UK and Ireland Spill Association Working Group Report

Our working groups are proving a good method for members to direct the activity of the Association to their benefit/interest. They meet at least quarterly and help to direct the work of the Association!

MARINE AND MANUFACTURERS WORKING GROUP

We have been working with members to optimise the opportunity attendance at Interspill presents inJune. We are going to be hosting a Britain is Great Day on Weds 22 June!

The group is working on a draft standard for temporary tanks used in spill response. Once we have developed this standard we will then concentrate on using the same format of document for skimmers.

We are also planning an onwater Marine Event in late September or October.

INSURANCE WORKING GROUP (6 MEMBER COMPANIES)

The group sent a reasonably strongset of suggestions for amended text toLand Contamination Risk Management inDecember 2021.

These particularly requested rewordingthe text in the section titled ‘Deal with newpollution’.

We are particular to see removal of the words ‘return the site to its original state’. The group have suggested: ‘suitably mitigate identified impacts to health and the environment and other identified receptors’

where appropriate comply with the Environmental Damage (Prevention and Remediation) Regulations (UKEireSpill which require a risk assessment process to be followed)

When LCRM Stage 1 talks aboutremediation it does not encourage theuse of a risk based approach which we have strongly objected to and havesuggested following the risk basedapproach throughout Stage 1,2 and 3 of theguidance.

We are awaiting their feedback to ourcomments which is currently with EA legalteam.

We have all contributed to the consultationon mobile plant permits.

PLASTIC POLLUTION WORKING GROUP (8 MEMBER COMPANIES)

We have held very productive meetings on12 Jan and 15 Feb which resulted in a set ofambitious goals and an action plan.

The members are actively working on delivering the Action plan and have invited Universities, CEFAS, Regulators to get involved in the work we are doing.

It helps that some of the members have been involved in the MV X-Press Pearl incident which saw the loss of one container full of nurdles and have witnessed, at first hand, the impact this has had on the shoreline but also on the marine environment. We have also submitted to the consultation on the Marine Litter Scotland Strategic Plan and spoken to Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful working group.

Our work is having impact outside of DEFRA/EA world and we are in touch with British Plastic Federation, Rivers Trust, Marine Conservation Society, Seas-at-Risk, Ocean Generation and to NE P&I club and are looking to extend our reach, through our members, further.

We have joined Operation Clean Sweep(managed by British Plastic Federation) –supporting better management of plasticproducts by those who handle it in thesupply chain.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES WORKING GROUP (SMALL START UP GROUP)

Through collaborative working this newgroup is seeking to generate and evolvecareer pathways for those involved in spillresponse or brownfield remediation. Thisis to encourage people to join our industryfrom others and provide structure to thecareer of those within the industry . Thiswill be supported by participating in careerdevelopment through independentlyassessed qualifications such as :

Registered Environmental Technician Registered Environmental Practitioner Chartered Environmentalist

The group have met in January and February and is now working on a training and competency matrix that may map a career in spill response or in brownfield remediation.

The goal is to have some document to go out for industry wide consultation in May so that we can have feedback before the Autumn.

If you wish to join any of the working group then please do let Mark Orr know: info@ukeirespill.org