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| The Programme
in Shanghai
This case study examines the implementation of
the APELL programme in Shanghai, China Shanghai is a city in which industry and commerce
are highly developed. In particular, it has a large chemical industry.
It was therefore appropriate that UNEP's APELL programme should
be applied there, after its national introduction in China during
1987-88. On 5 July 1991, the municipal government issued a local
regulation, the "Shanghai City Chemical Accident Rescue Measure"
(hereafter referred to as "the Measure"), which provides
the framework for chemical accident preparedness and response. This
is very much along the lines recommended in the APELL process, emphasizing
the importance of cooperation between industry and government and
of the involvement of the local community. Since 1991, the municipality
has worked with industry to fulfill the targets set in the Measure. Also in 1991, the city established a chemical emergency relief team consisting of experts from municipal and local chemical accident committees. Over the next two years a hazard identification and evaluation exercise was conducted for all the chemical installations in the city, i.e. those where hazardous materials are manufactured, stored or used. This process resulted in the identification of several hundred Major Hazard Units (MHUs). The basic information has since been kept under review, to make sure it is kept up-to-date. MHUs are required to make plans for accidents and emergencies. The Shanghai Civil defence Office (SCDO) subsequently issued several regulations in support of the Measure, which were designed to improve awareness of the law and safety performance within the MHUs. SCDO and the county (local) civil defence offices (CDOs) enforce the regulations by a system of both regular and "spot" inspections. In particular, a "Four Check" activity is organized every summer. This comprises: "Check the applicable regulations; check the equipment; check the accident rate; and check the preparedness measures." The county CDOs organize frequent inspections of the hazardous units within their areas and issue "solve the problem sheets" wherever deficiencies are found. Over 100 such sheets have been issued since 1993. The CDOs then work with the units to help them improve. This approach has been found to result in improved safety and fewer accidents. The SCDO has set up a chemical rescue command system and a supporting communications network. It has recently invested in a cable and radio-call communications system. This links the various municipal government departments with the chemical installations, and also links Shanghai both to its county emergency offices and to the national emergency office in Beijing. Each county CDO has been required to establish a chemical rescue group and rescue organization. This includes a 24-hour alarm centre linked to fire and police alarm centres. At the end of 1992, Shanghai began to train rescue specialists and also to provide special training for other personnel. About 1500 people have been trained so far. Every year training is given to those who will have roles to play in the event of an accident - factory managers and safety officers, civil defence and environmental protection staff, and first responders. In cooperation with the local Institute of Occupational Health, courses have been held for chemical industry site medical staff concerning on-site medical treatment of chemical casualties. SCDO has also organized a system for keeping municipal and county emergency plans under review, in order to carry out a process of constant improvement. Emergency drills have been carried out, including the simulation of an emergency at night on 17 December 1993. The scenario was a chemical accident in the Chlorine-Alkaline Chemical Company. Several hundred first responders took part in this drill. In July 1994, the Asian Development Bank supported a drill based on the scenario of leakage of a hazardous chemical from a truck on the Nanpu Bridge. From the early stages, emphasis was put on the importance of informing the population. Many different methods have been employed. Several local government departments cooperated to edit and print hundreds of thousands of brochures for distribution to the city's residents. SCDO made an APELL video and teaching materials. Television films on the subject have been produced. An annual "Chemical Rescue Education Day" has also been instituted, and chemical emergency preparedness has become the subject of TV and other quiz shows. In 1994, SCDO together with the Education Department and the Youth Newspaper organized "the Middle School Students' Civil defence and Chemical Emergency Rescue Knowledge Contest" and the Middle School Students' Sports. SCDO estimates that about 200,000 middle school children in 100 schools receive some anti-disaster education every year. Each county civil defence office has now installed a chemical emergency education station, where many different kinds of public education activities are conducted. These have included live theatre shows as well as video displays. Shanghai's emergency plans have received real-life
tests on several occasions. In July 1993, SCDO and the Quinpu County
CDO worked together with staff from environmental protection, and
the city's fire and transport departments, to deal with the leakage
of hazardous materials from an overturned vehicle. In January 1995,
Huangpu CDO coordinated police, health and gas utility departments
to cope with a leak from an underground gas pipe. On both occasions
the plans worked well and quickly and damage to people, property
and the environment was avoided. Perhaps the most important lesson learned has been the vital importance of encouraging the development of response capacity within the installation itself. It is characteristic of chemical accidents that they happen very quickly and can have very serious consequences, both on- and off-site. So chemical installations must have good on-site emergency plans, trained personnel, and the right equipment to deal immediately with the emergencies which may arise. Therefore, it is obviously also important that emergency planning and preparedness should be based on good science and technology. There are many hazardous chemicals with many different properties, singly and in combination. They require different methods to counter their effects, and sometimes different skills and equipment. There is a need for a chemical rescue centre to act as a centre of Excellence and to give advice in case of emergency. Coordination and cooperation by all the organizations concerned are indeed as important as the APELL Handbook says they are. Shanghai has succeeded in bringing the chemical industry together with all the departments of municipal government which are involved in chemical accident preparedness and response. The experience of working together on preparedness planning has meant that everyone has united to deal with real-life problems when they do arise. Finally, improvement of public awareness is basic
to a successful chemical rescue programme. Correct action in the
event of a chemical emergency saves lives and prevents injury. SCDO has identified the following main tasks for the future:
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