Rex Alexander is developing a new tool to help businesses plan for emergencies that involve hazardous substances.

New Zealand is at the forefront internationally of hazardous substance management, being the first country whose regulations are harmonised with United Nations standards. Every regulated business has to have an emergency management plan which covers every reasonably likely scenario for every substance reasonably likely to be on site. This is a huge responsibility and it affects many businesses in New Zealand; not just heavy industries but others such as restaurants and skifields if they have eight or more large LPG cylinders on site.

Rex Alexander already has a business which certifies companies for the safe storage, transportation and use of hazardous chemicals. He was aware that companies were not doing their hazardous substances management planning and practice particularly well. There had to be a better way, and he had an idea of how it could be done differently. 

Rex's idea was the basis for his project for his Master of Professional Practice. He worked with facilitator Trish Franklin and academic mentor Professor Samuel Mann to develop his idea into the intellectual property for a software product. Clients will upload detailed site data which the software will use to generate a framework for an emergency management plan, which clients can then customise for their personnel. The software can also be used to assist clients with facility maintenance and stock control. 

Rex is keen to use the structured learning environment of a Doctorate of Professional Practice to develop and implement a business model to get the software written then take his product to market in New Zealand. There is nothing like this anywhere else around the world - other services do bits of it but not all - so Rex expects there will also be international demand for the software. He looks forward to raising the industry standard for hazardous substance management. 

Read more about the Master of Professional Practice programme.

Read Rex's Master's abstract here.