Environmental Management Policy

Purpose. This policy sets out how Ironbark Engineering manages the environmental effects of fabrication, machining and maintenance activities, including fume, noise, waste, coolant and blast media.

1.Purpose

Fabrication and machining generate welding fume, grinding dust, spent abrasive, waste coolant and cutting oil, paint waste and scrap metal. The company has a general environmental duty under the Environment Protection Act 2017 in Victoria and equivalent obligations in Queensland to minimise the risk of harm from its activities. This policy commits the company to meeting that duty at its own sites and on customer sites.

2.Commitments

The company will identify the environmental aspects of every process, apply controls to prevent pollution and reduce waste, and comply with the conditions of its trade waste agreement and council permits. Managers must consider environmental effects when purchasing plant, chemicals and consumables and when planning field work near watercourses or sensitive areas.

• Capture welding fume and grinding dust at source with local extraction
• Store oils, coolants, paints and solvents in bunded areas with spill kits
• Segregate scrap steel, aluminium, stainless and general waste for recycling
• Dispose of spent blast media, coolant and paint waste through licensed contractors
• Manage noise from the Dandenong South site within the hours and levels permitted

3.Spills and environmental incidents

Any spill, uncontrolled release or complaint from a neighbour must be reported as an environmental incident in the WHS incident register on the day it occurs. Workers must contain a spill using the spill kit, stop the source if it is safe to do so, and notify the supervisor. The Quality and Safety Manager will decide whether the incident must be notified to the environmental regulator.

4.Responsibilities

The Quality and Safety Manager maintains the environmental aspects register and the waste contractor records. Supervisors must ensure that extraction is running, bunds are intact and waste is segregated in their areas. Stores must keep safety data sheets for every chemical on site and check that new chemicals are approved before purchase.

5.Monitoring and review

Waste volumes, recycling rates, spill incidents and regulator contact will be reported to the monthly management review. This policy will be reviewed every two years or after any environmental incident that requires regulator notification.