Nick Buxton
Nick's Story
What is your role at Ricardo?
As part of the Ricardo’s Chemical Emergency Response team, I provide advice in the event of a chemical emergency such as a spill, fire or exposure, to members of the public, professional users and the blue light services.
What does your average day at Ricardo look like?
My wider role involves technical consultancy on a wide range of chemical issues so I would typically be working on say, a detailed point of law in Vietnam’s transport regulations. However, when the phones rings, I go in what we call “ER mode”, my training kicks in and I get to work analysing the scenario before providing the advice required to keep people and the environment safe. It’s exciting stuff.
What do you look forward to at work?
The sense of satisfaction to be gained from providing useful advice in an incident, helping to bring it to a resolution. Our callers are typically relieved and genuinely delighted they have someone on-hand to advise in such high stress situations. This could be anything from a toddler’s mum after a minor exposure through to a professional fire crew tackling a large chemical factory blaze.
What do you find most rewarding at work?/ Are you proud to work at Ricardo?
I work with a highly motivated group of skilled professionals, knowing we provide world class advice. It feels good to know our MO is to protect people and the environment when the worst happens, using our scientific knowledge.
How have you developed your career at Ricardo?
I came to Ricardo after 20 years in the world of professional regulatory affairs, now I am a senior member of the team that alongside supporting the chemical industry operates the UK’s National Chemical Emergency Centre (NCEC) and can use that information in a practical manner to keep people safe. There are many routes into the role, including for graduates, who I now have the pleasure of training. Being able to use make use my expertise in this way suited me perfectly and I enjoy every day here.
What advice would you give to anyone considering a career as a Emergency Responder?
If you’re the kind of person who runs towards trouble to try and sort things out rather than away, then this could well be the role for you. The training is excellent giving an enormously broad range of knowledge about the chemical industry and dangerous goods transport, so you will have the knowledge at your fingertips to really make the difference in an emergency situation.