Directory UMM :Data Elmu:jurnal:E:Environmental Management and Health:Vol09.Issue3.1998:
Awareness and preparedness for emergencies at
local level – UNEP’s APELL programme
Janet B. Stevens
UNEP Industry and Enviro nme nt, Paris, Franc e
The ten-step APELL process,
as set out in the APELL Handbook , is described, together
with the roles of the APELL
partners and ways of starting
APELL. An account of UNEP’s
APELL programme is given.
The progress of APELL
throughout the world is discussed and a view is offered
about how the programme
can be further implemented
and made more effective.
Introduction
Aw a r en ess a n d pr epa r edn ess for em er gen cies
a t loca l level (AP E LL) is a tool developed by
th e Un ited N a tion s E n vir on m en t
P r ogr a m m e’s In du str y a n d E n vir on m en t
office (UN E P IE ), in con ju n ction w ith gover n m en ts a n d in du str y. Its pu r pose is to m in im ize th e occu r r en ce a n d h a r m fu l effects of
tech n ologica l a cciden ts a n d em er gen cies,
pa r ticu la r ly, th ou gh n ot exclu sively, in developin g cou n tr ies. AP E LL w a s la u n ch ed in
1988, follow in g va r iou s in du str ia l a cciden ts
wh ich h a d a dver se im pa cts on h ea lth a n d th e
en vir on m en t – Bh opa l in 1984 a n d th e Sa n doz
w a r eh ou se fi r e n ea r Ba sel in 1986, wh ich
r esu lted in exten sive con ta m in a tion of th e
Rh in e, a r e obviou s exa m ples.
Th is pa per descr ibes th e AP E LL pr ocess
a n d som e of th e tools wh ich h ave been developed to im plem en t it, especia lly th e A PEL L
Ha n d b ook . Som e of th e a ctivities of UN E P ’s
AP E LL pr ogr a m m e a r e a lso descr ibed a n d
exa m ples of AP E LL im plem en ta tion a r e
given . F in a lly th e fu tu r e of AP E LL is con sider ed.
It is su ggested th a t AP E LL is u sefu l in a n y
situ a tion wh ich r equ ir es join t pla n n in g for
disa ster s by sever a l pa r ties, e.g. gover n m en t,
in du str y a n d loca l com m u n ities. Bein g aw a r e
a n d pr epa r ed m ea n s h avin g wor k a ble, r ea listic pla n s in th e even t th a t a n a cciden t does
occu r. It a lso m ea n s cr ea tin g a better u n der sta n din g of loca l h a za r ds, wh ich in tu r n
sh ou ld lea d to a ction s design ed to pr even t
a cciden ts fr om h a ppen in g a t a ll.
The APELL process
Enviro nme ntal Manage me nt
and He alth
9 / 3 [ 1998] 1 2 4 –1 2 9
© MCB Unive rsity Pre ss
[ ISSN 0956-6163]
[ 124 ]
Why APELL?
It is n ow u n iver sa lly a ck n ow ledged th a t ever y
disa ster, wh a tever th e ca u se, m ay h ave a n
en vir on m en ta l im pa ct. Wh ile som e m a jor
in du str ia l a cciden ts ca n be con ta in ed w ith in
th e bou n da r ies of th e pla n t, in oth er ca ses
th er e a r e im pa cts on th e su r r ou n din g n eigh bor h ood, w ith a dver se sh or t- or lon g-ter m
con sequ en ces a ffectin g life, life-su ppor t system s, th e socia l fa br ic or pr oper ty. Th is is
even m or e tr u e of a cciden ts a r isin g fr om
tr a n spor t of da n ger ou s goods, e.g. by r oa d,
r a il or pipelin e, th r ou gh or close to popu la ted
a r ea s, sin ce by defi n ition th er e is n o bou n da r y fen ce in th ese ca ses. Th e exten t of th e
losses so ca u sed depen ds to a la r ge exten t on
th e a ction s of th e fir st r espon der s to a n em er gen cy, a t th e scen e of th e a cciden t a n d w ith in
th e com m u n ity a r ou n d it.
Clea r ly, a dequ a te r espon se to su ch situ a tion s ca lls for co-oper a tion between va r iou s
in stitu tion s a n d in dividu a ls. Th is ca n be
a ch ieved on ly if th er e is aw a r en ess w ith in th e
com m u n ity of possible r isk s a n d of th e n eed
for join t pr epa r edn ess to cope w ith th eir
con sequ en ces. Th e A PEL L Ha n d b ook
descr ibes a pr ocess for im pr ovin g com m u n ity
aw a r en ess a n d em er gen cy pr epa r edn ess a n d
a ch ievin g co-oper a tion between th e va r iou s
pa r ties in volved.
What is APELL?
AP E LL con sists of two pa r ts:
1 pr ovision of in for m a tion to th e com m u n ity, r efer r ed to a s “com m u n ity aw a r en ess”;
2 for m u la tion of a pla n to pr otect people,
pr oper ty a n d th e en vir on m en t, r efer r ed to
a s “em er gen cy r espon se”.
AP E LL a ddr esses a ll em er gen cies w ith poten tia l for fir e, explosion , spills or r elea ses of
h a za r dou s m a ter ia ls. Th e possibility of “com bin a tion a cciden ts” sh ou ld be n oted a t th is
poin t; for exa m ple, a n ea r th qu a k e wh ich
tr igger s a n em er gen cy in a ch em ica l fa ctor y.
Th e deter m in a tion of wh ich poten tia l h a za r ds sh ou ld be cover ed by th e AP E LL pr ocess
is in pr in ciple th e r esu lt of a r isk a ssessm en t.
In m ost ca ses, h owever, com m on sen se w ill be
su fficien t to iden tify th e fa cilities or a r ea s
wh ich pr esen t a r isk of a m a jor a cciden t. Th e
cr iter ia (lists of su bsta n ces a n d th r esh old
levels) given in in ter n a tion a l or n a tion a l
r e gu la tion s or r ecom m en da tion s m ay a lso
pr ovide gu ida n ce.
AP E LL is flexible. Cou n tr ies differ in cu ltu r e, va lu e system s, le ga l a n d r e gu la tor y
r equ ir em en ts, com m u n ity in fr a str u ctu r e a n d
r espon se ca pa bilities a n d r esou r ces. Th eir
in du str ies pr esen t differ en t poten tia l da n ger s. However, th ey h ave on e com m on n eed –
th e n eed to cope w ith a m a jor tech n ologica l
a cciden t a ffectin g a loca l com m u n ity. Th e
Jane t B. Ste ve ns
Aware ne ss and pre pare dne ss
fo r e me rge nc ie s at lo c al le ve l
– UNEP’ s APELL pro gramme
Enviro nme ntal Manage me nt
and He alth
9 / 3 [1 9 9 8 ] 1 2 4 –1 2 9
A PEL L Ha n d b ook pr ovides th e ba sic con cepts for th e developm en t of a ction pla n s
wh ich ca n be a da pted to loca l con dition s. N o
le gisla tion or r e gu la tion is n eeded. Sin ce th e
con ta in m en t of h ea lth a n d en vir on m en ta l
im pa cts depen ds on th e speed a n d scope of
th e in itia l loca l r espon se, em ph a sis is pla ced
on loca l pa r ticipa tion . However, it is r ecogn ized th a t n a tion a l gover n m en ts a n d th e
ch ief execu tive officer s of in du str ies h ave a
fu n da m en ta l r ole in pr om otin g a n d su ppor tin g th ese loca l effor ts. In du str y a ssocia tion s
a lso h ave a n im por ta n t pa r t to play in en cou r a gin g in du str y pa r ticipa tion .
Th e AP E LL pr ocess con sists of ten steps, a s
follow s:
1 iden tify th e em er gen cy r espon se pa r ticipa n ts a n d esta blish th eir r oles, r esou r ces
a n d con cer n s;
2 eva lu a te th e h a za r ds a n d r isk s th a t m ay
r esu lt in em er gen cy situ a tion s in th e com m u n ity;
3 h ave pa r ticipa n ts r eview th eir ow n em er gen cy r espon se pla n s for a dequ a cy r ela tive
to a co-or din a ted r espon se;
4 iden tify th e r equ ir ed r espon se ta sk s n ot
cover ed by existin g pla n s;
5 m a tch th ese ta sk s to th e r esou r ces ava ila ble fr om th e iden tifi ed pa r ticipa n ts;
6 m a k e th e ch a n ges n ecessa r y to im pr ove
existin g pla n s, in te gr a te th em in to a n
over a ll com m u n ity pla n a n d ga in a gr eem en t;
7 com m it th e in te gr a ted com m u n ity pla n to
w r itin g a n d obta in a ppr ova l fr om loca l
gover n m en ts;
8 edu ca te pa r ticipa tin g gr ou ps a bou t th e
in te gr a ted pla n a n d en su r e th a t a ll em er gen cy r espon der s a r e tr a in ed;
9 esta blish pr ocedu r es for per iodic testin g,
r eview a n d u pda tin g of th e pla n ;
10 edu ca te th e gen er a l com m u n ity a bou t th e
in te gr a ted pla n .
Th e A PEL L Ha n d b ook descr ibes th e con ten t
of ea ch step a n d pr ovides a ch eck list for com pletin g it.
Who are the APELL partners? What are
their responsibilities?
At th e loca l level th er e a r e th r ee ver y im por ta n t pa r tn er s wh o m u st be in volved if AP E LL
is to su cceed:
1 L oca l a u th or ities. Th ese m ay in clu de
pr ovin cia l, distr ict, city or tow n officia ls,
eith er elected or a ppoin ted, wh o a r e
r espon sible for sa fety, pu blic h ea lth a n d
en vir on m en ta l pr otection in th eir a r ea .
2 In d u str y. In du str ia l pla n t m a n a ger s fr om
eith er sta te-ow n ed or pr iva te com pa n ies
a r e r espon sible for sa fety a n d a cciden t
pr even tion in th eir oper a tion s. Th ey
pr epa r e specifi c em er gen cy m ea su r es
w ith in th e pla n t a n d r eview th eir a pplica tion . Bu t th eir r espon sibilities do n ot stop
a t th e bou n da r y fen ce. As lea der s of in du str ia l gr ow th a n d developm en t, th ey a r e in
th e best position to in ter a ct w ith lea der s of
loca l a u th or ities a n d com m u n ity gr ou ps,
in or der to cr ea te aw a r en ess of h ow th e
in du str ia l fa cility oper a tes a n d h ow it
cou ld a ffect its en vir on m en t a n d to h elp
pr epa r e a ppr opr ia te com m u n ity r espon se
pla n s in th e even t of a n em er gen cy. Th e
in volvem en t a n d a ctive pa r ticipa tion of
th e wor k for ce is a lso ver y im por ta n t.
3 L oca l com m u n ity a n d in terest grou ps. Su ch
a s en vir on m en ta l, h ea lth , socia l ca r e,
m edia a n d r eligiou s or ga n iza tion s a n d
lea der s in th e edu ca tion a l a n d bu sin ess
sector s, wh o r epr esen t th e con cer n s a n d
view s of th eir m em ber s or con stitu en ts in
th e com m u n ity.
Th er e a r e oth er pa r tn er s, e.g. n on -gover n m en ta l or ga n iza tion s (N GOs). Th e AP E LL
pr ocess is design ed to h a r m on ize w ith oth er
in itia tives to r edu ce r isk s a n d th eir con sequ en ces, n ot to r epla ce th em .
How can an APELL project be started?
Th e AP E LL pr ocess m ay be in itia ted by a n y
m em ber of th e th r ee in volved gr ou ps: in du str y m a n a ger s, loca l a u th or ities or com m u n ity
lea der s. However, th er e m u st th en be dir ect
a n d close in ter a ction between th e r epr esen ta tives of th e th r ee pa r tn er s. A “br idge” is cr ea ted by m ea n s of th e “AP E LL Co-or din a tin g
Gr ou p”. Th is is th e m a in spr in g of th e
pr ocess. Th e gr ou p does n ot itself h ave a n y
oper a tion a l r ole du r in g a n em er gen cy bu t
exists to pr epa r e th e va r iou s pa r tn er s to be
r ea dy a n d to k n ow th eir ta sk s if a n a cciden t
does occu r. Mem ber s m u st be a ble to com m a n d th e r espect of th eir va r iou s con stitu en cies a n d be w illin g to wor k togeth er in th e
in ter ests of loca l sa fety, wellbein g a n d pr oper ty secu r ity. In pa r ticu la r loca l pla n t m a n a ger s n eed to be a ctive pa r ticipa n ts a n d loca l
a u th or ity a n d com m u n ity lea der s n eed to
k n ow th a t th ey a r e a ctin g w ith th e blessin g
a n d fu ll a u th or ity of th e m ost sen ior m a n a ger s in th eir com pa n ies. Th e lea der of th e
co-or din a tin g gr ou p sh ou ld idea lly be a ble to
en su r e th e m otiva tion a n d co-oper a tion of a ll
se gm en ts of loca l society, r e ga r dless of cu ltu r a l, econ om ic, edu ca tion a l a n d oth er dissim ila r ities, a n d th is n eeds to be bor n e in
m in d wh en ch oosin g th e lea der.
Th e AP E LL pr ocess is design ed to bu ild on
a n y a n d a ll existin g em er gen cy pla n s to cr ea te a co-or din a ted sin gle loca l pla n . Th er e
m ay be n a tion a l gover n m en t em er gen cy
pla n s in pla ce, bu t th er e is a lw ays th e n eed for
[ 125 ]
Jane t B. Ste ve ns
Aware ne ss and pre pare dne ss
fo r e me rge nc ie s at lo c al le ve l
– UNEP’ s APELL pro gramme
Enviro nme ntal Manage me nt
and He alth
9 / 3 [1 9 9 8 ] 1 2 4 –1 2 9
a n effective str u ctu r e a t loca l level. In du str ia l
fa cilities sh ou ld a lr ea dy h ave on -site em er gen cy pla n s. Loca l a u th or ities a n d r escu e
ser vices sh ou ld h ave pla n s to dea l w ith th e
con sequ en ces of m a jor em er gen cies. Loca l
h ospita ls sh ou ld cer ta in ly h ave th eir ow n
“m a jor a cciden t pla n s” for dea lin g w ith la r ge
n u m ber s of ser iou sly in ju r ed people. Th e
AP E LL pr ocess en su r es th a t a ll existin g
pla n s con tr ibu te to th e over a ll in te gr a ted, cooper a tive pla n .
How can community awareness be
created?
Citizen s w a n t to k n ow if poten tia lly
h a za r dou s m a ter ia ls a r e bein g pr odu ced,
stor ed, u sed or tr a n spor ted in th eir com m u n ities. In a ddition th ey n eed to be in for m ed
a bou t poten tia l r isk s in or der to u n der sta n d
wh y a n em er gen cy pla n h a s been esta blish ed,
h ow it wor k s a n d wh a t a ction th ey a r e
expected to ta k e in a n em er gen cy.
Th er e is r ea lly n oth in g m yster iou s a bou t a
com m u n ity aw a r en ess pr ogr a m m e. A fen cedin in du str ia l pla n t ca n look th r ea ten in g to th e
pu blic, bu t m u ch of th e m yster y disa ppea r s
wh en people k n ow wh a t th e pla n t u ses a n d
m a n u fa ctu r es a n d k n ow th a t it h a s a good
sa fety r ecor d a n d th a t a n effective em er gen cy
pla n exists.
N o on e ca n pr escr ibe th e a ctivities n ecessa r y for a loca l aw a r en ess pr ogr a m m e th a t
w ill fit ever y com m u n ity. However, th e follow in g poin ts sh ou ld be con sider ed:
• defin e th e loca l com m u n ity con cer n ed;
• list existin g loca l com m u n ity con ta cts;
• con ta ct oth er in du str ia l fa cilities to coor din a te com m u n ity a ctivities;
• pla n a n in itia l m eetin g of th e AP E LL Coor din a tin g Gr ou p;
• develop fa ct sh eets or k its on ea ch in du str ia l oper a tion ;
• develop fa ct sh eets on com m u n ity
pr epa r edn ess;
• a ssign r espon sibility for com m u n ica tion s
ta sk s;
• look for com m u n ica tion oppor tu n ities;
• select m eth ods of com m u n ica tion su ita ble
for loca l cir cu m sta n ces;
• get ou tside h elp;
• in for m em ployees.
In pr epa r in g a n d bu ildin g com m u n ity aw a r en ess th e follow in g sh ou ld be bor n e in m in d:
• a ll pa r ties a ctive in th e AP E LL pr ocess
h ave a du ty to k eep th e pu blic in for m ed
a bou t pr ogr ess a n d to en su r e th a t th e
pu blic does n ot r eceive con fl ictin g m essa ges;
• developin g r ela tion sh ips w ith th e m edia
r equ ir es tim e a n d effor t fr om ever ybody
con cer n ed;
[ 126 ]
• m edia r ela tion s effor ts, lik e loca l co-oper a tion pr ogr a m m es, ca n n ot be sta r ted a fter
tr ou ble h a s a lr ea dy a r isen .
How can preparedness for emergencies be
achieved?
Am on g th e fi r st steps in th e pla n n in g pr ocess
a r e th e ga th er in g of in for m a tion a n d th e
a ssessm en t of th e cu r r en t situ a tion . Th er efor e on e of th e fi r st ta sk s fa ced by th e AP E LL
Co-or din a tin g Gr ou p is th e collection of ba sic
da ta . Th is ca n be don e by per son a l con ta cts
or by m or e for m a l su r veys, in or der to:
• iden tify loca l a gen cies m a k in g u p th e com m u n ity’s poten tia l aw a r en ess a n d pr epa r edn ess n etwor k ;
• iden tify th e r isk s wh ich m ay lea d to a n
em er gen cy;
• esta blish th e cu r r en t sta tu s of com m u n ity
pla n n in g a n d co-or din a tion a n d en su r e th a t
poten tia l over la ps a r e avoided;
• iden tify th e specific com m u n ity poin ts of
con ta ct a n d th eir r espon sibilities in a n
em er gen cy;
• list th e k in d of equ ipm en t a n d m a ter ia ls for
em er gen cy r espon se wh ich a r e ava ila ble
loca lly;
• iden tify th e or ga n iza tion a l str u ctu r e for
h a n dlin g em er gen cies;
• ch eck if th e com m u n ity h a s specia lized
em er gen cy tea m s to r espon d to r elea ses of
h a za r dou s m a ter ia ls;
• defin e th e com m u n ity em er gen cy tr a n spor t
n etwor k ;
• esta blish th e com m u n ity pr ocedu r es for
pr otectin g citizen s du r in g em er gen cies;
• set u p a m ech a n ism wh ich en a bles r espon der s to exch a n ge in for m a tion or idea s w ith
oth er pa r ties du r in g a n em er gen cy.
Th ese a r e on ly som e of th e m a jor issu es
wh ich w ill h ave to be r esolved w ith in or by
th e co-or din a tin g gr ou p. Mor e deta ils ca n be
fou n d in th e A PEL L Ha n d b ook .
UNEP IE’s APELL programme
UN E P IE ’s r ole in th e developm en t of th e
AP E LL pr ogr a m m e is a ca ta lytic on e. A m in im u m cor e sta ff (a co-or din a tor a n d two-th ir ds
of a secr eta r y) pr ovide ba ck -u p a n d th e developm en t of fu r th er tools to su ppor t th e AP E LL
pr ocess a n d a lso or ga n ize or br ok er exper t
tech n ica l su ppor t for AP E LL pilot a n d
dem on str a tion pr ojects wh er ever possible.
Th ese pr ojects a r e u n der ta k en in cr ea sin gly
in pa r tn er sh ip w ith oth er or ga n iza tion s,
n a tion a l or loca l bu t a lso in ter n a tion a l. F ield
wor k h a s been a n d is bein g u n der ta k en in cooper a tion w ith th e UN Depa r tm en t for
Hu m a n ita r ia n Affa ir s, th e UN Cen tr e for
Hu m a n Settlem en ts (Ha bita t) a n d th e Wor ld
Jane t B. Ste ve ns
Aware ne ss and pre pare dne ss
fo r e me rge nc ie s at lo c al le ve l
– UNEP’ s APELL pro gramme
Enviro nme ntal Manage me nt
and He alth
9 / 3 [1 9 9 8 ] 1 2 4 –1 2 9
E n vir on m en t Cen tr e (WE C), a US-ba sed N GO.
Som e exa m ples of con cr ete AP E LL pr ojects
a r e descr ibed in th e follow in g section
(“AP E LL wor ldw ide”).
Th e m a in AP E LL tools a n d pu blica tion s
developed by UN E P IE a r e:
The APELL Handbook
Sin ce its la u n ch in 1988, m or e th a n 10,000
copies h ave been distr ibu ted wor ldw ide in
E n glish , F r en ch a n d Spa n ish . Th e h a n dbook
h a s a lso been tr a n sla ted in to 17 oth er la n gu a ges: Ar a bic, Ch in ese, Cr oa tia n , Czech ,
E ston ia n , Hin di, Hu n ga r ia n , In don esia n ,
Ita lia n , Kor ea n , La tvia n , Lith u a n ia n , Polish ,
Por tu gu ese, Ru ssia n , Th a i a n d Tu r k ish . Th e
h a n dbook is design ed to h elp people sta r t
pu ttin g AP E LL in to pr a ctice th em selves.
The APELL Newsletter
Th e N ew sletter a ppea r s tw ice a yea r in E n glish , F r en ch , Spa n ish a n d Ch in ese. F r om
Issu e N o. 15, th e fir st of 1997, it is bein g pu blish ed in E n glish a s a n in te gr a ted pa r t of
UN E P IE ’s m a in per iodica l pu blica tion ,
In d u str y a n d En viron m en t R eview . UN E P IE
w ill con tin u e to distr ibu te it, in E n glish ,
F r en ch or Spa n ish a s a ppr opr ia te, to AP E LL
u ser s wh o a r e n ot su bscr iber s to th e R eview.
Th e N ew sletter k eeps r ea der s in for m ed of
cu r r en t AP E LL or AP E LL-r ela ted a ctivities,
a s well a s n a tion a l a n d r e gion a l pr ogr a m m es
a n d AP E LL-r ela ted even ts.
Computer assisted management of
emergency operations (CAM EO)
Th e Un ited Sta tes E n vir on m en ta l P r otection
Agen cy (US E PA) h a s a da pted its CAME O
softw a r e for in ter n a tion a l a pplica tion s by
AP E LL u ser s wor ldw ide. (N B th is softw a r e is
n ot ava ila ble dir ectly fr om UN E P IE .) A Win dow s-ba sed ver sion is ju st n ow becom in g
ava ila ble. E ffor ts a r e a lso bein g m a de to m a k e
CAME O ava ila ble in Spa n ish .
APELL-related publications
1 UN E P IE Tech n ica l Repor t Ser ies:
• 3, S tora ge of Ha z a rd ou s M a ter ia ls;
• 8, In ter n a tion a l Director y of Em ergen cy
R espon se Cen tres (join t pu blica tion w ith
OE CD, cu r r en tly u n der r evision );
• 12, Ha z a rd Id en tifi ca tion a n d Eva lu a tion
in a L oca l Com m u n ity (w ith th e su ppor t
of th e Swedish gover n m en t);
• 19, Hea lth A spects of Ch em ica l A ccid en ts
(join t pu blica tion w ith OE CD, WHO a n d
IP CS);
• 21, A PEL L A n n ota ted B ibliogra ph y (w ith
th e su ppor t of th e Ca n a dia n
gover n m en t); a n d in pr epa r a tion :
• 28, S a fety, Hea lth a n d En viron m en ta l
M a n a gem en t S ystem s;
• 35, “T ra n sA PEL L” (AP E LL for a cciden ts
a r isin g fr om th e tr a n spor t of da n ger ou s
goods).
2 A PEL L for Por t A rea s (join t pu blica tion
w ith IMO).
3 A PEL L Worldw id e – a set of 12 n a tion a l
over view s of AP E LL im plem en ta tion , in :
Br a zil, Ch in a , In dia , Mexico, Colom bia ,
th e P h ilippin es, Th a ila n d, Tu n isia , Th e
Czech Repu blic, Hu n ga r y, La tvia a n d th e
Ru ssia n Feder a tion .
In pr epa r a tion – a n ou tlin e First R espon d ers’
Ha n d b ook .
UN E P IE a lso distr ibu tes th e OE CD’s Gu id in g Pr in ciples for Ch em ica l A ccid en t Prev en tion , Prepa red n ess a n d R espon se a n d a ssocia ted pu blica tion s.
APELL worldwide
Sin ce its in ception in la te 1988 AP E LL h a s
been in tr odu ced in a bou t 30 cou n tr ies a r ou n d
th e wor ld. Re gion a l or su b-r e gion a l AP E LL
sem in a r / wor k sh ops h ave been h eld for :
• La tin Am er ica a n d th e Ca r ibbea n (Mexico
City, 1990);
• For m er USSR (Moscow, 1991);
• Cou n tr ies of West Asia (Ca ir o, 1993);
• Asia a n d th e P a cific (Sh a n gh a i, 1993);
• Ba ltic Sta tes (La tvia , 1994; E ston ia , 1995);
• Sou th er n La tin Am er ica (Sa n tia go, 1995).
N a tion a l a n d/ or loca l even ts h ave been h eld
in :
• Ar gen tin a (1996);
• Ba h r a in (1989);
• Br a zil (1990, 1992 a n d 1995);
• Ch ile (1995);
• Colom bia (1990, 1996);
• Czech Repu blic (1992);
• E gypt (1992);
• Hu n ga r y (1992);
• In dia (1992, 1994, 1995, 1996);
• In don esia (1994);
• Kor ea (1996);
• Mexico (1993, 1995);
• Th e P h ilippin es (1990);
• Ru ssia n Feder a tion (1994);
• Tu n isia (1990, 1991);
• Tu r k ey (1991);
• Ven e zu ela (1995, 1996);
• Yem en (1992).
Som e of th ese even ts, pa r ticu la r ly in In dia
a n d Mexico, h ave been or ga n ized w ith a n d
th r ou gh th e Wor ld E n vir on m en t Cen tr e’s
Loca l Aw a r en ess a n d Mitiga tion P r ogr a m m e
(LAMP ).
T ra n sA PEL L h a s been piloted in Sweden
a n d La tvia , in co-oper a tion w ith th e Swedish
N a tion a l Rescu e Ser vices Agen cy.
[ 127 ]
Jane t B. Ste ve ns
Aware ne ss and pre pare dne ss
fo r e me rge nc ie s at lo c al le ve l
– UNEP’ s APELL pro gramme
Enviro nme ntal Manage me nt
and He alth
9 / 3 [1 9 9 8 ] 1 2 4 –1 2 9
Som e exa m ples follow of AP E LL-r ela ted
a ctivities in differ en t cou n tr ies.
Bahrain
Recom m en da tion s fr om th e AP E LL Wor k sh op h eld in N ovem ber 1989 in clu ded th e
cr ea tion of a n AP E LL Co-or din a tin g Gr ou p
a n d pr ogr a m m e; com pletion of r espon se
m a n u a ls a n d of th e N a tion a l P la n for E m er gen cy Respon se; a n d th e or ga n iza tion of
dr ills a n d tr a in in g pr ogr a m m es. Law N o. 5 of
1990, issu ed by th e Am ir i Decr ee, a ccor din gly
defin ed goa ls, objectives a n d m a n da te for civil
defen ce to r evise th e N a tion a l P la n for E m er gen cy Respon se, a im ed a t pr oper ly str u ctu r ed
a n d effective r espon se m ech a n ism s for ea ch
m a jor in du str y a n d fir m . Th e AP E LL
n a tion a l com m ittee h a s en h a n ced th e coor din a tion between a ll m a jor fir m s a n d
between th em a n d th e gover n m en t depa r tm en ts con cer n ed. Ma jor in du str ia l fir m s
h ave th eir ow n fi r e a n d sa fety sta ff bu t civil
defen ce a n d th e fi r e ser vice a r e a lso su m m on ed to in ciden ts a n d co-oper a te in con ju n ction w ith pla n t m a n a gem en t a n d tech n ica l sta ff. Du r in g th e la st fou r yea r s m a jor
join t exer cises h ave been h eld a t Ba h r a in
In ter n a tion a l Air por t, th e BAP CO r efi n er y
a n d a t a n LP G stor e in a m a r in e ter m in a l.
E n vir on m en ta l im pa ct a ssessm en t, in clu din g
r isk a ssessm en t, is ca r r ied ou t for a ll pr ojects, w ith specia l r efer en ce to stor a ge, h a n dlin g, a n d disposa l of ch em ica ls a n d
h a za r dou s m a ter ia ls.
Chile
Th r ee AP E LL even ts wer e h eld in Ch ile du r in g 1995 to in tr odu ce AP E LL a n d ca ta lyse its
im plem en ta tion ; a n a tion a l even t in Sa n tia go
a n d two loca l even ts in Va lpa r a iso a n d Con cepcion .
Th e loca l even t in Con cepcion , a r r a n ged
u n der th e a u spices of th e UN E P / Ha bita t
Su sta in a ble Cities P r ogr a m m e (SCP ), took
pla ce a ga in st th e ba ck gr ou n d of a fir e in Sa n
Vin cen te Bay, wh ich a lm ost destr oyed a r efi n er y. Good loca l in du str y su ppor t w a s r eceived
fr om Dow a n d Oxych em . La n d u se pla n n in g,
h a za r d iden tifica tion , tr a n spor t of h a za r dou s
m a ter ia ls a n d com m u n ity pa r ticipa tion wer e
a ll im por ta n t issu es. Th e wor k sh op h a s led to
th e esta blish m en t of a n a ctive AP E LL Coor din a tin g Gr ou p. Th e Un iver sity of Con cepcion is in th e pr ocess of esta blish in g a com pu ter lin k w ith th e fir e depa r tm en t a n d w ill
be cr ea tin g its ow n em er gen cy pr epa r edn ess
cen tr e, u sin g CAME O. Addition a lly, th e coor din a tin g gr ou p is con tin u in g to a ssem ble
a n in ven tor y of da n ger ou s m a ter ia ls in th e
com m u n ity. F in a lly, a loca l gr ou p wen t to
In dia , w ith su ppor t fr om SCP, to obser ve a
[ 128 ]
loca l em er gen cy pla n n in g com m ission a n d
lea r n fr om its oper a tion a l exper ien ces.
In Septem ber 1996 a wor k sh op on “AP E LL
for Por t Ar ea s” w a s h eld in Va lpa r a iso. On
27-29 N ovem ber 1996 a wor k sh op w a s h eld in
Iqu iqu e to in tr odu ce AP E LL to Ch ile’s n or th er n m ost r e gion . An in ter n a tion a l con gr ess
on “Sa fety on Sea a n d in Por ts” w a s h eld in
Va lpa r a iso in May 1997.
India
Th e ga s lea k a t th e Un ion Ca r bide pesticides
pla n t in Bh opa l in Decem ber 1984 k illed m or e
th a n 1,750 people ou tr igh t. In Apr il 1993 it w a s
r epor ted th a t th e tota l dea th toll u n til th a t
da te h a d been officia lly estim a ted a t 3,828.
E igh t Un ion Ca r bide officia ls wer e a t th a t
tim e u n der in dictm en t for cu lpa ble h om icide
in con n ection w ith th e a cciden t.
In dia h a s a n exten sive le gisla tive a n d r e gu la tor y fr a m ewor k for m a jor h a za r d con tr ol
a n d en vir on m en ta l pr otection . At th e Decem ber 1994 m eetin g of th e AP E LL Sen ior Level
E xper t Advisor y Gr ou p, th e r epr esen ta tive of
th e Min istr y of E n vir on m en t a n d For ests
r epor ted th a t fu r th er m ea su r es wer e bein g
u n der ta k en to str en gth en off-site em er gen cy
m a n a gem en t:
• h a za r d a n a lysis in 15 in du str ia l pock ets;
• pr epa r a tion of m odel off-site em er gen cy
pla n s;
• cr ea tion of th r ee ch em ica l em er gen cy
r espon se cen tr es;
• fu n din g of th r ee levels of a cciden t pr even tion a n d pr epa r edn ess tr a in in g in seven
in stitu tes.
At loca l level th e N a tion a l Sa fety Cou n cil
(N SC), a n a u ton om ou s body of th e Min istr y of
La bou r, is im plem en tin g a n a tion a l level
a ction pr ogr a m m e (AP ) on ch em ica l em er gen cy pr even tion , pr epa r edn ess a n d
r espon se, focu sin g on a n u m ber of h igh -r isk
in du str ia l a r ea s in differ en t pa r ts of th e cou n tr y plu s n a tion a l level a ctivities. Su ppor t h a s
been given th r ou gh WE C’s LAMP
pr ogr a m m e.
Th e Ma n a li-E n n or e in du str ia l a r ea n ea r
Ma dr a s w a s selected for a n in itia l AP E LL
pilot pr oject, wh ich be ga n in October 1992. An
E m er gen cy P r epa r edn ess Com m ittee h a d
a lr ea dy been set u p in Septem ber 1990, w ith
in pu t fr om a bou t 20 loca l in du str ies. It h a s
pr epa r ed a n d distr ibu ted 10,000 copies of a
book on pu blic aw a r en ess a n d a video in
Ta m il a n d E n glish h a s been m a de for u se a t
villa ge level. Th e com m ittee h a s a lso pu blish ed a con den sed ver sion of th e a r ea off-site
em er gen cy pla n to in tr odu ce th e topic to
con cer n ed gover n m en t a gen cies. Th e pla n
w a s tested in Apr il 1994, a ver y wor th wh ile
Jane t B. Ste ve ns
Aware ne ss and pre pare dne ss
fo r e me rge nc ie s at lo c al le ve l
– UNEP’ s APELL pro gramme
Enviro nme ntal Manage me nt
and He alth
9 / 3 [1 9 9 8 ] 1 2 4 –1 2 9
exer cise a s it w a s fou n d to n eed a n u m ber of
im pr ovem en ts.
AP E LL h a s sin ce been in tr odu ced in
Th a n e-Bela pu r (n ea r Bom bay), Ka n pu r (Utta r
P r a desh ), Coch in (Ker a la ), Ha ldia (West
Ben ga l) a n d Ba r oda (Gu ja r a t). In -depth follow -u p h a s in clu ded tr a in in g cou r ses on
“Ch em ica l em er gen cy pr epa r edn ess”, ba sed
on th e cou r se developed by US E PA; a sem in a r on “E m er gen cy m edica l r espon se to
ch em ica l disa ster s” a n d a u dits of pu blic h ospita ls;h a n ds-on tr a in in g cou r ses on “CAME O
for fir st r espon der s” a n d distr ibu tion of
CAME O softw a r e; ta ble-top exer cises; a n d
m ock em er gen cy dr ills.
In 1995 a th r ee-day wor k sh op on “Com m u n ity Aw a r en ess” w a s developed. Th is h a s
sin ce been con du cted in a n u m ber of loca l
a r ea s. Du r in g 1996 a m odu le on tr a n spor ta tion of h a za r dou s m a ter ia ls w a s developed
a n d piloted in Mu m ba i a n d Ma dr a s.
The future of APELL
At th e October 1996 m eetin g of th e AP E LL
Sen ior Level Advisor y Gr ou p, r ecom m en da tion s in clu ded:
• a 1997-99 AP E LL th r ee-yea r wor k pr ogr a m m e wh ich r efl ects th e con tr ibu tion s
bein g m a de w ith in pa r tn er cou n tr ies a n d
by pa r tn er or ga n iza tion s a n d wh ich con cen tr a tes on h elpin g th ose wh o a r e w illin g
to h elp th em selves a n d oth er s;
• en h a n cem en t of th e existin g AP E LL tools
a n d developm en t of n ew on es, pa r ticu la r ly
a n “AP E LL Sta r ter Kit” to su ppor t th e
im plem en ta tion of AP E LL a fter a n in itia l
n a tion a l in tr odu ction ;
• fu r th er com m u n ica tion of AP E LL’s
“u n iqu e sellin g poin ts”, e.g. its con tr ibu tion to a cciden t pr even tion a n d m itiga tion
a n d th er eby to in du str y cost con tr ol a n d
its con tr ibu tion to com m u n ity em power m en t;
• r e gion a l in for m a tion exch a n ge a n d m u tu a l
su ppor t to be developed th r ou gh UN E P
r e gion a l offices;
• in volvem en t of oth er in du str y pa r tn er s,
e.g. th e possible r ole of th e in su r a n ce in du str y.
It is cer ta in ly th e ca se th a t fu r th er pr ogr ess
w ill depen d cr u cia lly on com m itm en t by
pa r tn er s a t n a tion a l a n d loca l level to m a k e
AP E LL “stick ”. UN E P IE in tu r n is com m itted to su ppor tin g th ose pa r tn er s w ith in for m a tion a n d exper tise.
Conclusion
Th er e is a w idespr ea d a n d gr ow in g dem a n d
for AP E LL fr om gover n m en ts, in du str ies a n d
com m u n ities a ll r ou n d th e wor ld. AP E LL h a s
esta blish ed itself a s a tool for self-h elp in th e
pr ocess of cr ea tin g co-or din a ted em er gen cy
pla n s a n d a gr eein g a n d im plem en tin g aw a r en ess a n d pr epa r edn ess pr ogr a m m es. It h a s
pr oved to be ea sily a da pta ble to existin g in itia tives a n d loca l cir cu m sta n ces.
It is cer ta in th a t we sh a ll n ever be a ble to
say h ow m a n y a cciden ts AP E LL h a s h elped to
aver t. However, th e pr ogr a m m e h a s
con tr ibu ted to r a isin g gen er a l aw a r en ess of
th e m a jor a cciden ts issu e a n d to sta r tin g
con cr ete a ctivities to bu ild u p loca l a n d
n a tion a l ca pa bilities for th e pr even tion of
a cciden ts a n d for th e m itiga tion of th eir
effects sh ou ld th ey n on eth eless occu r. In th is
sen se it h a s cer ta in ly be gu n to fu lfil its pu r pose, a lth ou gh th er e a r e still m a n y cou n tr ies
to go befor e its objectives ca n be sa id to h ave
been com pletely a ch ieved.
[ 129 ]
local level – UNEP’s APELL programme
Janet B. Stevens
UNEP Industry and Enviro nme nt, Paris, Franc e
The ten-step APELL process,
as set out in the APELL Handbook , is described, together
with the roles of the APELL
partners and ways of starting
APELL. An account of UNEP’s
APELL programme is given.
The progress of APELL
throughout the world is discussed and a view is offered
about how the programme
can be further implemented
and made more effective.
Introduction
Aw a r en ess a n d pr epa r edn ess for em er gen cies
a t loca l level (AP E LL) is a tool developed by
th e Un ited N a tion s E n vir on m en t
P r ogr a m m e’s In du str y a n d E n vir on m en t
office (UN E P IE ), in con ju n ction w ith gover n m en ts a n d in du str y. Its pu r pose is to m in im ize th e occu r r en ce a n d h a r m fu l effects of
tech n ologica l a cciden ts a n d em er gen cies,
pa r ticu la r ly, th ou gh n ot exclu sively, in developin g cou n tr ies. AP E LL w a s la u n ch ed in
1988, follow in g va r iou s in du str ia l a cciden ts
wh ich h a d a dver se im pa cts on h ea lth a n d th e
en vir on m en t – Bh opa l in 1984 a n d th e Sa n doz
w a r eh ou se fi r e n ea r Ba sel in 1986, wh ich
r esu lted in exten sive con ta m in a tion of th e
Rh in e, a r e obviou s exa m ples.
Th is pa per descr ibes th e AP E LL pr ocess
a n d som e of th e tools wh ich h ave been developed to im plem en t it, especia lly th e A PEL L
Ha n d b ook . Som e of th e a ctivities of UN E P ’s
AP E LL pr ogr a m m e a r e a lso descr ibed a n d
exa m ples of AP E LL im plem en ta tion a r e
given . F in a lly th e fu tu r e of AP E LL is con sider ed.
It is su ggested th a t AP E LL is u sefu l in a n y
situ a tion wh ich r equ ir es join t pla n n in g for
disa ster s by sever a l pa r ties, e.g. gover n m en t,
in du str y a n d loca l com m u n ities. Bein g aw a r e
a n d pr epa r ed m ea n s h avin g wor k a ble, r ea listic pla n s in th e even t th a t a n a cciden t does
occu r. It a lso m ea n s cr ea tin g a better u n der sta n din g of loca l h a za r ds, wh ich in tu r n
sh ou ld lea d to a ction s design ed to pr even t
a cciden ts fr om h a ppen in g a t a ll.
The APELL process
Enviro nme ntal Manage me nt
and He alth
9 / 3 [ 1998] 1 2 4 –1 2 9
© MCB Unive rsity Pre ss
[ ISSN 0956-6163]
[ 124 ]
Why APELL?
It is n ow u n iver sa lly a ck n ow ledged th a t ever y
disa ster, wh a tever th e ca u se, m ay h ave a n
en vir on m en ta l im pa ct. Wh ile som e m a jor
in du str ia l a cciden ts ca n be con ta in ed w ith in
th e bou n da r ies of th e pla n t, in oth er ca ses
th er e a r e im pa cts on th e su r r ou n din g n eigh bor h ood, w ith a dver se sh or t- or lon g-ter m
con sequ en ces a ffectin g life, life-su ppor t system s, th e socia l fa br ic or pr oper ty. Th is is
even m or e tr u e of a cciden ts a r isin g fr om
tr a n spor t of da n ger ou s goods, e.g. by r oa d,
r a il or pipelin e, th r ou gh or close to popu la ted
a r ea s, sin ce by defi n ition th er e is n o bou n da r y fen ce in th ese ca ses. Th e exten t of th e
losses so ca u sed depen ds to a la r ge exten t on
th e a ction s of th e fir st r espon der s to a n em er gen cy, a t th e scen e of th e a cciden t a n d w ith in
th e com m u n ity a r ou n d it.
Clea r ly, a dequ a te r espon se to su ch situ a tion s ca lls for co-oper a tion between va r iou s
in stitu tion s a n d in dividu a ls. Th is ca n be
a ch ieved on ly if th er e is aw a r en ess w ith in th e
com m u n ity of possible r isk s a n d of th e n eed
for join t pr epa r edn ess to cope w ith th eir
con sequ en ces. Th e A PEL L Ha n d b ook
descr ibes a pr ocess for im pr ovin g com m u n ity
aw a r en ess a n d em er gen cy pr epa r edn ess a n d
a ch ievin g co-oper a tion between th e va r iou s
pa r ties in volved.
What is APELL?
AP E LL con sists of two pa r ts:
1 pr ovision of in for m a tion to th e com m u n ity, r efer r ed to a s “com m u n ity aw a r en ess”;
2 for m u la tion of a pla n to pr otect people,
pr oper ty a n d th e en vir on m en t, r efer r ed to
a s “em er gen cy r espon se”.
AP E LL a ddr esses a ll em er gen cies w ith poten tia l for fir e, explosion , spills or r elea ses of
h a za r dou s m a ter ia ls. Th e possibility of “com bin a tion a cciden ts” sh ou ld be n oted a t th is
poin t; for exa m ple, a n ea r th qu a k e wh ich
tr igger s a n em er gen cy in a ch em ica l fa ctor y.
Th e deter m in a tion of wh ich poten tia l h a za r ds sh ou ld be cover ed by th e AP E LL pr ocess
is in pr in ciple th e r esu lt of a r isk a ssessm en t.
In m ost ca ses, h owever, com m on sen se w ill be
su fficien t to iden tify th e fa cilities or a r ea s
wh ich pr esen t a r isk of a m a jor a cciden t. Th e
cr iter ia (lists of su bsta n ces a n d th r esh old
levels) given in in ter n a tion a l or n a tion a l
r e gu la tion s or r ecom m en da tion s m ay a lso
pr ovide gu ida n ce.
AP E LL is flexible. Cou n tr ies differ in cu ltu r e, va lu e system s, le ga l a n d r e gu la tor y
r equ ir em en ts, com m u n ity in fr a str u ctu r e a n d
r espon se ca pa bilities a n d r esou r ces. Th eir
in du str ies pr esen t differ en t poten tia l da n ger s. However, th ey h ave on e com m on n eed –
th e n eed to cope w ith a m a jor tech n ologica l
a cciden t a ffectin g a loca l com m u n ity. Th e
Jane t B. Ste ve ns
Aware ne ss and pre pare dne ss
fo r e me rge nc ie s at lo c al le ve l
– UNEP’ s APELL pro gramme
Enviro nme ntal Manage me nt
and He alth
9 / 3 [1 9 9 8 ] 1 2 4 –1 2 9
A PEL L Ha n d b ook pr ovides th e ba sic con cepts for th e developm en t of a ction pla n s
wh ich ca n be a da pted to loca l con dition s. N o
le gisla tion or r e gu la tion is n eeded. Sin ce th e
con ta in m en t of h ea lth a n d en vir on m en ta l
im pa cts depen ds on th e speed a n d scope of
th e in itia l loca l r espon se, em ph a sis is pla ced
on loca l pa r ticipa tion . However, it is r ecogn ized th a t n a tion a l gover n m en ts a n d th e
ch ief execu tive officer s of in du str ies h ave a
fu n da m en ta l r ole in pr om otin g a n d su ppor tin g th ese loca l effor ts. In du str y a ssocia tion s
a lso h ave a n im por ta n t pa r t to play in en cou r a gin g in du str y pa r ticipa tion .
Th e AP E LL pr ocess con sists of ten steps, a s
follow s:
1 iden tify th e em er gen cy r espon se pa r ticipa n ts a n d esta blish th eir r oles, r esou r ces
a n d con cer n s;
2 eva lu a te th e h a za r ds a n d r isk s th a t m ay
r esu lt in em er gen cy situ a tion s in th e com m u n ity;
3 h ave pa r ticipa n ts r eview th eir ow n em er gen cy r espon se pla n s for a dequ a cy r ela tive
to a co-or din a ted r espon se;
4 iden tify th e r equ ir ed r espon se ta sk s n ot
cover ed by existin g pla n s;
5 m a tch th ese ta sk s to th e r esou r ces ava ila ble fr om th e iden tifi ed pa r ticipa n ts;
6 m a k e th e ch a n ges n ecessa r y to im pr ove
existin g pla n s, in te gr a te th em in to a n
over a ll com m u n ity pla n a n d ga in a gr eem en t;
7 com m it th e in te gr a ted com m u n ity pla n to
w r itin g a n d obta in a ppr ova l fr om loca l
gover n m en ts;
8 edu ca te pa r ticipa tin g gr ou ps a bou t th e
in te gr a ted pla n a n d en su r e th a t a ll em er gen cy r espon der s a r e tr a in ed;
9 esta blish pr ocedu r es for per iodic testin g,
r eview a n d u pda tin g of th e pla n ;
10 edu ca te th e gen er a l com m u n ity a bou t th e
in te gr a ted pla n .
Th e A PEL L Ha n d b ook descr ibes th e con ten t
of ea ch step a n d pr ovides a ch eck list for com pletin g it.
Who are the APELL partners? What are
their responsibilities?
At th e loca l level th er e a r e th r ee ver y im por ta n t pa r tn er s wh o m u st be in volved if AP E LL
is to su cceed:
1 L oca l a u th or ities. Th ese m ay in clu de
pr ovin cia l, distr ict, city or tow n officia ls,
eith er elected or a ppoin ted, wh o a r e
r espon sible for sa fety, pu blic h ea lth a n d
en vir on m en ta l pr otection in th eir a r ea .
2 In d u str y. In du str ia l pla n t m a n a ger s fr om
eith er sta te-ow n ed or pr iva te com pa n ies
a r e r espon sible for sa fety a n d a cciden t
pr even tion in th eir oper a tion s. Th ey
pr epa r e specifi c em er gen cy m ea su r es
w ith in th e pla n t a n d r eview th eir a pplica tion . Bu t th eir r espon sibilities do n ot stop
a t th e bou n da r y fen ce. As lea der s of in du str ia l gr ow th a n d developm en t, th ey a r e in
th e best position to in ter a ct w ith lea der s of
loca l a u th or ities a n d com m u n ity gr ou ps,
in or der to cr ea te aw a r en ess of h ow th e
in du str ia l fa cility oper a tes a n d h ow it
cou ld a ffect its en vir on m en t a n d to h elp
pr epa r e a ppr opr ia te com m u n ity r espon se
pla n s in th e even t of a n em er gen cy. Th e
in volvem en t a n d a ctive pa r ticipa tion of
th e wor k for ce is a lso ver y im por ta n t.
3 L oca l com m u n ity a n d in terest grou ps. Su ch
a s en vir on m en ta l, h ea lth , socia l ca r e,
m edia a n d r eligiou s or ga n iza tion s a n d
lea der s in th e edu ca tion a l a n d bu sin ess
sector s, wh o r epr esen t th e con cer n s a n d
view s of th eir m em ber s or con stitu en ts in
th e com m u n ity.
Th er e a r e oth er pa r tn er s, e.g. n on -gover n m en ta l or ga n iza tion s (N GOs). Th e AP E LL
pr ocess is design ed to h a r m on ize w ith oth er
in itia tives to r edu ce r isk s a n d th eir con sequ en ces, n ot to r epla ce th em .
How can an APELL project be started?
Th e AP E LL pr ocess m ay be in itia ted by a n y
m em ber of th e th r ee in volved gr ou ps: in du str y m a n a ger s, loca l a u th or ities or com m u n ity
lea der s. However, th er e m u st th en be dir ect
a n d close in ter a ction between th e r epr esen ta tives of th e th r ee pa r tn er s. A “br idge” is cr ea ted by m ea n s of th e “AP E LL Co-or din a tin g
Gr ou p”. Th is is th e m a in spr in g of th e
pr ocess. Th e gr ou p does n ot itself h ave a n y
oper a tion a l r ole du r in g a n em er gen cy bu t
exists to pr epa r e th e va r iou s pa r tn er s to be
r ea dy a n d to k n ow th eir ta sk s if a n a cciden t
does occu r. Mem ber s m u st be a ble to com m a n d th e r espect of th eir va r iou s con stitu en cies a n d be w illin g to wor k togeth er in th e
in ter ests of loca l sa fety, wellbein g a n d pr oper ty secu r ity. In pa r ticu la r loca l pla n t m a n a ger s n eed to be a ctive pa r ticipa n ts a n d loca l
a u th or ity a n d com m u n ity lea der s n eed to
k n ow th a t th ey a r e a ctin g w ith th e blessin g
a n d fu ll a u th or ity of th e m ost sen ior m a n a ger s in th eir com pa n ies. Th e lea der of th e
co-or din a tin g gr ou p sh ou ld idea lly be a ble to
en su r e th e m otiva tion a n d co-oper a tion of a ll
se gm en ts of loca l society, r e ga r dless of cu ltu r a l, econ om ic, edu ca tion a l a n d oth er dissim ila r ities, a n d th is n eeds to be bor n e in
m in d wh en ch oosin g th e lea der.
Th e AP E LL pr ocess is design ed to bu ild on
a n y a n d a ll existin g em er gen cy pla n s to cr ea te a co-or din a ted sin gle loca l pla n . Th er e
m ay be n a tion a l gover n m en t em er gen cy
pla n s in pla ce, bu t th er e is a lw ays th e n eed for
[ 125 ]
Jane t B. Ste ve ns
Aware ne ss and pre pare dne ss
fo r e me rge nc ie s at lo c al le ve l
– UNEP’ s APELL pro gramme
Enviro nme ntal Manage me nt
and He alth
9 / 3 [1 9 9 8 ] 1 2 4 –1 2 9
a n effective str u ctu r e a t loca l level. In du str ia l
fa cilities sh ou ld a lr ea dy h ave on -site em er gen cy pla n s. Loca l a u th or ities a n d r escu e
ser vices sh ou ld h ave pla n s to dea l w ith th e
con sequ en ces of m a jor em er gen cies. Loca l
h ospita ls sh ou ld cer ta in ly h ave th eir ow n
“m a jor a cciden t pla n s” for dea lin g w ith la r ge
n u m ber s of ser iou sly in ju r ed people. Th e
AP E LL pr ocess en su r es th a t a ll existin g
pla n s con tr ibu te to th e over a ll in te gr a ted, cooper a tive pla n .
How can community awareness be
created?
Citizen s w a n t to k n ow if poten tia lly
h a za r dou s m a ter ia ls a r e bein g pr odu ced,
stor ed, u sed or tr a n spor ted in th eir com m u n ities. In a ddition th ey n eed to be in for m ed
a bou t poten tia l r isk s in or der to u n der sta n d
wh y a n em er gen cy pla n h a s been esta blish ed,
h ow it wor k s a n d wh a t a ction th ey a r e
expected to ta k e in a n em er gen cy.
Th er e is r ea lly n oth in g m yster iou s a bou t a
com m u n ity aw a r en ess pr ogr a m m e. A fen cedin in du str ia l pla n t ca n look th r ea ten in g to th e
pu blic, bu t m u ch of th e m yster y disa ppea r s
wh en people k n ow wh a t th e pla n t u ses a n d
m a n u fa ctu r es a n d k n ow th a t it h a s a good
sa fety r ecor d a n d th a t a n effective em er gen cy
pla n exists.
N o on e ca n pr escr ibe th e a ctivities n ecessa r y for a loca l aw a r en ess pr ogr a m m e th a t
w ill fit ever y com m u n ity. However, th e follow in g poin ts sh ou ld be con sider ed:
• defin e th e loca l com m u n ity con cer n ed;
• list existin g loca l com m u n ity con ta cts;
• con ta ct oth er in du str ia l fa cilities to coor din a te com m u n ity a ctivities;
• pla n a n in itia l m eetin g of th e AP E LL Coor din a tin g Gr ou p;
• develop fa ct sh eets or k its on ea ch in du str ia l oper a tion ;
• develop fa ct sh eets on com m u n ity
pr epa r edn ess;
• a ssign r espon sibility for com m u n ica tion s
ta sk s;
• look for com m u n ica tion oppor tu n ities;
• select m eth ods of com m u n ica tion su ita ble
for loca l cir cu m sta n ces;
• get ou tside h elp;
• in for m em ployees.
In pr epa r in g a n d bu ildin g com m u n ity aw a r en ess th e follow in g sh ou ld be bor n e in m in d:
• a ll pa r ties a ctive in th e AP E LL pr ocess
h ave a du ty to k eep th e pu blic in for m ed
a bou t pr ogr ess a n d to en su r e th a t th e
pu blic does n ot r eceive con fl ictin g m essa ges;
• developin g r ela tion sh ips w ith th e m edia
r equ ir es tim e a n d effor t fr om ever ybody
con cer n ed;
[ 126 ]
• m edia r ela tion s effor ts, lik e loca l co-oper a tion pr ogr a m m es, ca n n ot be sta r ted a fter
tr ou ble h a s a lr ea dy a r isen .
How can preparedness for emergencies be
achieved?
Am on g th e fi r st steps in th e pla n n in g pr ocess
a r e th e ga th er in g of in for m a tion a n d th e
a ssessm en t of th e cu r r en t situ a tion . Th er efor e on e of th e fi r st ta sk s fa ced by th e AP E LL
Co-or din a tin g Gr ou p is th e collection of ba sic
da ta . Th is ca n be don e by per son a l con ta cts
or by m or e for m a l su r veys, in or der to:
• iden tify loca l a gen cies m a k in g u p th e com m u n ity’s poten tia l aw a r en ess a n d pr epa r edn ess n etwor k ;
• iden tify th e r isk s wh ich m ay lea d to a n
em er gen cy;
• esta blish th e cu r r en t sta tu s of com m u n ity
pla n n in g a n d co-or din a tion a n d en su r e th a t
poten tia l over la ps a r e avoided;
• iden tify th e specific com m u n ity poin ts of
con ta ct a n d th eir r espon sibilities in a n
em er gen cy;
• list th e k in d of equ ipm en t a n d m a ter ia ls for
em er gen cy r espon se wh ich a r e ava ila ble
loca lly;
• iden tify th e or ga n iza tion a l str u ctu r e for
h a n dlin g em er gen cies;
• ch eck if th e com m u n ity h a s specia lized
em er gen cy tea m s to r espon d to r elea ses of
h a za r dou s m a ter ia ls;
• defin e th e com m u n ity em er gen cy tr a n spor t
n etwor k ;
• esta blish th e com m u n ity pr ocedu r es for
pr otectin g citizen s du r in g em er gen cies;
• set u p a m ech a n ism wh ich en a bles r espon der s to exch a n ge in for m a tion or idea s w ith
oth er pa r ties du r in g a n em er gen cy.
Th ese a r e on ly som e of th e m a jor issu es
wh ich w ill h ave to be r esolved w ith in or by
th e co-or din a tin g gr ou p. Mor e deta ils ca n be
fou n d in th e A PEL L Ha n d b ook .
UNEP IE’s APELL programme
UN E P IE ’s r ole in th e developm en t of th e
AP E LL pr ogr a m m e is a ca ta lytic on e. A m in im u m cor e sta ff (a co-or din a tor a n d two-th ir ds
of a secr eta r y) pr ovide ba ck -u p a n d th e developm en t of fu r th er tools to su ppor t th e AP E LL
pr ocess a n d a lso or ga n ize or br ok er exper t
tech n ica l su ppor t for AP E LL pilot a n d
dem on str a tion pr ojects wh er ever possible.
Th ese pr ojects a r e u n der ta k en in cr ea sin gly
in pa r tn er sh ip w ith oth er or ga n iza tion s,
n a tion a l or loca l bu t a lso in ter n a tion a l. F ield
wor k h a s been a n d is bein g u n der ta k en in cooper a tion w ith th e UN Depa r tm en t for
Hu m a n ita r ia n Affa ir s, th e UN Cen tr e for
Hu m a n Settlem en ts (Ha bita t) a n d th e Wor ld
Jane t B. Ste ve ns
Aware ne ss and pre pare dne ss
fo r e me rge nc ie s at lo c al le ve l
– UNEP’ s APELL pro gramme
Enviro nme ntal Manage me nt
and He alth
9 / 3 [1 9 9 8 ] 1 2 4 –1 2 9
E n vir on m en t Cen tr e (WE C), a US-ba sed N GO.
Som e exa m ples of con cr ete AP E LL pr ojects
a r e descr ibed in th e follow in g section
(“AP E LL wor ldw ide”).
Th e m a in AP E LL tools a n d pu blica tion s
developed by UN E P IE a r e:
The APELL Handbook
Sin ce its la u n ch in 1988, m or e th a n 10,000
copies h ave been distr ibu ted wor ldw ide in
E n glish , F r en ch a n d Spa n ish . Th e h a n dbook
h a s a lso been tr a n sla ted in to 17 oth er la n gu a ges: Ar a bic, Ch in ese, Cr oa tia n , Czech ,
E ston ia n , Hin di, Hu n ga r ia n , In don esia n ,
Ita lia n , Kor ea n , La tvia n , Lith u a n ia n , Polish ,
Por tu gu ese, Ru ssia n , Th a i a n d Tu r k ish . Th e
h a n dbook is design ed to h elp people sta r t
pu ttin g AP E LL in to pr a ctice th em selves.
The APELL Newsletter
Th e N ew sletter a ppea r s tw ice a yea r in E n glish , F r en ch , Spa n ish a n d Ch in ese. F r om
Issu e N o. 15, th e fir st of 1997, it is bein g pu blish ed in E n glish a s a n in te gr a ted pa r t of
UN E P IE ’s m a in per iodica l pu blica tion ,
In d u str y a n d En viron m en t R eview . UN E P IE
w ill con tin u e to distr ibu te it, in E n glish ,
F r en ch or Spa n ish a s a ppr opr ia te, to AP E LL
u ser s wh o a r e n ot su bscr iber s to th e R eview.
Th e N ew sletter k eeps r ea der s in for m ed of
cu r r en t AP E LL or AP E LL-r ela ted a ctivities,
a s well a s n a tion a l a n d r e gion a l pr ogr a m m es
a n d AP E LL-r ela ted even ts.
Computer assisted management of
emergency operations (CAM EO)
Th e Un ited Sta tes E n vir on m en ta l P r otection
Agen cy (US E PA) h a s a da pted its CAME O
softw a r e for in ter n a tion a l a pplica tion s by
AP E LL u ser s wor ldw ide. (N B th is softw a r e is
n ot ava ila ble dir ectly fr om UN E P IE .) A Win dow s-ba sed ver sion is ju st n ow becom in g
ava ila ble. E ffor ts a r e a lso bein g m a de to m a k e
CAME O ava ila ble in Spa n ish .
APELL-related publications
1 UN E P IE Tech n ica l Repor t Ser ies:
• 3, S tora ge of Ha z a rd ou s M a ter ia ls;
• 8, In ter n a tion a l Director y of Em ergen cy
R espon se Cen tres (join t pu blica tion w ith
OE CD, cu r r en tly u n der r evision );
• 12, Ha z a rd Id en tifi ca tion a n d Eva lu a tion
in a L oca l Com m u n ity (w ith th e su ppor t
of th e Swedish gover n m en t);
• 19, Hea lth A spects of Ch em ica l A ccid en ts
(join t pu blica tion w ith OE CD, WHO a n d
IP CS);
• 21, A PEL L A n n ota ted B ibliogra ph y (w ith
th e su ppor t of th e Ca n a dia n
gover n m en t); a n d in pr epa r a tion :
• 28, S a fety, Hea lth a n d En viron m en ta l
M a n a gem en t S ystem s;
• 35, “T ra n sA PEL L” (AP E LL for a cciden ts
a r isin g fr om th e tr a n spor t of da n ger ou s
goods).
2 A PEL L for Por t A rea s (join t pu blica tion
w ith IMO).
3 A PEL L Worldw id e – a set of 12 n a tion a l
over view s of AP E LL im plem en ta tion , in :
Br a zil, Ch in a , In dia , Mexico, Colom bia ,
th e P h ilippin es, Th a ila n d, Tu n isia , Th e
Czech Repu blic, Hu n ga r y, La tvia a n d th e
Ru ssia n Feder a tion .
In pr epa r a tion – a n ou tlin e First R espon d ers’
Ha n d b ook .
UN E P IE a lso distr ibu tes th e OE CD’s Gu id in g Pr in ciples for Ch em ica l A ccid en t Prev en tion , Prepa red n ess a n d R espon se a n d a ssocia ted pu blica tion s.
APELL worldwide
Sin ce its in ception in la te 1988 AP E LL h a s
been in tr odu ced in a bou t 30 cou n tr ies a r ou n d
th e wor ld. Re gion a l or su b-r e gion a l AP E LL
sem in a r / wor k sh ops h ave been h eld for :
• La tin Am er ica a n d th e Ca r ibbea n (Mexico
City, 1990);
• For m er USSR (Moscow, 1991);
• Cou n tr ies of West Asia (Ca ir o, 1993);
• Asia a n d th e P a cific (Sh a n gh a i, 1993);
• Ba ltic Sta tes (La tvia , 1994; E ston ia , 1995);
• Sou th er n La tin Am er ica (Sa n tia go, 1995).
N a tion a l a n d/ or loca l even ts h ave been h eld
in :
• Ar gen tin a (1996);
• Ba h r a in (1989);
• Br a zil (1990, 1992 a n d 1995);
• Ch ile (1995);
• Colom bia (1990, 1996);
• Czech Repu blic (1992);
• E gypt (1992);
• Hu n ga r y (1992);
• In dia (1992, 1994, 1995, 1996);
• In don esia (1994);
• Kor ea (1996);
• Mexico (1993, 1995);
• Th e P h ilippin es (1990);
• Ru ssia n Feder a tion (1994);
• Tu n isia (1990, 1991);
• Tu r k ey (1991);
• Ven e zu ela (1995, 1996);
• Yem en (1992).
Som e of th ese even ts, pa r ticu la r ly in In dia
a n d Mexico, h ave been or ga n ized w ith a n d
th r ou gh th e Wor ld E n vir on m en t Cen tr e’s
Loca l Aw a r en ess a n d Mitiga tion P r ogr a m m e
(LAMP ).
T ra n sA PEL L h a s been piloted in Sweden
a n d La tvia , in co-oper a tion w ith th e Swedish
N a tion a l Rescu e Ser vices Agen cy.
[ 127 ]
Jane t B. Ste ve ns
Aware ne ss and pre pare dne ss
fo r e me rge nc ie s at lo c al le ve l
– UNEP’ s APELL pro gramme
Enviro nme ntal Manage me nt
and He alth
9 / 3 [1 9 9 8 ] 1 2 4 –1 2 9
Som e exa m ples follow of AP E LL-r ela ted
a ctivities in differ en t cou n tr ies.
Bahrain
Recom m en da tion s fr om th e AP E LL Wor k sh op h eld in N ovem ber 1989 in clu ded th e
cr ea tion of a n AP E LL Co-or din a tin g Gr ou p
a n d pr ogr a m m e; com pletion of r espon se
m a n u a ls a n d of th e N a tion a l P la n for E m er gen cy Respon se; a n d th e or ga n iza tion of
dr ills a n d tr a in in g pr ogr a m m es. Law N o. 5 of
1990, issu ed by th e Am ir i Decr ee, a ccor din gly
defin ed goa ls, objectives a n d m a n da te for civil
defen ce to r evise th e N a tion a l P la n for E m er gen cy Respon se, a im ed a t pr oper ly str u ctu r ed
a n d effective r espon se m ech a n ism s for ea ch
m a jor in du str y a n d fir m . Th e AP E LL
n a tion a l com m ittee h a s en h a n ced th e coor din a tion between a ll m a jor fir m s a n d
between th em a n d th e gover n m en t depa r tm en ts con cer n ed. Ma jor in du str ia l fir m s
h ave th eir ow n fi r e a n d sa fety sta ff bu t civil
defen ce a n d th e fi r e ser vice a r e a lso su m m on ed to in ciden ts a n d co-oper a te in con ju n ction w ith pla n t m a n a gem en t a n d tech n ica l sta ff. Du r in g th e la st fou r yea r s m a jor
join t exer cises h ave been h eld a t Ba h r a in
In ter n a tion a l Air por t, th e BAP CO r efi n er y
a n d a t a n LP G stor e in a m a r in e ter m in a l.
E n vir on m en ta l im pa ct a ssessm en t, in clu din g
r isk a ssessm en t, is ca r r ied ou t for a ll pr ojects, w ith specia l r efer en ce to stor a ge, h a n dlin g, a n d disposa l of ch em ica ls a n d
h a za r dou s m a ter ia ls.
Chile
Th r ee AP E LL even ts wer e h eld in Ch ile du r in g 1995 to in tr odu ce AP E LL a n d ca ta lyse its
im plem en ta tion ; a n a tion a l even t in Sa n tia go
a n d two loca l even ts in Va lpa r a iso a n d Con cepcion .
Th e loca l even t in Con cepcion , a r r a n ged
u n der th e a u spices of th e UN E P / Ha bita t
Su sta in a ble Cities P r ogr a m m e (SCP ), took
pla ce a ga in st th e ba ck gr ou n d of a fir e in Sa n
Vin cen te Bay, wh ich a lm ost destr oyed a r efi n er y. Good loca l in du str y su ppor t w a s r eceived
fr om Dow a n d Oxych em . La n d u se pla n n in g,
h a za r d iden tifica tion , tr a n spor t of h a za r dou s
m a ter ia ls a n d com m u n ity pa r ticipa tion wer e
a ll im por ta n t issu es. Th e wor k sh op h a s led to
th e esta blish m en t of a n a ctive AP E LL Coor din a tin g Gr ou p. Th e Un iver sity of Con cepcion is in th e pr ocess of esta blish in g a com pu ter lin k w ith th e fir e depa r tm en t a n d w ill
be cr ea tin g its ow n em er gen cy pr epa r edn ess
cen tr e, u sin g CAME O. Addition a lly, th e coor din a tin g gr ou p is con tin u in g to a ssem ble
a n in ven tor y of da n ger ou s m a ter ia ls in th e
com m u n ity. F in a lly, a loca l gr ou p wen t to
In dia , w ith su ppor t fr om SCP, to obser ve a
[ 128 ]
loca l em er gen cy pla n n in g com m ission a n d
lea r n fr om its oper a tion a l exper ien ces.
In Septem ber 1996 a wor k sh op on “AP E LL
for Por t Ar ea s” w a s h eld in Va lpa r a iso. On
27-29 N ovem ber 1996 a wor k sh op w a s h eld in
Iqu iqu e to in tr odu ce AP E LL to Ch ile’s n or th er n m ost r e gion . An in ter n a tion a l con gr ess
on “Sa fety on Sea a n d in Por ts” w a s h eld in
Va lpa r a iso in May 1997.
India
Th e ga s lea k a t th e Un ion Ca r bide pesticides
pla n t in Bh opa l in Decem ber 1984 k illed m or e
th a n 1,750 people ou tr igh t. In Apr il 1993 it w a s
r epor ted th a t th e tota l dea th toll u n til th a t
da te h a d been officia lly estim a ted a t 3,828.
E igh t Un ion Ca r bide officia ls wer e a t th a t
tim e u n der in dictm en t for cu lpa ble h om icide
in con n ection w ith th e a cciden t.
In dia h a s a n exten sive le gisla tive a n d r e gu la tor y fr a m ewor k for m a jor h a za r d con tr ol
a n d en vir on m en ta l pr otection . At th e Decem ber 1994 m eetin g of th e AP E LL Sen ior Level
E xper t Advisor y Gr ou p, th e r epr esen ta tive of
th e Min istr y of E n vir on m en t a n d For ests
r epor ted th a t fu r th er m ea su r es wer e bein g
u n der ta k en to str en gth en off-site em er gen cy
m a n a gem en t:
• h a za r d a n a lysis in 15 in du str ia l pock ets;
• pr epa r a tion of m odel off-site em er gen cy
pla n s;
• cr ea tion of th r ee ch em ica l em er gen cy
r espon se cen tr es;
• fu n din g of th r ee levels of a cciden t pr even tion a n d pr epa r edn ess tr a in in g in seven
in stitu tes.
At loca l level th e N a tion a l Sa fety Cou n cil
(N SC), a n a u ton om ou s body of th e Min istr y of
La bou r, is im plem en tin g a n a tion a l level
a ction pr ogr a m m e (AP ) on ch em ica l em er gen cy pr even tion , pr epa r edn ess a n d
r espon se, focu sin g on a n u m ber of h igh -r isk
in du str ia l a r ea s in differ en t pa r ts of th e cou n tr y plu s n a tion a l level a ctivities. Su ppor t h a s
been given th r ou gh WE C’s LAMP
pr ogr a m m e.
Th e Ma n a li-E n n or e in du str ia l a r ea n ea r
Ma dr a s w a s selected for a n in itia l AP E LL
pilot pr oject, wh ich be ga n in October 1992. An
E m er gen cy P r epa r edn ess Com m ittee h a d
a lr ea dy been set u p in Septem ber 1990, w ith
in pu t fr om a bou t 20 loca l in du str ies. It h a s
pr epa r ed a n d distr ibu ted 10,000 copies of a
book on pu blic aw a r en ess a n d a video in
Ta m il a n d E n glish h a s been m a de for u se a t
villa ge level. Th e com m ittee h a s a lso pu blish ed a con den sed ver sion of th e a r ea off-site
em er gen cy pla n to in tr odu ce th e topic to
con cer n ed gover n m en t a gen cies. Th e pla n
w a s tested in Apr il 1994, a ver y wor th wh ile
Jane t B. Ste ve ns
Aware ne ss and pre pare dne ss
fo r e me rge nc ie s at lo c al le ve l
– UNEP’ s APELL pro gramme
Enviro nme ntal Manage me nt
and He alth
9 / 3 [1 9 9 8 ] 1 2 4 –1 2 9
exer cise a s it w a s fou n d to n eed a n u m ber of
im pr ovem en ts.
AP E LL h a s sin ce been in tr odu ced in
Th a n e-Bela pu r (n ea r Bom bay), Ka n pu r (Utta r
P r a desh ), Coch in (Ker a la ), Ha ldia (West
Ben ga l) a n d Ba r oda (Gu ja r a t). In -depth follow -u p h a s in clu ded tr a in in g cou r ses on
“Ch em ica l em er gen cy pr epa r edn ess”, ba sed
on th e cou r se developed by US E PA; a sem in a r on “E m er gen cy m edica l r espon se to
ch em ica l disa ster s” a n d a u dits of pu blic h ospita ls;h a n ds-on tr a in in g cou r ses on “CAME O
for fir st r espon der s” a n d distr ibu tion of
CAME O softw a r e; ta ble-top exer cises; a n d
m ock em er gen cy dr ills.
In 1995 a th r ee-day wor k sh op on “Com m u n ity Aw a r en ess” w a s developed. Th is h a s
sin ce been con du cted in a n u m ber of loca l
a r ea s. Du r in g 1996 a m odu le on tr a n spor ta tion of h a za r dou s m a ter ia ls w a s developed
a n d piloted in Mu m ba i a n d Ma dr a s.
The future of APELL
At th e October 1996 m eetin g of th e AP E LL
Sen ior Level Advisor y Gr ou p, r ecom m en da tion s in clu ded:
• a 1997-99 AP E LL th r ee-yea r wor k pr ogr a m m e wh ich r efl ects th e con tr ibu tion s
bein g m a de w ith in pa r tn er cou n tr ies a n d
by pa r tn er or ga n iza tion s a n d wh ich con cen tr a tes on h elpin g th ose wh o a r e w illin g
to h elp th em selves a n d oth er s;
• en h a n cem en t of th e existin g AP E LL tools
a n d developm en t of n ew on es, pa r ticu la r ly
a n “AP E LL Sta r ter Kit” to su ppor t th e
im plem en ta tion of AP E LL a fter a n in itia l
n a tion a l in tr odu ction ;
• fu r th er com m u n ica tion of AP E LL’s
“u n iqu e sellin g poin ts”, e.g. its con tr ibu tion to a cciden t pr even tion a n d m itiga tion
a n d th er eby to in du str y cost con tr ol a n d
its con tr ibu tion to com m u n ity em power m en t;
• r e gion a l in for m a tion exch a n ge a n d m u tu a l
su ppor t to be developed th r ou gh UN E P
r e gion a l offices;
• in volvem en t of oth er in du str y pa r tn er s,
e.g. th e possible r ole of th e in su r a n ce in du str y.
It is cer ta in ly th e ca se th a t fu r th er pr ogr ess
w ill depen d cr u cia lly on com m itm en t by
pa r tn er s a t n a tion a l a n d loca l level to m a k e
AP E LL “stick ”. UN E P IE in tu r n is com m itted to su ppor tin g th ose pa r tn er s w ith in for m a tion a n d exper tise.
Conclusion
Th er e is a w idespr ea d a n d gr ow in g dem a n d
for AP E LL fr om gover n m en ts, in du str ies a n d
com m u n ities a ll r ou n d th e wor ld. AP E LL h a s
esta blish ed itself a s a tool for self-h elp in th e
pr ocess of cr ea tin g co-or din a ted em er gen cy
pla n s a n d a gr eein g a n d im plem en tin g aw a r en ess a n d pr epa r edn ess pr ogr a m m es. It h a s
pr oved to be ea sily a da pta ble to existin g in itia tives a n d loca l cir cu m sta n ces.
It is cer ta in th a t we sh a ll n ever be a ble to
say h ow m a n y a cciden ts AP E LL h a s h elped to
aver t. However, th e pr ogr a m m e h a s
con tr ibu ted to r a isin g gen er a l aw a r en ess of
th e m a jor a cciden ts issu e a n d to sta r tin g
con cr ete a ctivities to bu ild u p loca l a n d
n a tion a l ca pa bilities for th e pr even tion of
a cciden ts a n d for th e m itiga tion of th eir
effects sh ou ld th ey n on eth eless occu r. In th is
sen se it h a s cer ta in ly be gu n to fu lfil its pu r pose, a lth ou gh th er e a r e still m a n y cou n tr ies
to go befor e its objectives ca n be sa id to h ave
been com pletely a ch ieved.
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