Regulations

If there is a risk for pollution incidents at your facility or site, it is essential to have an effective spill response management plan in place. This response management plan should be prepared in accordance with current EPA regulations and implemented by trained staff members, to both minimise the risk of a spill, and to avoid possible fines or prosecution in the future.

The purpose of a pollution incident response management plan is to improve the management of spills and facilitate better coordination with relevant response groups. To that end, your plan needs to be available on the premises in written form, and should be able to be provided to an EPA officer

The EPA (Environment Protection Authority) is the primary environmental regulator for New South Wales. The purpose of the EPA is to work with the government, businesses, and the community to reduce pollution and waste, prevent environmental degradation, and protect human health.

NSW companies which do not comply with the regulations of the EPA can be issued hefty fines and face prosecution, so it is important to understand how the EPA regulatory system works, how to stay in compliance with the current regulations, and the consequences of non-compliance. This guide is based on the Environment Protection Authority Compliance Policy (2013), which can be read in full here.

The EPA Regulatory System

The regulatory system of the EPA is risk-based, meaning that the authority makes decisions based on identifying the biggest risks to the Australian environment and health, and targeting those businesses and individuals whose activities are exacerbating that risk. The EPA takes certain factors into consideration when assessing environmental risk, including the environmental media involved, such as chemicals, waste, or air/odour/water emissions, the sensitivity of the local environment, the compliance history of the individual or company involved, and the processes which are having an adverse impact on the environment, as well as the current controls in place to mitigate these impacts.

The regulatory system of the EPA  comprises four main elements: legislation, policy and programs; administrative systems; information and accountability systems; and compliance and

At SpillShop, we pride ourselves on supplying safe and environmentally friendly products for handling liquid spills of any type, including water, oils, fuels, coolants and chemicals. If your company works with or stores hazardous chemicals and materials, then it is essential to have an emergency spill response procedure in place. A spill which is not quickly contained can have a devastating impact on both the surrounding environment and your facility. Ensuring that your business has an emergency response plan in place can offer peace of mind, as well as minimal impact to both your facility and the environment in the case of a spill.

To create an emergency response plan, it is important to understand

More than 20 years ago, the New South Wales government established legislation to rationalise, simplify and strengthen the regulatory framework for environmental protection in NSW. The Protection of the Environment Operations (POEO) Act was authorized in 1997 and is administered by the Environment Protection Authority (EPA). The object of the POEO Act is to protect, restore and enhance the quality of the environment in New South Wales. Upon its implementation, it repealed and replaced some of the existing Acts to achieve better regulation for environmental protection - acts repealed by the POEO Act include the Clean Air Act 1961, the Clean Waters Act 1970, the Environmental Offences and Penalties Act 1989. the Noise Control Act 1975, and the Pollution Control Act 1970.

The POEO Act 1997