Under the Protection of the Environmental Operations Act 1997, we have established a Pollution Incident Response Management Plan (PIRMP) regarding the transportation of waste oil, and the unlikely event of a pollution incident during that transportation.
As a holder of an Environmental Protection Licence (EPL No. 20973), we are required to establish a PIRMP under the Protection of the Environmental Operations Act 1997. Our PIRMP covers situations where we need to transport waste mineral oil in amounts over the regulated threshold of 200kg.
The following information outlines our PIRMP for notifying emergency services, regulatory authorities and the community following a pollution incident with a risk of material harm.
Notification protocols for emergency services and regulatory authorities
In the unlikely event of a pollution incident with a risk of material harm, where it is safe to do so our waste transportation vehicle driver will take all reasonably practicable steps to contain the spill. Immediately after taking this action, the driver will contact emergency services and call us on 13 20 80.
Once the driver advises us of the incident, we will contact staff members from our Health Safety and Environment team, and our Transmission Services team. These teams are responsible for notifying the relevant authorities and assisting with managing the incident response, while the driver responds to the incident on the ground.If the driver is unable to contact us, he/she will liaise with the emergency services to notify the relevant local authorities.
The following diagram provides a summary of our PIRMP process for notifying emergency services and the relevant authorities following a pollution incident with a risk of material harm.
Contact details for emergency services and relevant regulatory authorities for reporting pollution incidents
| Service and authority contacts | Description | Contact details |
| Emergency services (Driver to contact via 000) | ||
| Fire and Rescue NSW | Fire and rescue services | 000 |
| NSW Police Force | Emergency and safety coordination | 000 |
| Ambulance Service of NSW | Medical emergency services | 000 |
| NSW State Emergency Service | Emergency and rescue services | 000 or 13 25 00 |
| Relevant authorities (Essential Energy to contact as required) |
||
| NSW Environment Protection Authority | Environment Line notification | 13 15 55 |
| SafeWork NSW | Dangerous incident notification | 13 10 50 |
| Local Council | Local Government Area notification | Various |
| NSW Ministry of Health | Contact call directs to the Local Public Health unit for notification | Various |
Notification protocols for members of the community
For a localised spill we will consult with the incident controller from emergency services (NSW Police Force or Fire and Rescue NSW) about what community notification, if any, should be undertaken. If deemed necessary, we will notify the residents in the immediately affected vicinity of the pollution incident.
If deemed necessary, we will notify the wider community through relevant local councils or by other means appropriate to the circumstances and as determined by our Corporate Affairs team.
