Chemical, Biological and Radiological
Covering a Suspected CBR Attack / incident

Covering a Suspected CBR Attack or Incident

(Includes producers, reporters, crews, engineers: including freelancers)

The personal safety of individuals is paramount. No one should be asked to do anything to jeopardise that.
Staff may decline an assignment and have the right to withdraw if they are concerned for their health and safety or the health and safety of those affected by their work.
Any incident should be considered to have the potential for being a CBR attack and should be treated as such until the emergency services confirm otherwise. (This is the approach the police will follow).
In responding to incidents, deploying staff should be aware of the latest terrorist threat assessments and in particular the use of multiple conventional explosive devices in recent attacks.
If there's been a suspected leak of chemical or biological agents caused by a bomb or by other means, or suspected radiation caused by a "dirty" bomb, the News-desk should alert News senior management and BBC Safety. The CBRN Team can be contacted for further advice and guidance. It is anticipated that the emergency services will be able to determine very quickly whether or not there has been a leak, although it would take time to establish the exact nature of the contamination.
The emergency services will take control of the response to any incident in the UK - those deploying should aim to glean information about the incident from their contacts including the CBRN Team, including:

Name of agent if known.
Type of incident. E.g. in an industrial site fire, it current or previous use.
How the suspected agent is harmful e.g. by inhalation, direct contact or proximity.
How it is dispersed e.g. airborne, if air borne wind speed and direction is needed to help identify safe distance and approach.
First Aid actions - how to treat an accidental exposure.
Symptoms to look out for.

Staff should be instructed not to enter an area where it's believed there may be contamination. Instead they should ensure they stay at a safe distance, outside any cordon put up by the emergency services. Cordons must be respected and no attempt should be made to get round them.
Any deployment to a cordon must be agreed by a News senior manager after suitable reference to BBC Safety and who will decide whether to call The CBRN Team to provide on site support for CBR incidents.
If staff find themselves inside a contaminated area they should seek instructions from the emergency services and undergo any decontamination processes set up at the scene. They should also contact BBC Safety (via the Duty Operations Manager if out of hours) for further advice, who will arrange for any further decontamination necessary for personnel and equipment. No attempt should be made to get equipment, vehicles or tapes out of a contaminated area until it has undergone this decontamination process.
In any of the above circumstances people must stay in contact with the desk so that they can be updated on developments.
At the end of any incident staff should contact News management and BBC Safety to discuss any lessons to be learnt, as well as Occupational Health for a medical check. Access to PTSD counselling will be made available.

Chemical, Biological and RadiologicalCovering a Suspected CBR Attack / incident