Gas giants put safety first

Gas giants put safety first

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Gas giants put safety first

KeywordsHazards, Disaster management

One of the most advanced gas gathering terminals in the world is using the latest telephone based warning technology for rapid emergency alerts.

The OpenTALK Emergency Alert system developed by Kingston Voiceware is being installed at Theddlethorpe Gas Terminal on the coast of Lincolnshire by Conoco, one of the UK's leading oil and gas producers.

The system will allow anyone within a 1,600 metre radius of the 58-acre site to receive urgent telephone information in the event of an incident. These include local residents, as well as farms, garages, pubs, shops, caravan sites and the emergency services.

Already in use by organizations across the country, Kingston Voiceware's Emergency Alert is a revolutionary system that allows thousands of urgent phone or fax messages to be issued to people at risk in the minimum amount of time.

Theddlethorpe Gas Terminal supplies around 18 per cent of the total UK gas consumption in any one day. The site ­ which is jointly owned by Conoco and BP ­ receives gas and associated liquids from a number of fields up to 100 miles out in the Southern North Sea. Gas comes into the terminal from the fields through four pipelines. It is then processed at the terminal and pumped out into the national pipeline network.

Conoco, as operator of the terminal, has invested heavily in new technology at Theddlethorpe. Part of that investment is a strong commitment to health and safety, which moved the company to invest in the OpenTALK Emergency Alert telephone system from Kingston Voiceware, which is one of the UK's leading suppliers of telephone-based warning systems.

The system ­ which was specially adapted by Kingston Voiceware to reflect the public information zone (PIZ) surrounding Theddlethorpe ­ was selected and successfully trialled by Kvaerner Process, acting on behalf of Conoco. John Robinson, senior safety adviser at Conoco, comments:

Theddlethorpe Terminal has been running for 25 years and has never had an incident which has affected local people. However, in the event of an emergency at the terminal such as a gas leak, we have to inform everyone in a potential risk area that they could be in possible danger.

Conoco previously used the site siren warning system to alert people in the immediate vicinity of an incident, and a "man with a van" was also employed to personally warn people of potential danger.

The new OpenTALK telephone-based warning system is far more efficient and effective. Not only does it immediately warn people of the situation, it also informs them of what the danger is and what action they should take.

"Our trial of the system went extremely well, with the support of Lincolnshire Emergency Planning ­ including the fire, police and ambulance services and the District Council", says Mr Robinson. "We have been able to develop the system to suit our needs. It is flexible, effective and fast."

The Emergency Alert system was originally developed by Kingston Voiceware for the Environment Agency, which uses it to send pre-recorded warnings to people directly at risk from flooding, as well as to flood wardens, police and local authorities.

"OpenTALK Emergency Alert is ideal for incidents such as accidents, gas leaks, chemical spillage or water contamination," says Deb Tate, marketing manager of Kingston Voiceware.

"It's fast, efficient, extremely effective and easy to use. The people who receive the messages need no specialist training ­ they simply pick up the phone to listen to the message. And because it's automated, the system doesn't tie up staff or telephone resources."

Once activated the Emergency Alert system automatically dials telephone numbers from an existing database, which can include local residents, police, local authorities and the media.

After listening to the warnings, recipients have the option to press a number on their phone keypad to confirm the message has been received. This updates the database, so companies can check how many people have received the warning and who has yet to respond.

If the warning calls are not answered, the system automatically re-dials the number until a connection has been made.

"The Emergency Alert system is far more efficient than traditional methods of notifying the public ­ such as door-to-door calls, letters, tannoy systems and manually dialled phone calls, which all take too long," says Deb Tate. "The problem with some of the more traditional methods of alerting the public such as sirens ­ is that they can only warn, not inform. The Emergency Alert system does both."

Conoco is the latest in a growing number of customers to invest in the system. Existing customers include emergency services, which use it to disseminate information fast.

In Humberside, police are using emergency alerting technology from Kingston Voiceware to send urgent warnings to schools when a prowler is seen loitering nearby. In Lincolnshire and Fife, police are using the system to beat crime and in Essex, the technology is playing a key role in a new community safety initiative ­ Taxi Watch.

For further information, please contact: Deb Tate at Kingston Voiceware. Tel: +44 (0) 1482 808229.