Delivering Rapid Sampling and Analysis to Support a Local Community in Their Time of Need
Summary of works
Project: Water Sampling and Analysis to Test for Contaminants Within Floodwater
Date: January 2021
Case Study
Project Details
In January 2021, 80 residents were evacuated from their homes in the village of Skewen, situated in Port Talbot, South Wales, due to flooding from a mine blow-out. A blockage in a main water shaft led to the water (which runs off extensive ancient mine workings on the hills above) to break out and flood homes in the surrounding area.
With no definitive timeline for residents to return, as well as the fact that the disaster had struck in the midst of the third national COVID-19 lockdown, it was imperative that the aftermath of the flood was dealt with as efficiently as possible, while also ensuring that the safety of residents and the workforce was not compromised.
In January 2021, 80 residents were evacuated from their homes in the village of Skewen, situated in Port Talbot, South Wales, due to flooding from a mine blow-out. A blockage in a main water shaft led to the water (which runs off extensive ancient mine workings on the hills above) to break out and flood homes in the surrounding area.
With no definitive timeline for residents to return, as well as the fact that the disaster had struck in the midst of the third national COVID-19 lockdown, it was imperative that the aftermath of the flood was dealt with as efficiently as possible, while also ensuring that the safety of residents and the workforce was not compromised.
Rapid response times
Given their established reputation as a leading provider of technical analysis services, SOCOTEC worked alongside one of its key clients to determine the extent of any potential contamination to resident’s homes. An emergency meeting was arranged to establish how the involved parties could work together to provide sampling and analysis at a rapid pace.
SOCOTEC’s Environmental Chemistry team arranged for the immediate shipment of the bottles required for sampling to the site, with six water samples initially taken. Adjustments were also made to SOCOTEC’s production system to ensure that the samples and report results were processed within a 48-hour turnaround, as opposed to the seven days that is usually required.
With customer focus at its very core, the Environmental Chemistry team responded with efficiency and care to ensure that the needs of the client were consistently met during this time of crisis, maintaining SOCOTEC’s reputation as an organisation that can be trusted and relied upon in times of need. Indeed, the team’s ability to turn the sampling results around so rapidly is testament to recent investments within SOCOTEC’s Environmental Science division, with developments to the organisation’s state-of-the art LIMS system allowing for better control of production
United front
Having liaised with both the courier and SOCOTEC’s bottle dispatch team, the Environmental Chemistry team made the necessary adjustments to its turnaround times to ensure that the analysis could be conducted as quickly as possible. This was a particularly impressive feat, given that SOCOTEC usually requires 24 hours’ notice to dispatch sample dispatch and arrange couriers.
Laboratory managers, account managers and section leaders within SOCOTEC’s Environmental Chemistry team worked closely together to ensure rapid turnaround times for the client, making sure that all samples were booked in and processed quickly. A total of 140 samples have since been processed from the site, meeting the expectations of the customer and providing them with high quality data to monitor the extent of any contamination caused by this incident.
“Given the urgent nature of the incident, which had forced a considerable number of residents out of their homes in the midst of the global pandemic, SOCOTEC recognised that accurate, reliable and fast analysis was required to ensure that residents would be safe to return to their homes,” commented Jim MacFarlane, managing director, Environmental Science, SOCOTEC UK.
“Members of our Environmental Chemistry team worked closely with all involved parties to ensure that the analysis results were delivered without compromise and exactly as needed. The difficult situation faced by the residents of Skewen serves as yet another example of how SOCOTEC’s Environmental Science division can be both relied upon to find the right solution and trusted to deliver – valuable in those unexpected moments that can happen in life.”
