Ambipar’s Emergency Response Information (ERI) Service. Everything you need to know, right now.

Imagine it’s nine o’clock on a Sunday morning, and you’re checking email over coffee. At the top of your inbox is an Ambipar incident report. One of your company’s tanker trucks, which was hauling industrial chemicals, has overturned. There were no fatalities or injuries, an Ambipar team handled the clean-up, and we’ve already issued notifications to everyone on the list you supplied us.

Ambipar Response’s call center is staffed 24/7/365 with trained professionals, ready and qualified to provide emergency response and incident mitigation information to a subscriber base that ranges from companies that transport hazardous materials and chemicals or handle them in their workplace (IE: Shippers, Carriers and Manufacturers), as well as First Responders and State & Federal Agencies.

“In the scenario above,” says Project Manager Nzingah Ramos, “we can offer drivers everything from tips for establishing a safe perimeter around the spill to sending a Hazmat Response crew. Once on-site, the crew would manage the entire incident — from consulting with responders on the scene, to cleanup and safe disposal of the materials. That said, with every emergency call we get, the first and most important question we ask any caller is, ‘Are you OK?’”

Ambipar Response’s ERI staff promptly offers callers the information and support they need by drawing on their training and experience, coupled with their in-depth familiarity with the Emergency Response Guidebook (ERG) — published by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) — as well as access to a variety of safety data sheets and regulatory manuals.

Our ERI’s multidisciplinary Hazmat professionals come from all walks of life, ranging from retired military and former EMTs to teachers and customer service representatives. And here’s something you probably wouldn’t expect from a call center: Low turnover. “In general, our people tend to stay with us,” says Ramos, “which should tell you a lot about the quality of their work experience and job satisfaction, not to mention the consistent level of positive feedback they get from their callers.”

How do we deliver dependable information as quickly as possible?

Ambipar’s analysts reviewed years of call data, using that information to develop the standardized questions our professionals are trained to ask. The responses we receive determine where our line of questioning, and support, will go — and consistently result in calls getting to the most important information within seconds.

Information and actions initiated by Ambipar Response’s ERI professionals are often the first and last incident-related support that callers receive; the first for obvious reasons, and the last because calls often result in our managing incidents through post-response reporting. “Ultimately,” explains Ramos, “we’re in the business of connecting people to the right information, and to the right people — whether they’re Ambipar Response people or not. Sometimes, for instance, callers need medical professionals on the scene.”

The ERI Access requirement

By law, companies that transport dangerous goods are required to produce a 24-hour emergency phone number that connects callers to Emergency Response Information on the products being shipped. “It’s a little like insurance. You hope you never have to use it, but it’s there when you need it.”

Subscribers to Ambipar Response’s ERI service can register to use our phone number on their shipping papers, hazard communication labels, Safety Data Sheets, and other signage. In addition to our 24/7/365 call center support, we offer the following support services to subscribers:

• Safety Data Sheet (SDS) Fulfillment and Management
• Emergency Number Signs and Decals
• Reusable Shipping Papers

We also offer subscribers the added benefit of Ambipar Response’s global presence as an Environmental One-Stop-Shop. We offer support every step of the way in mitigating incidents — including training and other preparedness activities — in addition to fast information, clean-up and reporting.

“We even offer callers support for everyday, non-emergency issues,” Ramos concludes, “like a paint spill at a carrier location, or a damaged package containing batteries. I once listened to a call from a pet owner worried about the potential health risk of a substance their dog had eaten.”

All in a day’s work: Everything you need to know, just a call away!