From left: Alwyn J. Richardson, Mavis John and Karim Hodge.
ANGUILLA--On Wednesday, May 23, Programme Officer with the Department of Disaster Management, Alwyn Richardson welcomed over thirty participants from the government sector and private industry, whose jobs can potentially bring them in contact with hazardous materials, to the HazMat (Hazardous Material) training class.
Richardson said, “Hazardous materials have become a part of everyday life. When produced, stored, transported and used correctly, they make our lives easier. However, when mishandled or when accidents occur involving them, they can produce a deadly threat to the public’s health and safety. It is therefore critically important that persons handling these substances know how to best prevent safety incidents, and if an accident does occur, they know how to manage and contain it safely without risk to themselves and with minimal impact to the public.”
Delta Petroleum Island Manager Mavis John spoke briefly of the company’s close association with the Department of Disaster Management and the Anguilla Fire and Rescue Team in the company’s continuing quest to stress both personal and environmental safety for the public in the handling of petroleum products. She highlighted the requirements to discontinue cell phone use while pumping gas as possible static elements could result in a spontaneous fire, and to use only certified petroleum containers for storage.
During the morning, three trainers from the Fire Department covered information such as how to analyse an incident and detect HazMat, how to survey a HazMat incident from a safe location while accessing corrective response information from the Department of Transportation’s Emergency Response Guidebook, and how to implement the response while initiating protective actions and the notification process.
Anguilla’s Disaster Management Office continues to strive to mitigate potential catastrophic threats to the public through targeted awareness programmes and effective response training.
