The State Government has declared the E.R.C. as the nodal agency in the State to provide technical support and assistance, pertaining to chemicals, to the target groups, including Govt. departments, NGOs etc.

The industrial sector has shown keen interest in the activities of E.R.C. and 275 industrial units in Madhya Pradesh have already obtained its membership till March 2011. These member industries have been issued a unique registration numbers which is renewed annually.

The E.R.C. is also looking after responsibilities given under RRPTC, i.e. Regional Register of Potentially Toxic Chemicals in the State. This RRPTC looks after inventorisation of chemicals in the State, collects, processes and disseminate scientific and statistical information on chemicals, provide assistance to various authorities / industries at the time of accident, and in routine course also, organizes awareness programmes, coordinates and give requisite recommendations to the NRPTC at New Delhi.

The E.R.C. is also helping to ensure proper implementation of Manufacture, Storage & Import of Hazardous Chemicals (MSIHC) Rules and Chemical Accidents (EPPR) Rules, 1996 in the State and is coordinating with the State Crisis Group.

The centre is equipped with advanced IT facilities to help quick search and transferring the information to the target groups.

E.R.C. has data bank of hazardous chemicals based on RTECS number. This number is internationally accepted and is identical, through out the world, for any given chemical. The advantage of having this data bank is that E.R.C. now can identify any chemical by its RTECS number also. This will be helpful in the event of chemical mishaps or other emergency situations when the caller is unable to recognize and give the name or CAS No. of chemical and gives only RTECS No. In such cases when caller furnishes only RTECS No., even then E.R.C. can identify the chemical and disseminate the requisite information, as per availability to the concerned caller or authority.

Like RTECS number, facility to access the chemical on the basis of CAS number, UN number and common names has also been established by E.R.C.

E.R.C. at present has a library also which possesses primary information about 20,000 chemicals. This library is properly catalogued for an easy access using ISBN, Subject Index or by Author Index .

This library is supported by Library Management Information System (LMIS), a user friendly software, for quick and easy computerized search. The other activities of this centre are also taken care through a customized software, ERC-MIS.

E.R.C. has requested all its member industries to prepare an on-site emergency plan (OSEP) depending specifically on their needs. This has picked up momentum and the member industries are framing OSEP and are submitting to this Centre which would be helpful in time of any emergency.

The Centre aims to organize programmes in the State at various levels and is regularly doing such activities to bring awareness among the common citizens regarding hazards associates with handling and management of chemicals and the associated safety aspects.

E.R.C. has prepared the inventory of chemicals and hazardous chemicals, which are being used in the State, along with their material safety data sheet (MSDS), international chemical safety card (ICSC) etc. which are readily available on demand at any time.

Services of ERC are not confined to the M.P. State but it extends support to other States also. It provided technical support and guidance to the Orissa State, when the State was severy hit by super cyclone in the year 1999, at the time of ammonia leakage incidence from M/s. Paradeep phosphate Ltd., and M/s. Oswal Chemical Fertilizers Ltd., at Paradeep. Technical Assistance was also provided to Gujarat State during major oil spill incidence which severely affected Arabian Sea coast and marine national park at Vadinar near Salaya. The technical assistance was alsoextended to the Gujarat State authorities and individual chemical industrial unit during the severe earthquake in January 2001. The details regarding support extended to the other States may be referred in the past status reports of E.R.C.

Apart from industries the ERC also extends technical support to the academic institutions, research scholars, other government agencies etc. depending on their query and need basis.

The E.R.C. is armed with the information about warfare chemicals, including safeguards measures and their safe disposal, which may be very useful for defense and administrative authorities , as well as to the common citizens also.

The E.R.C. is now equipped with the facility to guide the district administration and other concerned authorities about safe distance for protective action and initial isolation of people from the chemical accident site and rehabilitate them to the safer places.

The last local emergency E.R.C. faced was an incidence of leakage of suspected poisonous gas in district Raisen which triggered panic in three villages, namely Mendua, Nayapura and Teerath nagar around Kiratpur. On receiving the information about incidence of episodal pollution, the ERC coordinated the matter without losing any time. The relevant literature on suspected chemicals was also made available to the concerned investigating team as a part of supportive material. The technical input included the information about symptoms on exposure to suspected poisonous chemicals, viz. Tear Gases, Chlorine and Ammonia, their first aid measures and antidotes and also their safe disposal. Information on protective clothing for handling of these chemicals and analytical aspects were also made available to the concerned. There were number of queries poured in through e.mail ranging from primary information to diffusion modeling and analysis of data to compute the area falling under dispersion range. This all was done by ERC during the time of crisis using available resources. Details of this are available in Crisis Response Report under title "Incidence of leakage of Suspected Poisonous Gas in District Raisen, Madhya Pradesh"..

During the Tsunami devastation the ERC actively coordinated with national disaster management agencies at centre and the State Crisis Groups and District Crisis Groups in the Tsunami affected southern regions. Looking to possible chances of breaking out of epidemic in the affected areas, the ERC immediately provided the requisite information about chemicals required to control the vectors and information on antidotes and medicines for use in case of epidemic situation. Other help lines were also activated through the  web-site. The relevant information was also published in the regional news papers as part of awareness among the target groups.