Environmental Management Policy
v2.3
Purpose. This policy sets the environmental obligations of the business under the Environment Protection Act 2017 (Victoria) and describes how the network will be built and operated to reduce its environmental impact.
1.Purpose
Gas network work disturbs soil, water and vegetation and releases methane when pipelines are purged or damaged. This policy commits the business to the general environmental duty and to reducing emissions, waste and disturbance from every activity.
2.Policy statement
Gasline will identify the environmental risks of every activity, will apply the controls in the environmental procedure and will report every environmental incident. The business will reduce unaccounted for gas year on year, will recover gas rather than vent it where a recovery unit is available, and will restore every worksite to its original or better condition.
3.Responsibilities
Department managers must build environmental controls into work orders and construction plans. Permit holders must apply the controls on site. Every worker must report spills, damaged vegetation, uncontrolled venting and dust or noise complaints on the day they occur.
4.Key controls
The business will use erosion and sediment controls on every excavation, will classify and dispose of spoil to the waste rules, will manage dewatering to the water authority requirements and will protect native vegetation and cultural heritage on easements and in road reserves.
- Sediment fencing and stabilised entries at every excavation
- Spoil classification before removal from site
- Gas recovery units on planned purges where available
- Noise and dust management near residents
- Cultural heritage checks before easement clearing
5.Monitoring and reporting
Environmental incidents will be recorded in the HSE Incident and Hazard Register and investigated. Unaccounted for gas will be reported monthly to the executive and annually to the regulator.
6.Review
This policy will be reviewed annually and whenever the environmental law or the safety case changes.