ABSTRACT
Expert system techniques offer many advantages in transport emergency situations. When an emergency involves a hazardous chemical, such as ethylene oxide (UN 1040), a chemical expert is required at the incident as soon as possible. Arising out of an idea from ICI, Teesside Polytechnic developed an expert system (TREMEX) which offers advice to the officer in charge of an incident, before the arrival of the expert. The paper describes key areas of design including structuring, knowledge formalisation, advice presentation, user interfacing and graphical representation. TREMEX captures expertise from ICI Chemicals and Polymers and Cleveland County Fire Brigade. The system was implemented in SAVOIR (an expert system programming environment) at Teesside Polytechnic and funded by the Health and Safety Executive.
