Emergency plans and procedures should be established to ensure that there will be an appropriate response to unexpected or accidental incidents.

The organisation should define and maintain procedures for dealing with environmental incidents and potential emergency situations. The operating procedures and controls should include, where appropriate, consideration of:

• accidental emissions to atmosphere;
• accidental discharges to water and land; and
• specific environmental and ecosystem effects from accidental releases.

The procedures should take into account incidents arising, or likely to arise, as consequences of:

• abnormal operating conditions, and
• accidents and potential emergency situations.

Emergency plans can include:

• emergency organization and responsibilities and, in particular, those who have overall authority:
• details of emergency services (e.g. fire department, spill cleanup services);
• an internal and external communication plan;
• actions taken in the event of different types of emergencies;
• information on hazardous materials, including each material's potential impact on the environment, and measures to be taken in the event of accidental release; and
• training plans and testing for effectiveness.