A review of the re-invigorated Training, Safety and Environmental Management Working Group

This week, ABDA re-launched its Training, Safety and Environmental Management Working Group (TSEM WG), which brings together regulators, operators, consultants, and other related industry bodies. The TSEM WG now incorporates aspects from the working groups previously known as Best Practice, Planning and Permitting and Standards and Accreditation.

Singleton Birch hosted the event at their head office, which houses Birch Solutions.  They provided an excellent venue, lunch and a site tour of the chalk mine, lime processing and Melton Ross AD facility.

Multiple topics were discussed due to the breadth of the working group's remit. The topics covered included:

• Martin Haworth provided an introduction to Singleton Birch and Birch Solutions 
• David Woolgar, the Working Group Chair, introduced the purpose of the group
• Sam Hinton and David Woolgar then went through the agenda items, which included:
  • ADBA’s modular training development. This topic obtained positive feedback from the group and potential ideas of additional topics and how to structure the content.
  • The ADCS and its current status, interaction with policy, regulation, industry and the public
  • A look at the various regulatory events put forwards by NIEA, NRW, and the EA. Information on these is available on request, on the slides or on previous ADBA blogs. The main topics covered is this section were unsurprisingly: Standard Rules Consultation, Quality Protocol Review, contingency plans of spreading to land and appropriate measures recommended by the EA.
• The HSE also provided an update on the current waste sector audits and its plans for 2020. The regulator discussed the AD sector currently, how it inspects the waste sector and the regularity of this as well as the work it is carrying out on bioaerosols in the waste sector.

The holding slides from the event can be found here.

Important Dates

• 31st January 2020 – EA – Quality Protocol Call for Evidence
• 31st January 2020 – EA – Contingency plans for waste storage document
• 31st January 2020 – Defra – Nitrates and Slurry & Silage Storage Regulations Review
• 28th February 2020 – EA – Standard Rules Consultation No 20

Where possible please provide Sam Hinton with feedback a week before the above stated deadline.

Future Events

The next meeting's date and location is still TBC. If you are interested in hosting or attending this event or the other working groups – below –please contact me directly.

• Training, Safety and Environmental Management Working Group
• Digestate Working Group
• Agri-Operators Working Group

If you have any questions about the Working Groups or any of the above please email me.