Dangerous Goods
Creating, moving, using or disposing of Dangerous Goods are important responsibilities and also potential legal exposures for any organisation. Additionally, organisations must simultaneously address both the environmental as well as the health and safety risks inherent in working with Dangerous Goods in order to remain compliant and insured. Trident Environment is ready to assist you with:
- Dangerous Goods risk management
- Workplace training
- Emergency management advisory
- Dangerous Goods compliance audits
DG Risk Management
The management of risks related to the transport, decanting, use or clean-up of Dangerous Goods (DG) is a overlapping area for the environmental and work health & safety professions. Trident is experienced in this field and can assist your organisation with the development of DG Management Plans, considerations for DG storage, bunding/ venting, risk assessments, pollution control and DG product recovery. Trident is familiar with the requirements of:
- AS 3846: 2005 – The Handling and Transport of Dangerous Cargoes in Port Areas
- the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code (IMDG)
- the Australian Dangerous Goods Code (ADG)
- placarding requirements under Australian law
- SafeWork NSW Guidelines (2005)
- Australian Maritime Safety Authority expectations
Trident can easily interface with external WHS consultants or alternatively can recommend very competent professionals in this field.
Depending on your type of site or industry, a Dangerous Goods (DG) risk assessment is a natural starting point. The outcomes and mitigations developed from this risk assessment will inform the development of a Dangerous Goods Management Plan. These two management tools form the basis of managing and controlling an organisation’s DG risk. To become effective, the DG risk assessment and management plan should have input from your organisations environmental and safety functions.
N.B: In NSW Major Hazard Facilities may be subject to more sophisticated methods of risk quantification and qualification.
Workplace Training
Transporting, decanting, using or cleaning up Dangerous Goods (DG) are activities with heightened risk to human health and environmental protection. Organisations that perform these activities are required to train their employees in emergency spill response to maintain legislative and insurance policy compliance.
Trident can develop training and even assessment packages that educate your people about how to handle or clean up all classes of dangerous goods so that your environmental obligations will be fulfilled at the most critical times. We are able to arrange for this training to take a variety of forms such as classroom style, workshop style or training conducted within a real or simulated work environment. We are also able to conduct emergency drill scenario training involving external WHS providers. Please enquire below so we may discuss your particular requirements.
Spill control training systematically educates your employees and contractors on how to comprehensively and safely clean up chemical spills at your workplace. The training is usually customised to address the environmental and safety risks presented by the particular chemicals that your organisation handles. Spill control training forms the basis for practical implementation of selected DG management or emergency management mitigations.
Training your employees and contractors in spill control shows that your organisation invests in a professional and comprehensive spill response capability. It also demonstrates your duty of care to make your personnel aware of, and equip them to manage the risks related to cleaning up DG spills. Spill response training serves to support your DG management plan and DG risk mitigations. Additionally, the level of spill control training is often checked by regulators to understand how well your organisation is prepared for emergencies.
A chemical spill kit is a bundled group of consumable materials which are used to contain liquid chemicals spilt from their containers. Once deployed, the absorbent materials hold the chemicals in a solid form making them easier to pick up and dispose.
Yes, a range of spill kits have emerged for use in specialist applications such as:
- general purpose kits (these contain personal protective equipment)
- marine environments (these contain floating and hydrophobic consumables)
- hydrocarbons
- biological or quarantine spills
- corrosive chemicals (these contain mineral-based absorbents)
- very specialised uses (for instance, military, radioactive or aerospace)
Emergency Management Advisory
Managing emergency situations involving Dangerous Goods (DG) is an area where your organisation’s plans and actions will later be scrutinised in subsequent investigations by various parties or regulators. Depending on the outcomes, your company may become liable for damages or prosecution arising from the emergency.
Fortunately, Trident is able to develop robust Emergency Management Plans that align with ‘AS 3745: 2010 – Planning for emergencies in facilities’ and cover spill response, pollution prevention, alignment with your local Regional Emergency Plans and interface with all emergency services.
Your site may also have a legislative or planning requirement to periodically test your Emergency Management Plan – for instance if your site in NSW holds an Environment Protection Licence you are required to test your Pollution Incident Response Management Plan (PIRMP) annually. We are also able to conduct emergency drill scenario training involving external WHS providers. Please enquire below so we may discuss your particular requirements.
DG Compliance Audits
Your site may already have a comprehensive Dangerous Goods Management Plan and your organisation may be confident that this plan will in itself mitigate your DG risks. Auditing ensures your DG Management Plan is working as it should be and remains effective in mitigating your environmental risks related to DGs.
Trident can attend your site and audit the practical management of DGs in areas such as bunding and spill control, spill kit selection, replenishment and deployment, DG separation and segregation, correct storage, minimum quantities, licensed quantities and audits of Safety Data Sheets (SDS) completeness and currency.
A DG inspection is a practical check of your organisation’s DG management actions and looks at good practice, safety, capability for your organisation to deal with DG incidents and evidence of past spills. A DG compliance audit assesses compliance against the relevant DG rules for your organisation and practical compliance with your DG management plans. The audit may or may not have an inspection component as well.
At a minimum, a Dangerous Goods audit should consider the following aspects:
- the DG risk assessment and its mitigations
- the contents of the DG management plan
- applicable DG management rules such as the IMDG or ADG
- bunding capacity and suitability
- venting and/ or the potential for explosive atmospheres
- separation and segregation of incompatible DG classes
- the use of Limited Quantities
- placarding compliance
- pollution risk
- potential for DG product recovery
- exclusion zones and the availability and adequacy of emergency equipment
- spill control and firefighting capability
- spent absorbent disposal
We are Ready to Help You
For more information on how Trident may assist you with this service offering, please send us an online enquiry and we will respond within one business day.