NS174 Environmental Procedures

1.0 PURPOSE

Network Standard NS174 outlines the environmental procedures to be adopted by all people involved in the planning, construction, maintenance and operation of Ausgrid’s network.

This Network Standard provides an overview of environmental legislative requirements to:

• Assist workers in understanding their environmental responsibilities
• Assist workers in locating information which will aid them in complying with their environmental responsibilities

2.0 SCOPE

This Network Standard applies to all individuals who carry out any work related to Ausgrid’s network and includes:

• Ausgrid employees
• Accredited Service Providers (ASPs)
• Contractors
• Subcontractors and associates

This Network Standard does not attempt to cover all environmental legislative requirements but rather attempts to bring together the most common requirements that are likely to apply to Ausgrid’s network related activities. Where there is an inconsistency between this document and a legislative requirement, the legislative requirement will prevail.

The requirements of other relevant Network Standards must also be complied with.

3.0 REFERENCES

3.1 General
All work covered in this document shall conform to all relevant Legislation, Standards, Codes of Practice and Network Standards. Current Network Standards are available on Ausgrid’s Internet site at www.ausgrid.com.au.

3.2 Ausgrid Documents

1. HS000-Y0034 Environment Board Policy
2. EM 000 Environmental Statement of Commitment
3. EM 001 Environmental Code of Conduct
4. NS174A Summary Environmental Report
5. NS174B Environmental Assessment Guidelines
6. NS174C Environmental Handbook for Construction and Maintenance
7. EGN 174B Summary Environmental Report Guidance Notes
8. NS211 Working with Asbestos
9. Pesticide Notification Plan
10. Tree Safety Management Plan

3.3 Other Standards and Documents

1. Australian and New Zealand Environment and Conservation Council (ANZECC), Agriculture and Resource Management Council of Australia and New Zealand (ARMCANZ), Australian and New Zealand Guidelines for Fresh and Marine Water Quality, Canberra, 2000
2. Department of Environment and Climate Change (DECC), Interim Construction Noise Guidelines, Sydney, 2009
3. Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC), Guidelines for the assessment and management of groundwater contamination, 2007
4. Department of Planning and Environment (DPE), NSW Code of Practice for Authorised Network Operators (Planning Code), 2015
5. Environment Protection Authority (EPA), EPA Compliance Policy, May 2013
6. EPA, Noise Policy for Industry, 2017
7. EPA, Guidelines for the NSW Site Auditor Scheme, 3rd edition, 2017
8. EPA, Guidelines on the duty to report contamination under the Contaminated Land Management Act 1997, 2015
9. EPA, Sampling design guidelines (September 1995)
10. EPA, Waste Classification Guidelines, 2014
11. Office of Environment and Heritage, Compliance Policy, March 2018
12. SafeWork NSW, Code of Practice – How to Manage and Control Asbestos in the Workplace, 2016
13. SafeWork NSW, Code of Practice – How to Safely Remove Asbestos, 2016

3.4 Key Acts and Regulations with Environmental Requirements
(Legislation is from NSW unless otherwise noted)

1. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act 1984 (Cth)
2. Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1983
3. Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Act 1998 (Cth)
4. Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016
5. Biosecurity Act 2015
6. Biosecurity Act 2015 (Cth)
7. Census and Statistics Act 1905
8. Coal Mine Subsidence Compensation Act 2017
9. Coastal Management Act 2016
10. Contaminated Land Management Act 1997
11. Crimes Act 1914
12. Dangerous Goods (Road And Rail Transport) Act 2008
13. Electricity Network Assets (Authorised Transactions) Act 2015
14. Electricity Supply Act 1995
15. Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cth)
16. Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979
17. Environmentally Hazardous Chemicals Act 1985
18. Fisheries Management Act 1994
19. Forestry Act 2012
20. Hazardous Waste (Regulation of Exports and Imports) Act 1989 (Cth)
21. Heritage Act 1977
22. Hunter Water Act 1991
23. Local Government Act 1993
24. Local Land Services Act 2013
25. Marine Estate Management Act 2014