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51°34′39″N 1°18′25″W / 51.577428°N 1.306952°W / 51.577428; -1.306952

The National Chemical Emergency Centre (NCEC) is a former UK government agency, now privately owned as part of Ricardo plc, providing information related to chemical accidents (spillages and fires) to emergency services in the United Kingdom and other countries.

The NCEC is headquartered on the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus in the Vale of White Horse in Oxfordshire.

History

The NCEC was formed in 1973 as a government agency. On 1 March 1979 the Centre launched, in cooperation with the Home Office, its Hazfile computer database, made available to fifteen British fire services, listing over 10,000 chemical compounds; this was later replaced by the Chemdata system. A similar system in the USA is called RTECS (Registry of Toxic Effects of Chemical Substances).

Function

Most chemical safety legislation in the UK covers the transport of hazardous chemicals by road. Companies carrying dangerous substances must comply with the legislation. The NCEC worked with the European Chemical Industry Council (CEFIC) to develop a set of safety codes for carrying dangerous chemicals for National Intervention in Chemical Transport Emergencies Centres across Europe.

Chemdata

In the 1980s the NCEC developed the Chemdata hazardous material database, which was provided to British fire services for use in case of chemical accidents.

Chemdata lists over 61,600 safety data sheets (SDS) for dangerous substances. It is published in six languages.

See also

• European chemical Substances Information System (ESIS) and European Chemicals Agency
• History of fire safety legislation in the United Kingdom
• International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code, developed by the London-based International Maritime Organization (IMO)
• National Poisons Information Service (NPIS), provides much the same function, but for pharmaceutical products

References

1. New Scientist, 3 April 1986, page 4
2. New Scientist, 8 March 1979, page 751
3. CEFIC
4. Chemdata
5. New Scientist, 30 June 1988, page 47
6. Times Tuesday October 18, 1983, page 21

External links

• NCEC official website

v t e Hazardous materials
List of accidents	Accidents involving transport or storage of ammunition Accidents involving ammonium nitrate Accidents involving fireworks Accidents involving pipelines List of accidents involving natural gas and oil production
Dangerous cargo classes	HAZMAT Class 1 Explosives HAZMAT Class 2 Gases HAZMAT Class 3 Flammable liquids HAZMAT Class 4 Flammable solids HAZMAT Class 5 Oxidizing agents and organic peroxides HAZMAT Class 6 Toxic and infectious substances HAZMAT Class 7 Radioactive substances HAZMAT Class 8 Corrosive substances HAZMAT Class 9 Miscellaneous
Hazardous materials laws and regulations	AIR Shipper Australian Dangerous Goods Code European Agreement concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road (ADR) Hazardous Materials Transportation Act Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act 1996 HAZWOPER Hong Kong ship laws Midwest hazardous work training NA/UN exceptions Safe handling of carcinogens UN Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods US Committee on Hazardous Materials
Regulatory agencies and organizations	United Nations Economic Commission for Europe United Nations - International Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration USA National Transport Commission Australia
Hazardous material labelling systems	Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) International UN ADR International Hazchem United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand NFPA 704 'Fire diamond' USA Hazardous Materials Identification System (HMIS) USA Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System Canada European hazard symbols from Dangerous Substances Directive (67/548/EEC) European Union
Hazardous goods	Consumption of Tide Pods Crotonaldehyde Dangerous goods Explosive High production volume chemicals Nickel hydrazine nitrate Nuclear flask Nuclear fuel cycle Sedaxane Substance of very high concern
Category

• 1973 establishments in the United Kingdom
• Chemical accident
• Chemical industry in the United Kingdom
• Chemical safety
• Cheminformatics
• Defunct public bodies of the United Kingdom
• Emergency management in the United Kingdom
• Government agencies established in 1973
• Health and safety in the United Kingdom
• Organisations based in Oxfordshire
• Safety organisations based in the United Kingdom
• Science and technology in Oxfordshire
• Scientific organizations established in 1973
• Toxic effects of substances chiefly nonmedicinal as to source
• Toxicology in the United Kingdom
• Toxicology organizations
• Vale of White Horse