Bill Longley-Cook, Author at Simplifi Solutions

17th January 2023

EA consultation on end of life vehicles

The Environment Agency is consulting on draft new guidance explaining the appropriate measures for permitted facilities that store and treat end of life vehicles (ELVs) or components. Consultation closes 16th April. https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/end-of-life-vehicles-appropriate-measures-for-permitted-facilities

16th January 2023

Paint company fined £650,000

A multi-national paint company has been fined £650,000 and ordered to pay costs of £144,992 following the discharge of hazardous waste from a tank located at a decommissioned paint testing facility on a Devon estuary. Sediment samples taken in 2015 from the estuary and from the tank by the Environment Agency were found to contain tributyltin (TBT), a chemical originally used for anti-fouling of ships but banned since the 1980s, along with other heavy metals. Charges brought were (1) the failure to meet a discharge consent and (2) the release of a controlled waste.

11th January 2023

How PLBs improve the chance of rescue at sea

The United States NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board) has reminded operators in the maritime industry of the importance of crew wearing PLBs (personal locator beacons) whilst at sea. In a recent incident off Alaska when a crabber capsized and sank, because of the weight of the topside ice and the force of the winds and waves, five out of a crew of seven drowned. An investigation by the NTSB found that while the crabbers emergency position indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) continued to operate after the vessel had been abandoned, rescue teams, using the EPIRB position, searched in the wrong area. Eventually, a Coast Guard helicopter rescued two crew members, who had swum to a life raft, but the remaining five were never found. https://safetycompass.wordpress.com/2022/12/27/personal-locator-beacons-improve-the-chance-of-rescue-at-sea/

11th January 2023

Republic of Ireland RI 2022/739

RI 2022/739. Ambient Air Quality Standards Regulations 2022. Coming into force 31st December 2022. These Regulations provide for the implementation of Directive 2008/50/EC on ambient air quality and cleaner air for Europe (as amended). The regulations set the limit values and alert thresholds for air pollution for particular pollutants and also specific the requirements for monitoring and reporting air quality data. These Regulations replace and revoke RI 2011/180.