National Chemical Emergency Centre
Former UK agency providing chemical accident information to emergency services.
The National Chemical Emergency Centre (NCEC) is a former UK government agency, now privately owned as part of WSP, which acquired Ricardo plc. It provides information related to chemical accidents, such as spillages and fires, to emergency services in the United Kingdom and other countries. The NCEC is headquartered on the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus in the Vale of White Horse in Oxfordshire.
Quick Facts
- Industry
- Chemical industry information
- Founder
- UK Government
- Headquarters
- Harwell, Didcot
- Parent
- WSP Global
Facts from the source article.
Did You Know?
- A similar system in the USA is called RTECS (Registry of Toxic Effects of Chemical Substances).
- The NCEC was formed in 1973 as a government agency.
- On 1 March 1979 the Centre launched, in cooperation with the Home Office, its Hazfile computer database, made available to fifteen British fire services.
Function
The UK's chemical safety rules mostly focus on road transport of hazardous goods, which companies must follow. The NCEC partnered with CEFIC to create safety codes for moving dangerous chemicals, used by emergency response centres across Europe. During the 1980s, the NCEC built the Chemdata database, a resource for British fire services handling chemical incidents. This database contains over 61,600 safety data sheets available in six languages. The NCEC also ran HazMat training via the HazMat Academy. Some people who helped launch that academy now work for Collective Resilience, a training and consultancy firm.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is National Chemical Emergency Centre headquartered?
National Chemical Emergency Centre is headquartered in Harwell, Didcot.
Who owns National Chemical Emergency Centre?
National Chemical Emergency Centre is owned by WSP Global.
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