A Site Environmental Emergency Plan (SEEP) is a one-page document that offers quick and accurate information at a glance for use in an environmental emergency. This blog will discuss why you should have a Site Environmental Emergency Plan and the contents you should consider including.

Why Do I Need a Site Environmental Emergency Plan?

The one-page Site Environmental Emergency Plan will enable staff to respond effectively and immediately to an environmental incident. It contains all of the information required during the first moments after a spillage has occurred. Once immediate actions surrounding containment of a spillage have been completed, further information can be used from your Pollution Incident Response Plan (PIRP) to take the next steps in incident response. Read last week’s blog here for more information about PIRPs.

What Should My Site Environmental Emergency Plan Contain?

A good baseline for your Site Environmental Emergency Plan is an accurate drainage plan, including main drainage routes and outfalls (find out what drainage plans should contain here). You can then add additional information onto your plan. This will include oil and chemical storage areas (including the type of liquid stored and quantities), spill risk and spill kit locations (differentiating between oil, chemical and general spill kits). The Site Environmental Emergency Plan should also contain emergency contact information. This will include those within your organisation that should be contacted in the event of an emergency such as site management and the spill response team and external contacts e.g. the Environment Agency and a spill response contractor.

What Should I Do With My Site Environmental Emergency Plan?

Once you have prepared your Site Environmental Emergency Plan with all the necessary information, it should be displayed so it is quick and easy to consult in the event of an incident. It may also be valuable to put copies of the Site Environmental Emergency Plan into spill kits and have a copy with security or in reception so any initial responders to an incident will have all the necessary information to hand. If there are any site changes, e.g. moving of oil or chemical storage areas or movement of spill kits, the Site Environmental Emergency Plan will need to be amended and all copies re-distributed.

A Site Environmental Emergency Plan is valuable for swift pollution response, ensuring the correct actions are taken quickly to help prevent pollution from leaving your site. It should provide the necessary information in a one-page, at a glance format and be readily available to anyone who may need to deal with an incident.