Environment Report 2019

Figure 42: Total Mass of Accidental Chemical Releases by Hazard Category, 2018

Unattributable, 25 tonnes

Medium, 1 tonne

PLONOR, 80 tonnes

5

Low, 363 tonnes

Source: OPRED, May 2019

Figure 43 expands the releases across the 2011–18 period by hazard category. During this time, 3,853 tonnes of chemicals were reported in PON1s on the UKCS, representing a total of 1,490 incidents. PLONOR and low hazard category chemicals make up the majority (2,853 tonnes, 74 per cent) of the mass released. High and medium hazard category chemicals contributed 6.7 per cent (255 tonnes) and 2 per cent (78 tonnes) by mass respectively, with the remainder (666 tonnes, 17 per cent) falling into the unattributable category. In 2018, 25 tonnes could not be categorised from the available data. There has been a 25 per cent (just over 158 tonnes) decrease in the mass of chemicals accidentally released between 2011 and 2018. The total number of incidents decreased in 2018, down to 253, the lowest since 2011. The average reported release size has also fallen, from 2.22 tonnes in 2011 to 1.85 tonnes in 2018. Continued efforts within industry to raise awareness of the reporting requirements and encouragement to report accidental releases may result in an increase in the number of the accidental chemical releases recorded.

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