out in to the big wide world.

What did you most get into trouble for when you were younger? I was very mischievous as a youngster so I was always in trouble for something.

One thing I did (for those old enough to remember milk tokens – little coloured plastic coins to represent the types of milk) was to collect all the milk tokens from the steps of the local pensioners bungalows and then re-divide them out between the bungalows as I thought is wasn’t fair that some had tokens and others didn’t. I got in to trouble for that and poor milkman who was accused of delivering his milk round incorrectly and poor customers who got either the wrong milk or milk they hadn’t even ordered!

What is your most embarrassing moment? In 1988 I won Miss Lambretta at a European scooter rally held in Strasbourg even though I didn’t enter the competition.

All of the Dutch club voted for me and I had to dance with the Mayor (equivalent) of Strasbourg wearing a sash! I was so embarrassed.

What is the one thing that disgusts you? Animal cruelty If you were to die tomorrow what are the things you would want to do before you die? Apart from spending time with family and friends I’d like to walk the South West coastal path, visit the Inca ruins in Machu Picchu in Peru, visit Tibetan Buddhist monks to talk about their views on life, climb a volcano and attend the Glastonbury festival (keep trying but can never get tickets!)

CHEMICAL FOCUS IN CHESHIRE

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Catalyst launches Outbreak!

On Friday 14th February Catalyst Science Discovery Centre in Widnes, Cheshire, welcomed Professor David Phillips CBE FRSC and invited guests to the launch of a brand new education project called Outbreak! Outbreak has been designed to promote team building skills in a chemistry context and teams of pupils work in harmony to discover what the Outbreak actually is and how they can prevent it.

Phill Day, Catalyst Education Manager and Professor David Phillips light the Whoosh Bottle

Meryl Jameson, Marketing Officer at Catalyst said “In 2012 Catalyst worked with two special interest groups from the Royal Society of Chemistry on a project that won £10,000 from the RSC IYC Challenge Fund.

Outbreak has subsequently been developed with that prize money in collaboration with the Chemical Information and Computer Applications Group and the Historical Group from the RSC. Twenty eight pupils from Victoria Road Primary School in Runcorn visited Catalyst in December to help trial the project and we were eager to invite the same pupils to return on Friday and demonstrate what they’d learnt to guests at the official launch.”

Professor David Phillips, Immediate Past President of the Royal Society of Chemistry said it was a personal pleasure to finally visit Catalyst and launch Outbreak as he was President of the Royal Society of Chemistry when the IYC Challenge was initiated.

Following demonstrations of the experiments by the pupils, Professor Phillips said “Today, you’ve seen for yourselves what young children can do. We need to release their energy and enthusiasm and channel it to encourage them to become professional scientists and young adults

that understand scientific principles. Pupils should be enthused with STEM Subjects (Science Technology Engineering and Maths) at Primary level and these pupils are a perfect example.

We need to enhance the status of the teaching profession in the UK and we need resources to do this. Catalyst is an excellent resource and Education Manager Phill Day is a real inspiration.

I want to congratulate everyone involved in the Outbreak project, and look forward to seeing this as an example that can be used right across the country”.

Dr Robert Parker CEO of the Royal Society of Chemistry commented “I would like to add my congratulations to Catalyst and all involved in this project including the RSC Local Sections and RSC Special Interest

Phill Day, Catalyst Education Manager, Professor David Phillips and Pupils from Victoria Road Primary School cutting the cake

Groups that support Catalyst. Outbreak has been an inspirational project, a worthy winner of the £10,000 prize money and it is great that you have forged links with Professor David Evans from the Beijing section who also won one of the £10,000 prizes.

I am happy to announce that the Royal Society of Chemistry is very happy to be supporting Catalyst Education Manager, Phill Day as a RSC Teacher Fellow for another year and I wish you a lot of luck with the continuation of this project”.

It is planned that the “Outbreak!” package will be widely distributed to schools and science centres across the UK. You can find out more about Catalyst by visiting the website at www.catalyst.org.uk

Pupils from Victoria Road Primary School demonstrate their experiments to Halton Councillor Eddie Jones

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CHEMICAL FOCUS IN CHESHIRE

­Celebrating UK chemicals industry success being burdened by their condition.

“We look forward to continuing to support the economy of the North West, and to celebrating this milestone, and the many still to come.”

Derek Twigg MP, who is hosting the reception said: “I am delighted to be able to celebrate this important milestone with Mexichem Fluor. As their local MP I know first-hand the importance that the UK chemicals industry can have in supporting the economy in the North West, but this event demonstrates the wider benefits to society, and to the lives of millions, that the sector can have.”

On 19th March, Mexichem Fluor held a parliamentary reception to celebrate the success of the chemicals industry in the North West and highlight the important link between our industry and support for those with medical conditions.

At the reception there was a demonstration of ZEPHEX’s journey from production to patient, and how manufacturing innovation plays an active and positive role in promoting public health.

Steve Elliott, Chief Executive of the Chemical Industries Association gave a keynote speech highlighting the importance of the chemicals industry to the UK economy and to the health of millions.

The production of ZEPHEX plays a key role in the economy of the UK, in particular the North West, and in demonstrating the value of the UK chemicals industry in terms of providing jobs, boosting international trade and bolstering economic growth in the region.

Mexichem Fluor’s specialised medical plant in Runcorn has recently manufactured the 5,000th batch of ZEPHEX, the propellant that is used in over 75% of Metered Dose Inhalers (MDIs) across the world, to over 60 customers in 23 countries. More than 100 million asthma sufferers have been helped to live normal lives as a result of ZEPHEX.

The reception took place on Wednesday 19th March in the Churchill Room of the House of Commons.

Simon Gardner, General Manager at Mexichem Fluor said: “We are delighted to be celebrating this important milestone.

Everyone at Mexichem Fluor is immensely proud to be a part of the thriving chemicals industry in the North West and that ZEPHEX has helped so many across the world to lead normal lives without

Work has commenced on Mersey Gateway Construction on the £600m Mersey Gateway scheme commenced on 7th May 2014 with a groundbreaking ceremony after the project reached financial close.

The project at Runcorn will be a six-lane bridge designed to improve links between Merseyside, north Cheshire and the wider North West. It will also ease congestion on the existing Silver Jubilee Bridge in the town.

Halton Borough Council leader Rob Polhill formerly declare the start of the work during the event.

The first phase will involve the Merseylink Consortium building access roads across the saltmarsh on both sides of the river so construction teams can build the new bridge.

Financial close between the council and the consortium was agreed in March after Chancellor George Osborne confirmed a £270 guarantee for the project in the Budget.

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Initial costs of construction and buying the land was £600m but the total cost of construction and 30-year operating and maintenance of the project is £2bn. The Government has committed up to £470m.

Last year the Merseylink consortium was named as the preferred bidder for the project. Its equity partners are Australia’s Macquarie Capital Group, Bilfinger Project Investments Europe Limited, and FCC Construcción. Bilfinger Project Investments said it had sold its stake to Bilfinger Berger Global.

The construction joint venture comprises made up of Kier Infrastructure and Overseas Limited, while Samsung, C&T Corporation and FCC Construcción S.A. Sanef S.A will deliver and operate the tolling aspect.

The bridge is expected to open in 2017.

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Industrial Photography – Glamorous?

The combination of photography and manufacturing may not sound like much of a marriage to most people, but to industrial photographer Adrian Waine, it’s a blend which continuously opens the door to new and varied subjects.

A picture which carries its message from one brief glance can be worth its weight in gold, but how’s it done? Planning, good lighting and handling of the subject are each essential to achieving worthy results.

A new brochure or an exhibition are little use without riveting pictures which stop you in your tracks. It’s necessary to draw you in, look deeper, maybe ask some questions and then you might be on your way to doing some business. Adrian’s job is to create these pictures in the first place. If you’re a fan of industry and maybe were first enticed into it by watching one of those educational films on Play School back in the 70’s, then you will already know that the manufacturing environment can yield some of the most interesting and fascinating subjects.

Having photographed in hundreds of workshops and laboratories over the years and seen countless shots appear on front covers and exhibitions, I wonder how many people ever give a thought to what effort hides behind them? The icing on the cake is really constructing these shots and putting them to work on YOUR brochure !

Adrian Waine is an industrial photographer working from Cheshire. He was formerly staff photographer with Saudi ARAMCO working from Dhahran and now photographs for corporate and industrial clients. He can be contacted on 0151 356 3855 or www.photographyforindustry.com

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ELAFLEX LTD. Phone +44(0)1992/45 29 50 · Fax +44(0)1992/45 29 11 sales@elaflex.co.uk · www.elaflex.co.uk

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SKILLS

Help to bridge the skills gap for the chemical industry of the future Siemens UK Education for students, employees, teachers and parents

If your child has an interest in STEM subjects please let them have a look at the Siemens education website which is full of useful information and games.

The Siemens education site (useful links on STEM are in the student’s area) is the place to find free, stimulating and unique resources that bring science, technology, engineering and maths to life in the classroom. You can also find out more about careers

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and apprenticeship opportunities and keep up-to-date with our education and schools based activities events and challenges. www.siemens.co.uk/education/en/index.htm Siemens interactive games: www.siemens.co.uk/education/en/students/interactives.htm

Quality-assured training for the chemical and process sectors The Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) is committed to supporting the professional development of chemical and process engineers. Our forthcoming courses include: July 10-11

Heat Integration Techniques for Energy Management

London

8–10

Practical Distillation Technology

London

10–11

Human Factors and Design

Edinburgh

16–17

Layer of Protection Analysis (LOPA)

Manchester

September

23

Engineering Procurement

Rugby

25–26

Gas Explosion Hazards on Offshore & Onshore Facilities

London

What Every Engineer Should Know About Contracts

London

October 1–2 6–10

Chemical Engineering for Scientists

Shipley

8–9

New to Management

London

13–15

Engineering Project Management

Manchester

27–31

Fundamentals of Process Safety

Manchester

November 3–7

Fundamentals of Nuclear Process Safety

Preston

5–7

Applied Hazard and Operability Study

London

11–13

Chemical Engineering for Other Engineers

Shipley

11–14

HAZOP Study for Team Leaders and Team Members

Manchester

12

Creativity for Chemical Engineers

Rugby

18–20

HAZOP Study, Leadership and Management

London

27–28

Establishing and Maintaining a Safety Culture

London

December 3–4

An Introduction to Human Factors

Edinburgh

3–5

HAZOP Study, Leadership and Management

Rugby

Visit www.icheme.org/courses for full course details and to register.

Contact us: courses@icheme.org, tel: (0)1788 534431

1008_14

Capital Grants

From £5k to £500K Support for Potential Applicants Advice and guidance on all aspects of the programme and application process is available by booking an RGF funded one-to-one session with C-Tech Innovation to help identify and develop eligible project ideas.

For Chemical & Chemical using companies in the North West

To initiate this support, please request and complete an Expression of Interest form by emailing cfg.enquiries@chester.ac.uk or visit www.catalystforgrowth.co.uk.

Capital grants are available* to assist companies able to start projects before December 2014 to grow their business through investment in, for example:

We will then contact you to book an appointment. l l

New premises, expansion or adaptation

Purchase of plant and machinery, new technologies, systems and software infrastructure l

Associated training

Further Information Details of the programme, including eligibility criteria and application deadline dates are available on the project website:

www.catalystforgrowth.co.uk For enquiries about any aspect of the programme please contact: Jan Morris, Scheme Manager on cfg.enquiries@chester.ac.uk

The Regional Growth Fund (RGF) is a £3.2 billion fund, helping companies throughout England to create jobs between now and the mid-2020s. The payment of Regional Growth Fund money is spread between 2011 and 2017. Regional Growth Fund supports projects and programmes that are using private sector investment to create economic growth and sustainable employment.

*Subject to eligibility criteria

C ech INNOVATION

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addisonproject.co.uk

Smarter thinking is second nature As a leading multi-disciplined engineering service provider, we think outside of the box when it comes to Project Management.

Our integrated approach to Process, Mechanical, Civil, Structural, EC&I design covers all stages of the project life cycle process and allows us to work flexibly to suit your needs.

Tel: 01253 898200 To find out how we can exceed your expectations.

project plc Smarter thinking is second nature

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Loss P

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Loss Prevention Bulletin The leading source of process safety case studies in the industry, with an archive spanning more than 40 years.

Subscribing to LPB will give you access to vital reference material which could help you avoid accidents in the future.

Contact hrourke@icheme.org for further information

www.icheme.org/lpb

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Siemens and the University of Manchester launch automation learning suite Siemens and the University of Manchester have partnered to launch a technology partnership, designed to help students learn about advanced technologies in the chemical industries sector.

Steve Leech (left), Product Manager Process Automation, with Professor Mike Sutcliffe, Head of School of Chemical Engineering

Siemens has supplied the University with cutting edge industrial technologies which students and local affiliated apprentices will be able to use for their studies. The University has opened a new control room which has been installed with Siemens ‘distributed control system’ which is designed to help students learn about advanced process automation.

The launch took place as part of the UK’s only dedicated academically focused Chemical Engineers Day held at Manchester University. The new suite was opened by Steve Leech, Product Manager Process Automation, alongside Professor Mike Sutcliffe, Head of School of Chemical Engineering.

The suite will dramatically enhance the practical skills required to get a head start in British manufacturing and will form a central part of the chemical engineering courses available at the University. It will also enhance regional R&D capacity, further strengthening the existing partnership between the University of Manchester and Siemens.

The technology suite will be located at the newly opened James Chadwick Building at the centre of University campus.

Steve Leech, Product Manager Process Automation said: “We are very proud to playing such a leading role in boosting the skills of engineering apprentices at the University of Manchester - world leader in its field. By getting directly involved in the education of future engineers we are able to develop the skills industry needs to stay ahead of international competition.

So we hope this tailored automation suite will play a role in enhancing the talent we need” In March a similar automation suite was opened at Trafford College, as part of Siemens drive to develop the skills of young people across the UK and the North West. Manchester University recently became one of Siemens global partner Universities - the two organisations are continuing their drive to enhance the talent and research available to manufacturers, large and small.

Professor Mike Sutcliffe, Head of School of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Science, The University of Manchester commented “For the University of Manchester this is about dramatically enhancing the skills of our students through practical learning opportunities.

This technology will help graduates hit the ground running when they join our world beating chemical industries sector. We look forward to continuing to work closely with Siemens to develop the skills and expertise needed to grow our R&D which is essential we are to develop regional and national economy” Siemens has already invested in the up-skilling of young people interested in engineering and manufacturing through the sponsorship of a number of University Technical Colleges across the UK. The business has over 300 apprentices and recently the number of apprenticeships exceeded the graduate intake. Siemens recently launched its own Junior Factory, a production line run entirely by an apprenticeship management team in the world leading Congleton facility which makes drives and invertors.

Siemens is now actively recruiting its next intake of apprentices, and the application window is now open. For more information please follow the web link: www.apprenticeships.org.uk

ELEMENTS SUMMER 2014

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NEW MEMBERS

AGC Group The AGC Group, with Tokyo-based Asahi Glass Co., Ltd. at its core, is a worldleading supplier of flat, automotive and display glass, chemicals and other high-tech materials and components.

Drawing on more than a century of technical innovation, AGC has developed world-class expertise in fields including glass, fluorine chemistry and ceramics technologies.

AGC Chemicals Europe (AGCCE) employs approximately 140 people at its manufacturing plant and offices in Thornton Cleveleys, UK as well as a small team in the World Trade Center in Amsterdam. This 100% subsidiary of the Asahi Glass Co., Ltd. focuses on the manufacture and marketing of fluoropolymers, fluoroelastomers and fluorochemicals.

In this sector of the chemical market AGC has the world’s leading technology and offers products that offer exceptionally high performance in heat, chemical, and weather-resistance. All the company’s fluoropolymers are marketed under the Fluon® brand, including PTFE, which is used in the well-known non-stick application of frying pan and cookware coatings.

Profile AGC is the world’s largest manufacturer of ETFE. The product can be supplied as pellets for injection moulding, as a powder for corrosion-resistant coatings or as an extruded film or foil known as ‘Fluon® ETFE FILM’.

Fluon® ETFE FILM (or foil) is a high performance building material and has been used in the construction of many world class sporting and exhibition venues, such as Munich’s Allianz Arena, the 2014 Winter Games stadium in Sochi and the 2014 FIFA World Cup venue, the Itaipava Arena Pernambuco in the city of Recife in Brazil. It is a lightweight material which allows daylight to pass through so that natural turf can grow even when completely covered by a Fluon® ETFE FILM roof.

Our experts support “new” product introductions, scientific data generation & assessment, as well as conformance for existing products with local and global chemicals management regulations.

Outsourcing to Intertek provides a global `one stop solution’ with the advantages of Intertek’s expert knowledge, wide scope in analytical technology and extensive global reach; facilitating cost effective regulatory compliance, brand protection and speed to market.

Serving these industries: n Chemicals n Pharmaceuticals n Polymers n Consumer Products n Electronics n Aerospace & Automotive n Paper & Packaging

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Contact: Zuzanna Pietryja Marketing Coordinator AGC Chemicals Europe Ltd York House, Hillhouse International PO Box No.4, Thornton Cleveleys Lancashire FY5 4QD T: 01253 861800 F: 01253 861950 www.AGCCE.com Chemical manufacturer (Fluorochemicals & Fluoropolymers)

Leveraging its long-established fluorochemical technology, AGC will continue to take part in global events, and help create sustainable, comfortable living spaces for people around the world.

For more information about AGC Chemicals Europe visit www.agcce.com

Intertek Intertek Regulatory Services delivers comprehensive support for clients, assisting their implementation of strategies and compliance with worldwide chemicals regulation for substances, polymers, formulations, and end use articles in domestic and international markets.

AGC Group

Profile Expertise and Services:

Intertek

n Comprehensive Support for REACH,

including 2018 Registrations n Global Notification of Chemicals:

China, South Korea, Philippines, Japan, Taiwan, USA, Canada, Turkey, Australia, New Zealand, et al n Restricted Substance Compliance –

Consulting / Auditing n Classification & Labelling / Safety Data

Sheet Authoring n Design & Optimization of Tox. and Eco-

tox Studies n EU Food Contact Compliance &

Notifications n EU Biocidal Products Compliance &

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Consulting & Training n Independent Analytical Laboratory

Services n Chemicals compliance across many

industries & regulations, e.g. SVHCs, ROHS, POPs, Conflict Minerals, etc. n Physical & mechanical material

characterization

Contact: Jeremy J Ramsden Head Regulatory Services UK Intertek Life Sciences Health, Environmental & Regulatory Services, Bainbridge House 86-90 London Road Manchester M1 2PW T: +44(0)161 245 8071 T: +44 (0)780 1042 952 T: +44 (0)161 933 4001 E: jeremy.ramsden@intertek.com www.intertek.com/regulatory www.intertek.com/green

NEW MEMBERS

M&S Logistics M&S Logistics are a global tank container operator founded in 1996. Our headquarters are in Sandbach, England, and along with regional offices in the USA, South Africa, Asia and the Netherlands, we have a worldwide network of agents making us ideally positioned to manage your global transportation needs.

With our fleet of over 4000 ISO Tank Containers M&S Logistics can confidently take care of your liquid logistics requirements. We can efficiently and safely manage your cargo, be it a door to door, or to pier shipment.

Our local knowledge of the area’s we operate in allows us to provide all of our customers with efficient, personalised service and cost effective haulage.

M&S Logistics offer the highest standards of service, quality and safety, for transporting your bulk liquids.

We are continually investing in new tank containers and operational software to underpin our growth strategy, together with our most important asset, our people.

This continual investment in our business ensures we can meet the requirements of our rapidly growing customer base. Our

Profile short management chain allows us to fast track decisions which could otherwise impact on your business if not dealt with promptly Our management team has many years’ experience in global transportation and is supported by a highly skilled team of around 50 employees. All are extremely dedicated with specialist knowledge in the complex worldwide procedures and legislation surrounding the transport of bulk liquids.

Already operating for many world class chemical companies we have a tremendous amount of experience in moving hazardous chemicals, over 90% of the loads we transport are hazardous.

The REACH Centre offers an extensive range of training courses, on all aspects of REACH, hazard communications and chemical regulations management as well as bespoke training in-house and via Virtual Classroom.

M&S Logistics Contact: Joanne Gill Sales Executive M&S Logistics Ltd Hope Chapel, Hope Street Sandbach, CW11 1BA T: +44 (0) 1270 757 926 F: +44 (0) 1270 759 321 E: joanneg@mslogisticsltd.com mslogisticsltd.com Global tank container operator

We are also specialists in niche geographical locations such as Africa and the CIS states, our operations routinely transport chemicals and fuel to these regions to support the oil and gas industries.

REACH Centre The REACH Centre is a leading international providers of technical and analytical services, regulatory advice and training in the field of chemicals management and risk assessment. Our clients include chemical producers, manufacturers, formulators, distributors, and retailers worldwide, providing services to both industry and government bodies in over 30 countries. To underpin its renown regulatory expertise and training competence, we also employ a growing team of scientific experts in chemistry, (eco)toxicology, environmental and occupational exposure.

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Profile identify and manage the risk of hazardous substances in your products.

Free biocidal scoping assessment for Northwest companies!

The new Biocidal Products Regulation does not only affect manufacturers and importers of biocidal products, but also of treated articles. To find out if your product and articles are affected by the EU regulation, we will be offering a free scoping assessment for Northwest companies from 1st June to the 31st August 2014, providing guidance, clarifying costs and next steps. Contact us for more information.

The REACH Centre Ltd Contact: Jonathan Lutwyche Chief Executive Lancaster Environment Centre Lancaster University Lancaster LA1 4YQ E: enquiries@thereachcentre.com T: 01524 510278 www.thereachcentre.com www.chemtrac.co.uk

‘chemtrac®’ by The REACH Centre is an online tool to manage product stewardship activities and compliance with chemicals regulations in the supply chain. It contains essential information on more than 150,000 chemical substances, provides live up-to-date regulatory status information to your inbox and helps to

ELEMENTS SUMMER 2014

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NEW MEMBERS

Terrington Data Management Terrington Data Management provides mobile computing and software systems that enable users to implement effective maintenance and Ex inspection strategies.

Proven to reduce inspection and repair hours by up to 85%, resulting in savings of £300,000 per year, our software also helps users to demonstrate compliance with increasing legislation such as DSEAR/ ATEX 137.

Utilising the latest technology, including rugged PDA’s and RFID, our software enables efficient collection and management of safety critical data and provides a comprehensive and auditable asset history; secure, instant reporting and fault trending. Full inspection history is recorded, along with a precise audit trail detailing exactly who carried out what and when.

Secure document storage functionality enables users to store all relevant documentation within the database; including plot plans, product manuals, Ex certificates, photographs – no more

Profile Terrington Data Management

rummaging for paperwork during HSE visits.

Contact: Tracey Marshall Business Development Manager

One software package can manage multiple applications; including Ex inspections (electrical & non-electrical), asset management, hose register, routine daily checks, safety relief valves etc to help maximise your return on investment.

IT Centre, York Science Park, Heslington, York, YO10 5NP T: 01904 567674 F: 01904 567719 E: sales@terringtondm.com www.terringtondm.com

As one of our clients commented “The reduced administration from a simple two-step process of data capture and then download means no multiple handling of data. I can quantify faults, prepare reports with less effort and it is so much easier to answer HSE questions.”

www.atex-inspection.com Software development

For help and advice on implementing effective maintenance and Ex inspection strategies, contact Tracey Marshall on 01904 567674 or via email at tracey.marshall@terringtondm.com.

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MEMBERS CHARITY SPOTLIGHT

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CK Science dig deep to support primary school in West Africa

CK Science’s Operations Director, and co-founder, Liam O’Connell has been a Governor at St Mary’s Catholic High School, near the Chesterfield head office, for over 4 years. During this time he has actively supported St Mary’s commitment to a primary school in West Africa and now personally sponsors a couple of the children who attend the school. He has also enlisted the support of the scientific recruitment company to aid St Mary’s in the education and maintenance of the school and its pupils.

The school, Ecole Saint Marie, was built in the rural village of Titao over 8 years ago and has been funded through the donations made by St Mary’s school plus those made by staff, students and supporters. It now has over 250 pupils, aged between 6 and 12, with classes of up to 60 students, some of whom walk over an hour each way to attend. Located in the bush of Burkina Faso in West Africa, these children are fighting against all odds for their education as the country has one of the world’s lowest GDP’s.

Surrounded by 6 countries, including Togo, Ghana and the Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso has a population of less than 16

million who depend upon agriculture and international aid for their economic well being. With a history of political unrest, the challenges the people of Burkina Faso face on a daily basis make the achievements of the teachers and students at Ecole Saint Marie even more impressive.

With the donations from CK Science and his personal sponsorship assured, Liam is keen to raise the profile of Ecole Saint Marie and has involved his staff in fund raising. He says; ‘In 2013 the school ran out of money for the canteen so children as young as 6 were going hungry all day.

CK Science funded the gap to ensure that this problem was overcome immediately.

CK Science’s employees have given generously and I know they will continue to do so to prevent this from happening again.’

For more information on this cause contact Liam O’Connell on loconnell@ckscience.co.uk

Liam O’Connell

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Chemicals Northwest Awards 2015

We are pleased to announce that the next Chemicals Northwest Awards Dinner is going to be held at the Hilton, Manchester Deansgate on the 19th March 2015.

Sponsorship packages are now available. Entry forms will be available shortly and will be listed on the Chemicals Northwest website in the coming months.

New Award Categories We have decided to introduce a new award category for 2015, this will be a “Charity Award”. Our recent editions of Elements magazine have shown some of the good work that our members and associates have done for charity.

Our new award will recognise this achievement from the shortlisted entries and the winner of the award category will receive £1000 towards their chosen charity.

If you have any suggestions for some possible new award categories please let us know and we would be happy to consider suggestions from our readers. Please contact alex.heys@chemicalsnorthwest.org.uk with any ideas.

We held our inaugural Chemicals Northwest Awards Dinner in the Hilton Manchester, Deansgate. This event was attended by 450 people and was a massive success. Due to the continued support of our member companies and the success of the previous two years especially, we have decided to give ourselves chance to “grow” the dinner as the last two dinners have been “SOLD OUT” due to limited numbers in the room.

We look forward to hearing from you with any ideas/ feedback you may have for the 2015 awards.

CNW EVENTS

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Bridging the Science & Engineering Skills Gap

On the 22nd May we held an event in conjunction with our newly joined member, the University of Chester. The event focussed on Bridging the Science & Engineering Skills Gap and was based around the group answering three key questions: 1. How can undergraduate teaching be improved to produce more industry ready graduates?

2. What types of undergraduate work placements work best for research and recruitment?

3. What are the advanced training needs of apprentices and what is the overlap with university teaching?

The event was held at Thornton Science Park, which was the former Shell site and has now been taken over by the University of Chester. The University are in the process of introducing some new courses including Chemical Engineering to their prospectus and some of these courses will be run from the site. The event included a site tour of the campus and some of the facilities available.

John Roche and Steve Wilkinson (University of Chester)

We are hoping to run a follow on event in relation to this on the skills gaps in the industry which will bring together collaboration between universities and apprenticeships. Please keep an eye out for further details.

Lively discussions at the Mid Cheshire and Manchester Responsible Care Cell Aila Bursnall, Responsible Care HSE Executive and John Roche, Responsible Care Manager supported the lively discussions and packed agenda of the Mid Cheshire and Manchester Cell Meeting on 10 April, at the Heath Runcorn. The normal agenda of incident learning, regulatory issues and updates yielded a number of interesting shares on a variety of topics such as use of cutting equipment, steam management, human factors, pre-task risk assessment and vehicle checklists to name but a few. There was also much interest in ways to encourage and manage near miss reporting, and review those with greatest learning opportunities.

Dr Andrew Fowler, HFL Risk Services presented on “Corporate Governance in

Process Safety”. Highlighting how process safety directly impacts the value of the business, the guidelines to be aspired to by business leaders, good practices seen and steps for the next level improvement Mr Steve Hughes, Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service presented on the role of the Fire Service, the legal framework, and the practical aspects of on- site training exercises, off site plan testing, Fire Risk Assessments and communication system for the flow of information on sites, hazards, and potential emergency scenarios.

Regulatory updates were given by Matt Lea, HSE Inspector, who reported on the availability of new guidance for what to

expect during an EC&I Intervention visit, and for ‘understanding COMAH a guide for operators’ which are all available on the HSE website.

Subsequent to the recent Seveso III conference, Aila Bursnall noted the proposed start of the 10 week consultation period of circa 21 April for COMAH 2015, ‘The Health Leadership Guidance for Site Management Teams’ available on the CIA’s website, and a survey being conducted on IED impacts to gather information for the UK government’s negotiations on the BREF. For further information contact Aila, BursnallA@cia.org.uk

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CNW EVENTS

Quarterly breakfasts

L-R Sean McDonagh, Judith Friesl, John Roche, Guy Cohen

Over the last quarter, we have held two breakfast events. Our 27th March breakfast sponsored by Perry Process Equipment Ltd was attended by nearly 40 people and featured the following short presentations.

Darren Bentham from Perry Process Equipment outlined the benefits and risks of using used equipment.

Steve Kershaw from Haztech Consultants Ltd presented a real case study on “HSE & EA Enforcement�.

Darren Wilson from ReAgent gave an introduction to the company and discussed how business planning has helped them create a vision for the future aspirations of the business.

Malcolm Pollard from Baytouch spoke about how REACH and other regulatory frameworks are now firmly part of the business management landscape, data storage, management and access across the business is becoming exponentially challenging and threatens business viability and the license to operate.

Whether its Supply Chain communications - efficiently managing supplier SVHC

declarations, SDS and customer declaration requests, communications and documentation of all types, accessing up-to-date global regulatory content or Substance Volume Tracking, The next breakfast, sponsored by Siemens was held on the 8th May. The following presentations were made: Sean McDonagh, Siemens Industry GBI regional lead for the Chemical sector, highlighted his organisations support for UK Manufacturing through regional educational facilities: * Trafford College new Centre for Science and Technology : where Siemens have partnered to launch a groundbreaking skills and apprenticeship partnership * Manchester University: Chadwick Pilot Lab DCS to be used for teaching & Research

Judith Friesl from The REACH Centre spoke about the challenging task of keeping track of chemicals regulations.

This task is made even more complicated by the fact that some regulations are changing at a rapid speed. However, all those changes can have a major impact on business continuity. Judith highlighted why effective chemicals management is crucial and which supporting tools are available on the market.

Guy Cohen from Antal International spoke on the challenges of attracting and hiring the best talent in the chemicals market? What can you do as an employer?

His presentation gave advice to companies on the importance of selling opportunities to candidates, in a heavily candidate driven market. Guy also briefly covered some other tips on attracting the best talent in the market.

CNW REACH User Group 2014 Our first REACH user group meeting of 2014 met on the 15th April at the Heath.

There was an update from Richard Roy on the latest REACH information including the Biocidal Products Directive

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and Regulation, followed by Treated Articles and the link between the two.

Following on from the presentation, the group held general discussions on the issues raised.

If you are a member of Chemicals Northwest and would like to be included in this group please contact Alex Heys alex.heys@chemicalsnorthwest.org.uk to be added to the attendance list.

CNW EVENTS

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March Supply Chain Forum Chemicals Northwest, together with sponsors regional law firm Brabners and corporate finance boutique Brabners Stuart, held its first Supply Chain Forum event on 25 March at Runcorn Heath. The event was highly successful with all delegates expressing enthusiasm regarding the outcome and the future opportunities.

The forum featured presentations from four expert speakers: Phil Browitt of Chainology who presented the results of Spotlight on Chemical Supply Chains in the Northwest, a survey identifying good practice and current issues in the chemicals supply chain. Phil outlined the results of the survey and the features of a world class supply chain.

Phil observed that respondents to the survey where emphatic about improving the supply chain processes and had clear business driven supply chain objectives (although the objectives varied from respondent to respondent). Phil further observed that relationships were key to some best examples of adding value to customers and improving efficiency through supplier partnerships. It was noted that improvement opportunities included more use of optimisation techniques and a need for real benchmarks in addition to keeping an eye on new technology.

government’s strategy is focused on the rebirth of manufacturing in the UK. Mark also talked about the Chemical Growth Partnership, fronted by leading chemical industrialists and supply chain development group. Finally, the forum was encouraged to look into grant support for growth and developing skills.

Neil Moon, Strategic Enterprise VP, Agility presented the EPCA study “Sustainable Chemical Supply Chains : The Path Forward” where more than 50 supply chain directors together with academics considered how to manage complex and uncertain supply chains, presenting good practice case studies. The study also considered collaboration for efficiency and sustainability (identifying the phases required for success, illustrated through industry examples) and the role of technology as an enabler (giving examples of recent technology applications) Mark Turner, Head of Chemistry, Government department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) presented the work and objectives of BIS, pulling out relevant information for the chemical industry. Mark told the forum that the

Dennis Henderson, Commercial Director, Peel Ports described the port facilities and the chemical companies on the Mersey and Manchester Ship Canal. He illustrated the existing infrastructure and terminal facilities and the proposed developments including the new container shipping terminal in 2015 which will be able to receive post Panamex vessels and should help recapture Liverpool’s share of UK imports and exports. Dennis observed that the largest manufacturing base is within the North and 65% of the UK population is within 150 miles of the Port of Liverpool, making the Northwest an ideal location to pinpoint single distribution centres. Dennis also gave examples of how the Port of Liverpool is working on cross industry collaboration projects, such as combining wood and steel supply chains.

In addition to the presentations, workshops conducted during the forum considered a wide range of issues facing

the chemicals supply chain, including managing safety, information continuity and track and race, relationship and cluster development, shortage of logistical assets, complexities of taxes and tariffs, skills shortages and the continuing need to drive down costs.

The workshops also considered the issues that participants would like to see addressed in future forums, identifying that participants would like to receive updates on regulations impacting the supply chain, information on and examples of collaboration in the chemicals supply chain, examples of good supply chain practice, updates on new technology and thinking and information on Logistic provider initiatives for all modes.

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SYMMETRY LAW

Seveso III implementation - changes to the COMAH regime The Control of Major Accident Hazards regime must be updated by 31st May 2015 to transpose the Seveso III Directive.

The current COMAH Regulations use the classification in the CHIP Regulations, which implement two EU directives that will be replaced by the EU Regulation on Classification, Labelling and Packaging (CLP), hence the need for new COMAH Regulations. The HSE has issued draft legislation as part of a consultation exercise that closed on 27 June 2014. A response is expected in late summer with interim guidance to follow in the autumn and draft COMAH Regulations 2015 laid before Parliament in March 2015.

New public information requirements Seveso III takes on board the Ă…rhus Convention presumption in favour of making information publicly available.

More information must be disclosed than at present, including on safety measures

for lower tier sites as well as upper tier, and some of this information is required to be provided to the public by operators via a new online information platform.

In future safety reports may have to be made available on request, in redacted form if necessary for national security or commercial confidentiality reasons. The HSE recognises that its inspectors will have to learn to write their inspection reports and correspondence in such a way that the need for redaction is minimised, and operators will also have to bear this in mind when corresponding with the regulator.

What this means for existing COMAH sites The main changes are: n All sites will have to re-notify by the end

to update their dangerous substance inventories from CHIP to CLP. n Safety reports must be revised and

any confidentiality or national security implications identified. n The majority of emergency plans will

have to be reviewed. n Information must be uploaded to

the online information platform and updated as necessary thereafter. n The requirements concerning potential

domino effects are more onerous, with a new duty for members of a domino group to cooperate in informing neighbours and sharing information.

For further information please contact; paul.bratt@symmetrylaw.co.uk victoria.joy@symmetrylaw.co.uk

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