Results of the questionnaire survey
| Ambulance trust (n = 6) | Emergency departments (n = 49) | |
|---|---|---|
| COMAH, Control of Major Accident Hazards; CPPE, chemical personal protection equipment. | ||
| General information | ||
| No of COMAH sites in area | Range 0–78, average 20 | Range 0–36, average 5 |
| No of chemical incidents dealt with in previous 12 months | Range 0 – 371 average 74 | Range 0–4, average 1 |
| Equipment and facilities | ||
| Estimated time to set up shelter + make it operational (minutes) | Mean 18.5, median 15, range 14–30 minutes | Mean 19.86, median 17.5, range 2–60 minutes |
| CPPE | All 6 respondents (100%) had CPPE | 48/49 (98%) had CPPE |
| 5/6 (83%) had trained staff in its use | 40/49 (82%) had trained staff in its use | |
| Contaminated effects and water disposal | ||
| Disposal of contaminated effects | 4 (67%) had arrangements to deal with contaminated clothing | 2 (4%) had arrangements to deal with contaminated clothing |
| Water disposal | 4 (67%) had storage tanks | 35 (71%) had a storage tank for water run-off |
| 3 (50%) would use the public sewer | 10 (20%) would use the public sewer | |
| 1 (2%) had a private drainage site | ||
| 1 (2%) used storage barrels | ||
| Exercising in the previous 12 months | 3 (50%) had conducted chemical exercises | 17 (34%) had conducted chemical exercises |
| 5 (83%) had plans to exercise within the next 12 months | 35 (71%) had plans to exercise within the next 12 months | |