Our Own Operations

Emergency Response at EPD Facilities

We will implement an emergency response system for handling environmental incidents, and will be prepared to respond quickly to minimise the damage to the environment "

Image of Emergency Spill Kit and guidelines for dealing with chemical spillage in the laboratory.

We have internal emergency response plans for our own activities, particularly for our waste facilities and laboratories. The plans cover predictable events such as the unavailability of certain landfills or refuse transfer stations due to power failure, as well as road blockages arising from traffic accidents, congestion, chemical waste spills, etc.

Our response plan for the waste facilities was tested on 17 September 1999 when Typhoon York hit the HKSAR hard resulting in the territory coming to a standstill. After the storm warnings were lowered, severe traffic congestion at the Kwai Chung Container Terminal prevented our refuse collection vehicles from accessing the West Kowloon Transfer Station (WKTS). The emergency response plan was immediately activated and 187 loads of waste were diverted to other refuse transfer stations on that day. As a result, there was no adverse impact on the waste collection service.

The adequacy of these emergency response plans was also put to test in the preparation for the Y2K crossover, when realistic scenarios were enacted to simulate emergency conditions. The department was on full alert during the Y2K crossover, but it proved to be a non-event as EPD had no failures.

Emergency procedures are in place to deal with laboratory accidents involving hazardous materials such as chemicals, samples, chemical waste or bio-hazardous materials, etc. Spill kits and personal protective equipment are always on hand and our staff are trained to use them. The kits and equipment are inspected periodically. All emergencies procedures are documented in the laboratory environmental and safety manuals, and constant training takes place to reinforce the safety procedures.

No laboratory incidents were reported in 1999.