Chemical Emergency Response Service (CERS)

CERS provides a special telephone number offering access to a highly trained Emergency Responder who is able to:

• Rapidly identify the hazards and risks associated with chemical substances to minimise the impact of an incident
• Offer practical advice on dealing with spillages, fires, etc to enable responders to act swiftly
• Identify companies able to provide practical assistance - ensuring the incident is quickly rendered safe
• Locate details of manufacturers and other sources of specialist advice

The Emergency Responders who answer calls made to CERS are the same as those who provide support to the UK’s Emergency Services. You are assured of reaching someone who fully understands your needs in an emergency.

If you transport hazardous chemicals, and operate under UK legislation for bulk transport of dangerous goods, an emergency number should be provided to assist those at the scene if the goods were to be involved in an incident. The current legislation, for shipments solely within the UK, state that:

“The operator of any vehicle which is being used for the carriage of dangerous goods in a tank shall ensure that specialist advice concerning the goods can be obtained by telephone in English at any time during carriage.”