Industrial accidents

Thames Valley has a wide variety of industrial sites that involve the use or storage of hazardous materials as part of their daily business. This creates the potential for incidents to occur such as fire, explosion, and/ or the uncontrolled release of chemicals that may harm people and/ or the environment. These sites are governed by strict nuclear regulations (REPPIR). Others are regulated under Control of Major Accident Hazards Regulations (COMAH), designed to prevent incidents and limit consequences to the public and environment if they do occur.

How could this affect me?

Industrial incidents can result in harm to people, property, animals and the environment. Utilities or other essential services may be affected, and you might be asked to evacuate an area. One example of this type of incident in the UK was at Hemel Hempstead with the Buncefield Oil Depot explosion in 2004. The explosion measured 2.4 on the Richter scale, and caused the largest fire in Europe since the Second World War. 2,000 people were evacuated from their homes, and 370 businesses were affected, employing 16,500 people. Sixty members of the public required medical aid and the accident caused major disruption to roads, fuel supplies, local businesses and the supply chain.