The New South Wales Environment Protection Authority (EPA) has released draft guidelines for the preparation of Pollution Incident Response Management Plans (PIRMPs).
A PIRMP is a document which outlines what procedures are in place to minimise the risk of a pollution incident on a premise. All holders of environment protection licences are required to prepare a PIRMP in accordance with section 153A of the Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997.
The EPA is undertaking a review of the current 2012 guideline for preparing a PIRMP, which provides details on the legislative requirements, and how to prepare, test and implement the plan. The review aims to make it easier for licence holders to better understand and meet their obligations under the Act to prepare, implement and test PIRMPs.
The guidelines have been amended to:
- include plain English summaries of the legal obligations;
- provide additional detail to help licensees comply with those obligations, with additional focus on those areas where the EPA has identified ongoing compliance issues; and
- include two PIRMP templates, one for premises-based licensees and mobile plant licensees and another for transporters of trackable waste, which have been created to assist licensees develop their PIRMPs.
Feedback on the draft guideline, template for premises-based licensees and mobile plant licensees, and the template for transporters of trackable waste is sought.
Submissions are due by 29 July 2019 to regulatory.practice@epa.nsw.gov.au or using the short survey. The final guidelines are anticipated to be released in late 2019.
