Pollution Incident Response

This is an extract of  Air Liquide’s Botany Pollution Incident Response Management Plan (“PIRMP”).   

The information found here are the specific sections of the  PIRMP which are required to be made publicly available in accordance with the Protection of the Environment Operations (General) Regulation 2009 (NSW) , Part 5.7A and as specified by the Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997 (NSW).

This extract of the PIRMP has been developed to allow members of the public to have sight of the activities that will be undertaken by this site in the event of an incident.  The full copy of the PIRMP is maintained at the site at Botany, listed in the Scope below.

This document refers only to incidents or potential incidents at the Air Liquide Facility located at 21 Baker St, Botany NSW 2019.  Air Liquide holds an Environmental Protection Licence (EPL) 20936 which can be found on the EPA’s public register.

Other Air Liquide sites will have alternate plans that refer to their specific operations.

The site handles gases which are maintained in several ways, with different properties, which could cause incidents that would require the attendance of several government agencies to attend.

The gases regularly handled are:

• Compressed and Liquefied, if released they can cause fogs as they evaporate and cold burns to persons
• Flammable, if allowed to build up into sufficient volume can explode in air
• Toxic, these can cause ill health or death, depending on the gas and concentration
• Oxidising gases, these can increase the strength of any fire present
• Inert gases, these can cause ill health if inhaled in large quantities.

Should an incident occur which has the possibility of allowing the release of any gas which could materially harm persons or the environment the following agencies will be contacted, in the order below, to render assistance to reduce any pollution to as low a level as possible:

Police, Fire, Ambulance Service (1st response agencies) -   000 - They will be expected to  take command of the incident until it is completed.

Environment Protection Authority (EPA) – 131 555

NSW Health Randwick Public Health Unit– 02 9382 8333 (business hours), 02 9382 2222 (after hours) Prince of Wales Hospital, ask for the Public Health Duty Officer to be paged.

SafeWork NSW - 13 10 50

Bayside Council –  1300 581 299 (24 hour emergency line)

Fire and Rescue NSW - 1300 729 579

Other parties in the immediate area as required: Phone numbers and contact details of neighbouring sites are held by Air Liquide and they will be contacted initially by phone and by attending the site if no reply is received.

In the event of an incident of actual or potential material harm the community will be notified by the following procedures:  

Information provided to the community will include the following details specific to the incident:

• the type of incident that has occurred;  
• potential impacts to the community;  
• contact details for the site and relevant authorities; and  
• advice or recommendations based on the incident.

If it is possible to identify the cause of the spill without further endangering the safety of staff then the area will be shut down and the cause of any leak contained. Should this not be possible all staff will be evacuated and the area secured. Depending on the polluting product it may be possible to contain and neutralize in accordance with the instructions in the relevant safety data sheet (SDS).