Having an Environmental Management Procedure in place is vital for any business committed to maintaining environmentally safe, sustainable and responsible workplaces. This document helps businesses achieve and maintain the principles of environmental management and ensure they are aware of their moral and legal responsibilities.
The purpose of this procedure is to ensure that management staff, employees and contractors are aware of the environmental management procedures applying to all workplaces, including offices, home offices and client sites. They are obligated to comply with the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, Protection of the Environment Legislation Amendment Act 2011 and the relevant state’s compliance and legislation requirements.
The 9 page procedure operates in conjunction with the following documents, forms and register:
- 502 – Hazard Accident Injury Form
- 507 – Issue Resolution Form
- 513 – Non-conformance Report
- 514 – Corrective Action Report
- 515 – Site Induction Register
- 520 – Risk Assessment Form
- 521 – Environmental Audit Form
- 533 – Training Attendance Form
- 539 – Noise Exposure Risk Identification Form
To ensure that businesses are operating in an environmentally friendly manner and are meeting legal requirements, the comprehensive procedure covers a wide range of topics, including:
- responsibility
- relevant legislation and documents
- workplace participation commitment
- environmental and safety aspects
- compliance obligations
- planning action
- contract specification
- waste disposal
- weed control
- noise control
- site access
- chemical spill management
- dust suppression
- fire control
- ground and vegetation management
- prevention of waterway contamination
- sediment control
- sensitive flora and fauna
- cultural heritage
- maintaining documented information, and
- retention of consultation records.
The Environmental Management Procedure allows businesses to evaluate their performance, identify areas for improvement and implement strategies to minimise their environmental impact. The procedure also promotes long-term sustainability, ensuring that businesses are striving for continual improvement.
