Latest News I C E Following the disaster in London . . . East Anglian Ambulance Service have launched a national "In case of Emergency ( ICE ) " campaign with the support of Falklands war hero Simon Weston. The idea is that you store the word " I C E " in your mobile phone address book, and against it enter the number of the person you would want to be contacted "In Case of Emergency". In an emergency situation ambulance and hospital staff will then be able to quickly find out who your next of kin are and be able to contact them. It's so simple that everyone can do it. Please do. Please will you also email this to everybody in your address book, it won't take too many 'forwards' before everybody will know about this. It really could save your life, or put a loved one's mind at rest. For more than one contact name ICE1, ICE2, ICE3 etc. Back to top MY-SOS Emergency SolutionPersonal Alarm with GPS Positioning and Response CentreFor People at risk. Summoning emergency help quickly and easily in life-threatening situations is essential but it's often taken for granted that facilities and the ability to make the call will always be available. For many individuals working alone there is a far greater risk that they could encounter life-threatening situations and so need reassurance that should the time come assistance will be at hand. Employers also have a 'duty of care' to ensure that they reduce and manage the risk that their employees may face in the performance of their jobs. MY-SOS has been developed to offer assurance to people at risk through a personal alarm that is robust, easy to carry and simple to use. It is aimed primarily at the lone worker and VIP market where individuals are at risk of violent attack, but is suitable for many other applications. MY-SOS continually monitors its location through the use of global satellite positioning (GPS) and stores the information in memory. Pressing the large red and green buttons simultaneously sends an alarm call via GSM that includes the unique identification number of the device and positional coordinates to a 24/7/365 response centre. Software at the response centre immediately associates the identification number to personal details of the user and displays the information on screen with a map pin-pointing the location of the user. At the same time a microphone in the device can be automatically turned on so that an operator can 'listen in' to help determine the situation - a speaker also gives the ability of a two-way conversation between the operator and the user. (This feature along with others can be enabled / disabled.) The operator will inform the relevant emergency authority immediately giving essential information about the user and also their whereabouts, which in many cases may not be known by the user. Also if MY-SOS moves more than 30 meters within a pre-specified time after an alarm call has been made the device will send another message to the response centre giving the new co-ordinates. This will ensure that the helping authority always knows the position of the person in distress even if they move. Back to top Hazardous Waste Regulations- interim guidance on premises registration April 2005 Summary These regulations are a response to ECs criticism that the existing Special Waste Regulations do not go far enough in controlling the generation and handling of hazardous wastes(HW). DEFRA have also taken the opportunity to simplify the documentation associated with the collection of HW. The Regulations affect all premises within England and Wales. The Regulations will be in place on 16th July 2005 All premises generating HW will need to register before HW can be collected. Offices, shops, surgeries will only have to register if they generate more than 200kg of hazardous waste within any 12 months period. Registration fees will be £18.00 for electronic, £23.00 for phone and £28.00 for paper applications. Registration must be made by any producer who qualifies prior to producing the waste or at least 4 days prior to collection Some currently non-hazardous wastes will now be considered hazardous. These include; Computer monitors and televisions IT equipment Dental amalgam Some contaminated wood Fluorescent tubes Clinical All waste previously regarded as special waste will be considered hazardous. For detailed interpretation of the Hazardous Waste Regulations refer to Environment Agency's Technical Guidance WM2 Exclusions to Premises registration Only hazardous waste from domestic premises if disposed of via normal refuse collection will be exempt. Farm waste will be covered by the Waste Management Regulations 2005 which come in to force shortly Multiple activities Where several activites take place on one site, operated by more than one organisation, for example within a supermarket; each operation requires separate registration Offence It is an offence to have HW collected from an un-registered site. It is an offence to submit false information It is an offence not to submit a quarterly return Transitional charges for consignment notes Quarterly returns will be submitted to the EA confirming waste volumes, types, hazard %, source and recovery route. Submissions will have to be made as follows Collection date - Return to EA date Quarter 1 - 30th April Quarter 2 - 31st July Quarter 3 - 30th October Quarter 4 - 31st January Fees per entry will be charged as follows; By post: £10 per entry for each consignment forming part of a multiple collection £19 for any other consignment By E mail: £5 per entry for each consignment forming part of a multiple collection £10 for any other consignment Free registration for all WasteCare customers under a current service agreement WasteCare customers not only benefit from free Waste Producer registration but also have secure access to WasteCare online which enables customers full access to their account, arrange collections, obtain prices, confirm collection and recycling performance and make sure they comply with the latest environmental legislation and best practice Back to top New legislation on how we deal with hazardous waste has come into force, so it is important that you know the facts and are prepared for how this may impact on you or your business. On January 2002 changes to the Hazardous Waste List were applied in the EU, this resulted in an additional 180 wastes classified hazardous. Small businesses, in particular - even some larger ones will now find themselves dealing with hazardous waste for the first time. From 16 July 2004 the co-disposal of hazardous waste with non hazardous waste at the same landfill site was banned. On 16 July 2005 the Waste Acceptance Criteria (WAC) came into force. Producers of hazardous waste now have to make sure that waste to landfill meets the WAC. It is therefore essential that businesses can describe exactly what their waste contains, this 'characterisation' will determine what can be done to minimise it, ease its recovery or ensure its safe disposal. From 16 July 2005 the new Hazardous Waste Regulations were transposed in England and Wales. These regulations replaced the Special Waste Regulations 1996. The new regime will improve the cradle to grave tracking and control of hazardous waste. Most producers of hazardous waste are now required to notify their premises to the Environment Agency. Back to top