A pollution incident can damage a business property, the surrounding environment and the company’s reputation. Businesses should have a pollution incident control plan in place to respond quickly to any spills or accidents involving harmful chemicals. Also known as a Pollution Incident Response Plan, here is what should be included:
The details of your business – This should include name and address, the main address including other sites and a brief description of the area. The number of employees on site and a brief description of the type of operations should also be included.
Key contacts in the organisation should also be listed and their contact details, including out of hours contact numbers. The name of any designated spill control employee and their contact details is also required. For advice on Chemical Spill Kits, visit a site such as hydepark-environmental.com/spill-response/spill-kits/chemical
It is also wise to include the contact information for other organisations and authorities who might need contacting in the event of an accident or chemical spill. These could include, but are not limited to, the local water board and sewerage company, the accident department at the local hospital and any specialist contractors involved in spill cleans.
Additional crucial information should include lists of all the types of chemicals, fuels, gases and hazardous materials stored on the site. Product information sheets detailing each material as well as COSHH assessments for hazardous materials should also form part of a PIRP.
An environmental risk assessment, as well as detailed steps that staff should take to prevent accidents and how to act if an incident occurs.