Emergency Planning

What to do with suspicious packages

BombWhat constitutes a “Suspicious Parcel”?

In 2001 there was news of suspicious mail and confirmed cases of letters containing “Anthrax” being posted in America. Some addresses in Scotland have received Anthrax threat letters containing powdery substances although these were hoaxes. Shetland Islands Council and NHS Shetland issued guidelines for persons handling mail and these have been incorporated into these guidelines.

If you have been exposed to a letter or package containing a powder or other “suspicious” material, it is important not to panic, but to deal with the situation calmly. Even if a letter or package does contain something infectious, the risks to those in the same office/ locality/ room are low.

Characteristics that trigger suspicion

Some typical characteristics which ought to trigger suspicion may include parcels/envelopes that:

  • Are unexpected or from an unfamiliar source.
  • Were posted abroad.
  • Have improperly spelled common names, places or titles.
  • Hand written or poorly typed address.
  • Title but no name.
  • Are addressed to someone no longer with the authority.
  • Have no return address, or have one that cannot be verified as legitimate.
  • Visual distractions, e.g. you have already won £50,000.
  • Are of unusual weight given their size, or are lopsided or oddly shaped.
  • Are marked with restrictive endorsements, such as “Personal” or “Confidential”.
  • Have protruding wires, strange odours or stains.
  • Excessive postage.
  • Excessive security, tape or string.
  • Show a town in the postmark that doesn’t correspond with the return address.

All items of post/courier delivered mail are seen by post-room staff/receptionists.

Handling of packages

Common sense and care should be observed when inspecting and opening mail or packages:

  • Examine (feel) unopened envelopes for foreign bodies or powder.
  • Do not open letters with your hands; use a letter opener.
  • Open letters and packages with a minimum of movement to avoid spilling any contents.
  • Consider additional precautions such as wearing gloves and restricting the opening of mail to a limited number of trained individuals.

If a member of staff thinks that they may have received a suspect package, they should not try to open it, but isolate it and follow the relevant procedure below.

Suspected Bomb

  1. Ascertain as far as it is safely possible to do so that the object would be described as a suspicious package
  1. Dial 999 and inform the Police. Start to clear the immediate area. Use the fire alarm to evacuate the building. Inform your Service Head/Line Manager of the find.
  1. Leave the package on a level surface, somewhere where it can be easily spotted (e.g. By placing something easily identifiable next to the package).
  1. Police will instruct your Service Head/Line Manager on which other areas should be evacuated. The Emergency Plan may be invoked.
  1. Relevant staff should be informed of the evacuation plan.
  1. The person who found the suspicious package should, follow the procedure at Annex ‘A’, after which, complete the ‘Suspect Package Information Sheet’ (Annex ‘B’) if possible and hand this to the officer attending. It is essential that the person who finds the suspect package is on hand to speak to the police.

Suspected Biological/Chemical substance

Suspicious unopened letter or package marked with threatening message such as “ANTHRAX” or suspected of containing harmful biological or chemical substance or package that is opened and which contains suspicious material

  1. Do not handle the piece of mail or package suspected of contamination. Do not shake or empty the contents of any suspicious letter or package.
  1. Place the item in a plastic bag or some other container to prevent leakage of the contents. If you do not have a container, then cover the item with anything immediately available and do not remove this cover. do not try to clean up the power! Cover the spilled contents carefully with anything immediately available without disturbing the powder.
  1. Make sure that the suspect package is isolated and the immediate area cordoned off. Close all windows.
  1. If possible, remain in the room. close the door, and ask a colleague to section off the area to prevent others from entering (i.e. keep others away). Do not allow anyone other than emergency personnel to enter.
  1. In the event of a spillage of suspicious material, if possible, immediately close down the building’s heating/air conditioning system.
  1. Do not touch your eyes, nose, mouth or other part of your body. If possible wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water.
  1. If clothing is heavily contaminated, do not brush. If a spillage has occurred, remove any heavily contaminated clothing as soon as possible and place in a plastic bag or some other container that can be sealed. This clothing bag should be given up to the emergency responders for proper disposal.
  1. You should then shower with soap and water as soon as possible. Do not use bleach or other disinfectant on your skin. Alternatively wash your hands with soap and water to prevent spreading any powder to your face.
  1. If you are at home, dial 999 to report the incident to the local Police. Do not move the item.
  1. If you are at work yourself or a colleague should dial 999 to report the incident to the local Police. If you have not already done so, alert your supervisor and notify your Service Head/Line Manager.
  1. Make a list, with contact information, of all persons who were in the room or area at the time when the letter or package was recognised as suspicious or when the spillage occurred, especially those who may have had actual contact with the powder. Give this list to the Police, who will contact Environmental Health and the Director of Public Health for any further action that may be necessary.

NB. In potential chemical incidents there may be a requirement to leave the room, as quickly as possible, but in the current situation where biological agents, especially anthrax, remain the most likely threat, staying in the room is an essential element of biological containment.

Annex ‘A’

Annex ‘B’