Product Overview

Summary: This Environmental Protection Safe Operating Procedure sets out clear, practical steps for managing environmental risks across Australian workplaces. It helps your business prevent pollution incidents, protect local ecosystems, and demonstrate due diligence under WHS and environmental legislation while maintaining efficient operations.

This Environmental Protection Safe Operating Procedure provides a structured, workplace-ready framework for controlling the environmental impacts of your operations, from routine activities to non-routine and shutdown works. It translates complex Australian environmental and WHS obligations into clear, step-by-step actions for planning work, handling hazardous substances, managing waste, preventing spills and releases, and responding effectively when something goes wrong. The procedure is designed to integrate seamlessly with your existing WHS management system, ensuring environmental risks are managed alongside health and safety risks rather than in isolation.

For Australian businesses, environmental incidents can quickly escalate into serious safety events, regulatory investigations, reputational damage, and costly clean-up liabilities. This SOP helps you identify environmental aspects and impacts on site, implement suitable control measures, and document decisions in a way that stands up to regulatory scrutiny. It supports frontline supervisors and workers with practical checklists and instructions, while giving managers confidence that environmental due diligence is being met across multiple sites and contractors. Whether you operate in construction, manufacturing, warehousing, civil works, or resources, this procedure provides a consistent, defensible approach to environmental protection that reduces risk and supports sustainable operations.

Key Benefits

• Ensure systematic identification and control of environmental risks associated with day-to-day and high‑risk activities.
• Reduce the likelihood and severity of pollution incidents, spills, and non-compliance events.
• Demonstrate due diligence and alignment with Australian WHS and environmental legislation during audits and inspections.
• Standardise environmental protection practices across sites, shifts, and contractors for consistent performance.
• Improve worker awareness and engagement in environmental responsibilities through clear, task-focused instructions.

Who is this for?

• WHS Managers
• Environmental Officers
• Operations Managers
• Site Supervisors
• Facilities Managers
• Project Managers
• Compliance and Risk Managers
• Construction Managers
• Manufacturing Plant Managers
• Mining and Resources HSE Advisers

Hazards Addressed

• Chemical spills and leaks to soil, stormwater, and waterways
• Uncontrolled discharge of sediment, dust, and process water
• Improper storage, handling, and disposal of hazardous chemicals and wastes
• Air emissions including fumes, vapours, odours, and nuisance dust
• Noise impacts on surrounding communities and sensitive receptors
• Fuel and oil leaks from plant, equipment, and storage tanks
• Incorrect management of contaminated soil and materials
• Fire and explosion risks associated with flammable substances impacting the environment
• Wildlife and habitat disturbance from site activities and lighting
• Inadequate emergency response to environmental incidents

Included Sections

• 1.0 Purpose, Scope and Objectives
• 2.0 Definitions and Key Terms
• 3.0 Legal and Other Requirements
• 4.0 Roles, Responsibilities and Competency Requirements
• 5.0 Environmental Risk Assessment (Aspects and Impacts)
• 6.0 Planning Work with Environmental Considerations
• 7.0 Control of Hazardous Substances and Dangerous Goods
• 8.0 Waste Management, Segregation and Disposal
• 9.0 Spill Prevention, Containment and Response Procedures
• 10.0 Management of Stormwater, Sediment and Erosion
• 11.0 Control of Air Emissions, Dust and Odour
• 12.0 Noise and Vibration Management
• 13.0 Fuel, Oil and Chemical Storage Requirements
• 14.0 Environmental Incident Reporting, Investigation and Corrective Actions
• 15.0 Contractor and Supplier Environmental Requirements
• 16.0 Training, Induction and Communication
• 17.0 Monitoring, Inspections and Environmental Performance Reporting
• 18.0 Recordkeeping and Document Control
• 19.0 Continuous Improvement and Review
• 20.0 Appendices – Checklists, Forms, Registers and Example Risk Controls

Legislation & References

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Cth) and corresponding state and territory WHS Acts and Regulations
• Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cth)
• State and Territory Environment Protection legislation (e.g. Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997 (NSW), Environment Protection Act 2017 (VIC))
• AS/NZS ISO 14001:2016 Environmental management systems – Requirements with guidance for use
• AS 1940:2017 The storage and handling of flammable and combustible liquids
• Safe Work Australia – Managing risks of hazardous chemicals in the workplace: Code of Practice
• Safe Work Australia – Managing noise and preventing hearing loss at work: Code of Practice
• Stormwater management and sediment control guidelines issued by relevant state and local authorities