Santa’s Help for Heros and Sea Shepherds

Corporate Risk Systems have continued with our regular contributions to charity through this year’s festive donations. Rather than seasonal business gifts we have decided to make donations to two worthy causes again! The donations go to Help for Heros for those exposed to the ultimate occupational Health and Safety risks the armed forces and an environmental charity committed to protected the Ocean’s biodiversity
Help for Heros is a well-known cause but the work of Sea Shepard may be less familiar to some established in 1977, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS) is an international non-profit, marine wildlife conservation organization. Their mission is to end the destruction of habitat and slaughter of wildlife in the world's oceans in order to conserve and protect ecosystems and species.


Sea Shepherd uses innovative direct-action tactics to investigate, document, and take action when necessary to expose and confront illegal activities on the high seas. By safeguarding the biodiversity of our delicately-balanced ocean ecosystems, Sea Shepherd works to ensure their survival for future generations.

Sea Shepherd Campaigns

	Dolphins Sea Shepherd has been active in directly intervening where dolphins are threatened. In 1982, we negotiated an end to the dolphin slaughter of Iki Island, Japan. We sent crews to Taiji, Japan, in 2003 and 2004, and to the Solomon Islands. more
	Galapagos In the Galapagos Islands of Ecuador, Sea Shepherd is working with the National Marine Park service on anti-poaching enforcement and conservation programs. more
	Seals Sea Shepherd has been fighting sealers since 1975, and over the course of a quarter of a century we have saved hundreds of thousands of seals from slaughter using many different and creative methods. Sea Shepherd's highly-publicized efforts have helped in creating awareness, which is the first step in enacting change. more
	Sharks On multi-faceted fronts, Sea Shepherd is waging an all out battle to save sharks from the threat of decimation. Not only does Sea Shepherd work hard to raise awareness and care for this unpopular species, we also patrol marine protected areas, expose corruption/greed, and arrest the criminals who drive the multi-billion dollar shark-killing industry. more
	Whales Sea Shepherd has been on the front lines for nearly three decades protecting whales from illegal whalers. From Japan to Iceland to Norway and elsewhere around the globe, Sea Shepherd's direct action crews defend whales from slaughter. more

During the past eight seasons, Sea Shepherd’s direct-action interventions have saved the lives of more than 3,600 whales.

Will the COP18 in Doha deliver a 2015 global climate deal?

The United Nations climate change conference next week in Doha, Qatar must start the hard work of turning last year's agreement to enhance global climate action into reality.

Connie Hedegaard, European Commissioner for Climate Action, said: "Doha must build on the breakthrough we achieved in Durban and make progress in preparation of the 2015 legally binding global climate agreement. Equally important will be agreeing on further measures to reduce emissions so we can stay below a 2°C increase. The EU stands by our commitments to participate in a second period of the Kyoto Protocol and to continue providing major financial support to help developing countries tackle climate change. The context for Doha is the recent World Bank report and the UNEP emissions gap report which make it abundantly clear that the world is losing precious time."

The European Union wants an outcome that takes forward all elements of the package of decisions agreed in Durban towards a new global climate agreement by 2015. The EU has also asked the Qatari Presidency to hold ministerial discussions to agree on concrete measures to cut global emissions further before 2020. The EU stands firmly by its part of the deal struck in Durban and its commitment to participate in a second period of the Kyoto Protocol.

The EU is the world’s largest donor of official development assistance and of climate finance to developing countries. In Doha the EU will show it is on track to deliver the full €7.2 billion in 'fast start' climate finance it has pledged for the period 2010-2012. The EU will also discuss with its developing country partners how major flows of EU climate finance can continue in 2013-2014 and beyond.

Richard Ball, Head of Environment, Corporate Risk Systems commented “Climate Change is upon us, it is upto Governments to agree goals, organisations to drive changes and individuals to take action, if the magnitude and effects of change is to be minimised and mitigated.  Action on Carbon and Energy is the business issue that will be here long after the economic down turn.”

In its annual Emissions Gap Report  UNEP said that countries' existing emission pledges, if fully implemented, will help reduce emissions to below the business-as-usual level in 2020, but not to a level consistent with the agreed 2°C limit, and so will lead to a considerable “emissions gap”.

In its report "Turn down the heat" the World Bank spells out what the world would look like if it warmed by 4 degrees Celsius. The report says that finding ways to avoid that scenario is vital for the health and welfare of communities around the world.

Total sells its Nigerian oil stake to China's Sinopec

Total has announced the sale of its 20% stake in a Nigerian offshore oilfield to the Chinese state-owned Sinopec. The French oil firm said its Chinese counterpart was paying $2.5bn (£1.6bn) for the stake in the OML 138 oil block.

The block includes the Usan oilfield, which began producing in February, and is jointly owned with Chevron, Exxon and Canada's Nexen. Total said in September it aimed to sell $15bn-$20bn in oil assets by 2014 to raise cash for new projects.

The sale, which will be paid for in cash, still needs to be approved by the Nigerian authorities. The Nigerian state oil company, NNPC, holds the concession on the oilfield. "Usan accounts for less than 10% of the group's equity production in Nigeria," said Yves-Louis Darricarrère, who heads up Total's oil drilling business. "This sale of an asset operated from a minority position will allow us to focus our resources on the material growth opportunities in Total's portfolio.

Sinopec's purchase is just the latest example of China buying up commodities and developing mineral resources in Africa. However, it comes at a time when the Chinese economy has slowed its rapid growth. Last month, Sinopec reported a drop in profits in the three months to September, due to weak Chinese demand for petrochemicals.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-20397492

Breast cancer 'linked' to chemical jobs, Stirling study suggests

Women working in jobs where they are exposed to certain chemicals may have a greater risk of developing breast cancer, a study suggests. The international research by the Occupational and Environmental Health Research Group at Stirling University studied more than 2,000 women.
They found that women who worked for 10 years in jobs classified as "highly exposed" increased their risk by 42%. The team has called for further research on the subject.
Researchers from Canada, the US and the UK all took part in the study, which monitored 1,006 women with breast cancer and 1,147 without the disease in Southern Ontario, Canada.
Dr James Brophy, from Occupational and Environmental Health Research Group (OEHRG), said: "Breast cancer causality is complex. It is believed to result from a combination of factors including genetic, hormonal and lifestyle influences as well as environmental exposures. However, studies have shown that breast cancer incidence rose throughout the developed world during in the second half of the 20th Century as women entered industrial workplaces and many new and untested chemicals were being introduced. Diverse and concentrated exposures to carcinogens and hormone disrupting chemicals in some workplaces can put workers at an increased risk for developing cancer."
The researchers said although the study focused on Ontario, where there is extensive manufacturing and agriculture, its findings have relevance to women working in a variety of industries across the globe.
Professor Andrew Watterson, head of the OEHRG and a co-investigator on the project, said: "Many workers face multiple exposures to chemicals, not only from their employment, but from their everyday environment. Many of the women included in the study were exposed to a virtual 'toxic soup' of chemicals. Untangling work and wider factors in the possible causes of breast cancer is an important global issue."
The study found several occupational sectors in which there appeared to be an elevated breast cancer risk, including manufacture of plastics for use in the automobile industry, farming and metalworking.
Some experts have cast doubt on whether the statistical analysis used to interpret the data in the study gives an accurate assessment of true risk. In a statement, the American Chemistry Council also expressed its concerns, saying that the authors could be "over-interpreting their results and unnecessarily alarm workers". It added: "This study included no data showing if there was actual chemical exposure, from what chemicals, at what levels, and over what period of time in any particular workplace. Although this is an important area of research, these findings are inconsistent with other research. This study should not be used to draw any conclusions about the cause of cancer patterns in workers."
Dr Brophy called for further research to be funded as a matter of urgency. He said: "The study of occupational risks for breast cancer is a neglected area of research. This study points to the value of including detailed work histories in the environmental and occupational epidemiology of breast cancer."
CRS provides a suite of competency-based short-course training on a variety of subjects including the control of substances which may be hazardous to health (COSHH).
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-20366589

3 executives indicted and $4.5 billion in fines for BP

over Gulf oil spill; the largest such settlement in U.S. history.

Two employees of the oil giant BP have been indicted on manslaughter charges in connection with the 2010 Gulf oil rig blowout that killed 11 workers. A third executive was charged with lying to authorities about his work estimating the rate oil was flowing during the disaster. The charges come as BP announced that it has agreed to pay $4.5 billion in a settlement with the U.S. government to plead guilty to felony counts related to the deaths of the 11 workers and lying to Congress.
The explosion and fire aboard the Deepwater Horizon rig, 50 miles off the Louisiana coast, set off a spill that continued for 87 days, fouling large areas of the Gulf Coast of the United States with 206 million gallons of crude oil. "Thirteen of the 14 criminal charges pertain to the accident itself and are based on the negligent misinterpretation of the negative pressure test conducted on board the Deepwater Horizon," said a BP news release announcing the settlement. "All of us at BP deeply regret the tragic loss of life caused by the Deepwater Horizon accident as well as the impact of the spill on the Gulf coast region," said Bob Dudley, BP's Group Chief Executive
The $4.5 billion fine would dwarf the largest previous corporate criminal penalty assessed by the Department of Justice . BP still faces fines from the Clean Water Act and other federal environmental laws, payouts to thousands of fishermen and businesses hurt by the spill, fines under the Natural Resources Damage Assessment process and payouts to impacted states, Those fines and settlements could total more than $40 billion if BP is found "grossly negligent". BP has booked provisions of $38.1 billion to cover its liabilities from the incident, but the company has said the final cost remained highly uncertain. BP also recently announced that it expects to make the final payment this year to a $20 billion trust fund to cover damage from the blowout. In March, BP announced a settlement estimated at $7.8 billion with more than 100,000 individuals and businesses for medical and economic losses.
In January 2011, a U.S. presidential commission found that the spill was caused by time-saving, cost-cutting decisions by BP rig owner Transocean and cement contractor Halliburton.
In September last year, a team of Coast Guard officials and federal regulators concluded BP bears ultimate responsibility. Their report found BP violated U.S. regulations, ignored crucial warnings and made bad decisions during the cementing of the well a mile beneath the Gulf of Mexico.

Gulf of Mexico Black Elk fire leaves two missing

Two people are missing and four more are in hospital with burns after an explosion and fire ripped through an oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico. A small amount of oil spilled from the rig when workers using a torch cut into a pipeline on the platform.

US Coast Guard Captain Ed Cubanski said the well was not producing at the time of the explosion and no oil was leaking. The fire had since been extinguished, said Coast Guard spokesman Drake Foret. He said Coast Guard aircraft and boats were searching for two missing people. Nobody was believed to have been killed in the fire.

The platform is for oil production from an established well, unlike the Deepwater Horizon rig, which was drilling an exploratory well for oil giant BP in deep water when it blew up and triggered a massive oil spill in 2010. That site is well to the east of Friday's incident. Taslin Alfonzo, of West Jefferson Medical Centre in New Orleans, said four workers were airlifted to hospital in critical condition with second and third-degree burns over much of their bodies. The production platform, owned by Black Elk Energy, is about 25 miles southeast of Grand Isle, Louisiana. The Coast Guard said 26 people were aboard the platform at the time of the explosion. Capt Cubanski said the platform appeared to be structurally sound.

After the April 2010 explosion on the Deepwater Horizon, that rig burned for about 36 hours before suffering structural collapse and sinking to the Gulf floor. The Black Elk platform is in 56 feet of water. Capt Cubanski said 28 gallons of oil were in the broken line. A federal official in Washington said a team of environmental enforcement inspectors was flying by helicopter to the scene. They will scan for any evidence of oil spillage and investigate the cause of the explosion.

Black Elk is an independent oil and gas company headquartered in Houston, Texas. The company's website says it holds interests in properties in Texas and Louisiana waters, including 854 wells on 155 platforms.

CRS is the HSE training partner of PetroSkills www.petroskills.com, the world's largest petroleum training company. We teach hundreds of petroleum sector managers and employees the techniques of health, safety and environmental management at venues across the world. Our public and in-house sessions are available to all organisations, whether members of the PetroSkills alliance or not.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/oil-rig-blaze-gulf-mexico-fire-leaves-two-164620814.html

Driver who caused fatal A9 crash by sleeping is jailed

A HGV driver who fell asleep at the wheel and caused a crash on the A9, in which a lorry driver died, has been jailed for three and a half years. The High Court in Edinburgh heard David MacDonald failed to take sufficient rest before the collision near Dunkeld, in Perthshire, on 23 December 2010.  His tanker drifted across the road before hitting a lorry driven by Gordon Cooper, who was killed in the crash.  Judge Lord Bracadale said no sentence would bring back Mr Cooper.  At a previous hearing, MacDonald, 25, admitted causing the death of Mr Cooper, 57, by driving dangerously on the Perth to Inverness road, between Dunkeld and Ballinluig, while he was excessively tired.

Both vehicles were travelling at 56 mph, the maximum allowed by their speed limiters, while a 40 mph limit applied to their class of vehicle on that stretch of road. The court heard that after the collision Mr Cooper, from Montrose in Angus, was trapped in the cab, pinned by the steering wheel. When firefighters removed the cab structure, no trace of a heartbeat could be found. MacDonald, from Aviemore, was thrown from the cab of his vehicle in the crash, resulting in the loss of his right leg below the knee and a fracture to his left leg. A third lorry had ploughed into the back of the other two but its driver was uninjured.

Lord Bracadale said Mr Cooper was a family man who left a widow and two sons and he was conscious that no sentence he imposed could bring him back or begin to compensate for his loss. He said: "The sentence cannot and is not intended to measure the value of the life of Mr Cooper."  The judge told MacDonald that he had embarked on a long return journey between Elgin, in Moray, and Girvan, in Ayrshire, through the day and night without taking adequate rest periods. He added: "The predictable result was you fell asleep at the wheel with devastating consequences. All drivers must take care not to drive when too tired and for commercial drivers, like you, the regulations over rest periods are laid down with the specific purpose of preventing such catastrophic occurrences."

Lord Bracadale said he accepted that MacDonald had shown remorse and was carrying "a considerable burden" over what happened and that he suffered serious injuries. The judge told him he would have faced a jail sentence of four years and nine months but for his guilty plea. He also banned MacDonald from driving for seven years and ordered he resit the extended test.

CRS supports stiff penalties for reckless drivers, and reminds all of its clients and newsletter subscribers to take full and proper account of road risks in their health and safety risk assessments.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-20325552

Government unveils strategy that could cut energy use by 11%

Launching the strategy today, The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) claims that it will create a more sustainable and secure energy system, deliver cost effectively against the UK's climate change goals and reduce energy imports. DECC estimates that through socially cost-effective investment in energy efficiency the UK could be saving 196TWh in 2020, equivalent to 22 power stations.

"Final energy consumption in 2020 could be 11% lower than the business as usual baseline. This potential can be found across the UK economy and realising this could have significant benefits for businesses and households" it said. Focusing on business, DECC said that installing energy efficiency measures often requires local labour, and this investment has the potential to boost employment and economic growth.

"The business community see this as important in the current global economic climate. There are also long-term growth benefits. For example, lower domestic energy bills can lead to higher disposable incomes that can be spent elsewhere in the economy, while businesses can see a reduction in running costs and so an increase in productivity". The private sector welcomed the unveiling of the strategy but some organisations in the built environment sector were disappointed that the strategy did not include a clear plan to enable them to invest. CEO at the UK Green Building Council, Paul King, said: "We welcome the launch of the energy efficiency strategy. It has always been clear that energy efficiency offers massive opportunities to create jobs, save carbon, slash fuel bills and help get the economy moving, and we are delighted the Government has recognised this. "However, what has been less clear is how to turn these opportunities into concerted action. It is disappointing, then, that the Strategy tells us much of what we already know about existing policies, but does not provide much new impetus to really drive investment in energy efficiency. What we need is a long term policy trajectory, together with clarity on how this will be achieved, in order to create the 'investment grade' policy that investors require."

Despite this, CBI head of energy and climate change policy, Matthew Brown, hailed the strategy, saying: “Improving energy efficiency could deliver real benefits to the economy. Not only could it create new jobs, but it could also cut emissions and deliver significant savings to firms and consumers. “The current policy landscape is too complex, particularly for companies, so this should mark the start of a more strategic approach to business energy efficiency by the Government.” Coinciding with the launch, the Government also announced it would provide £39m of funding to UK energy efficiency research to cut carbon use.

Five new End Use Energy Demand (EUED) research centres, that will look into the complexities of energy use across society and how energy can be both saved and used more efficiently, are to receive over £26m funding from two research councils, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), and a further £13 million from industrial partners.

Energy and Climate Change Minister, Greg Barker, said: "We have now put energy efficiency at the very heart of the Government's energy policy. Using energy more wisely is absolutely vital in a world of increased pressure on resources and rising prices. Not only can energy efficiency help save money on bills and cut emissions, it can support green jobs, innovation and enterprise".

Corporate Risk Systems Ltd. offers a broad range of environmental courses starting with our one day course building all the way to support to become a Full Member of the IEMA. For more information contact Ros Stacey on rs@crsrisk.com  to find out how we can make a difference to your career.