The Victorian Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) works with our community, industry, and businesses to prevent and reduce any harmful effects that pollution and waste can have on our environment and human health.
In 2021, the EPA’s new environmental protection legislation came into effect and at the centre of it is the introduction of general environmental duty (GED). This new legislation placed greater responsibility on organisations to proactively prevent and minimise their environmental impact.
One business keen to get on board quickly with this legislative change was Stevens Bulk Services who handles a range of dry bulk products such as fertilisers, minerals, grains, and meals at GeelongPort. The new environmental law requires Stevens Bulk Services to develop and implement a Safety and Environmental Management Plan (SEMP).
In order to do this, a thorough environmental risk assessment must first be carried out. The company engaged Morphum Environmental to assess what risk their four main products posed to the environment during the storage and handling process.
Morphum split this project into two phases to allow us to take a well-planned and targeted approach:
For phase one, Morphum developed an environmental risk assessment framework and matrix to analyse the client’s four main products. As the client’s premises are located within GeelongPort, the key environmental risks are the potential impact if these products get into the surrounding surface water, air and groundwater.
Each product was analysed within these three identified environments so the risks could be accurately weighed up.
At the conclusion of phase one, Morphum provided Stevens Bulk Services with a detailed and evidence-based environmental risk assessment to inform their SEMP. All existing environmental risks are clearly identified, and a series of control measures were recommended to help reduce further environmental harm.
Morphum is now looking forward to carrying out phase two of this project, the field assessment, in due course.
