Defence National Environmental Standard 13

Environmental Incident Reporting & Management

Schedule A Guidance for Assessment of Environmental Incident Severity

The Incident Reporter should use the following guidance to make an initial assessment of the severity of an environmental incident (refer Table 2). The environment is defined
as Natural surroundings in which Defence personnel and its contractors operate, including air, water, land, natural resources, flora, fauna, people and their interrelation. For the
purposes of this DNES and to ensure Defence meets its legislative obligations, environment also includes indigenous, historic and natural heritage.
Note that more than one definition may be applicable (i.e. significant and irreversible, unapproved impact on the environment AND damage to Defences reputation with a
single or small group of organisations or individuals, and that the highest assessment of severity applies.
Table 2 Guidance for the initial assessment of environmental incident severity

Major Moderate Minor

Significant AND irreversible impact on the environment.
OR
Environmental impact requires emergency commitment of
significant time and/or money to remediate, OR would
take more than 10 years to recover naturally.
OR
National / international damage to Defences reputation.
Negative press coverage at a national or international
scale.
Significant but reversible, OR irreversible and localised, impact on the
environment.
OR
Environmental impact requires a programmed commitment of
moderate time and/or money to remediate, OR would take 2-10 years
to recover naturally.
OR
Local / regional damage to Defences reputation. Negative press
coverage at a local or regional scale.
Reversible and localised impact on the environment.
OR
Environmental impact requires a programmed commitment
of some time and/or money to remediate, OR would take
less than 2 years to recover naturally.
OR
Damage to Defences reputation with a single or small group
of organisations or individuals.
 Defence National Environmental Standard 14
Environmental Incident Reporting & Management

The Competent Person should use the following guidance to categorise the severity of an environmental incident in the Part B form (refer Table 3). The column incident
category includes both receptors and activities because both are relevant in determining the severity of an incident.
An environmental incident may fall into more than one incident category. The severity should be assessed for all relevant incident categories and the highest rating used to
categorise the incident. For example, an environmental incident may occur which is categorised as minor under the General incident category. However if the incident is
related to an issue of interest to local or regional media and the Reputation rating is moderate, the incidents overall rating would be moderate.

Table 3 Guidance for the assessment of environmental incident severity

IncidentCategory Major Moderate Minor

* General Unapproved, enduring and extensive impact
to the environment on or off the Defence
Estate (EPBC Act).
OR
Significant negative impact on management
objectives and targets, which requires an
emergency commitment of substantial
resources (time and/or money) to remediate,
OR would take more than 10 years to recover
naturally.
OR
Extensive but short-lived, OR, enduring but
localised impact to the environment off the
Defence Estate, resulting from an
environmental incident that occurred on the
Defence Estate.
Unapproved, extensive but short-lived, OR,
enduring but localised impact to the
environment on or off the Defence Estate
(EPBC Act).
OR
Negative impact on management objectives
and targets, which requires a programmed
commitment of substantial resources (time
and/or money) to remediate, OR would take 2-
10 years to recover naturally.
OR
Short-lived and localised impact to the
environment off the Defence Estate, resulting
from an environmental incident that occurred
on the Defence Estate.
Short-lived and localised, unapproved impact
to the environment on or off the Defence
Estate (EPBC Act).
OR
Negative impact on management objectives
and targets, which requires a programmed
commitment of resources (time and/or money)
to remediate, OR would take less than 2 years
to recover naturally.
OR
Potential for impact to the environment off the
Defence Estate, resulting from an
environmental incident that occurred on the
Defence Estate.

* Incident resulting from a non-conformance
Moderate or major incident resulting from non-
conformance with EPBC Act Referral
Conditions (i.e. if a moderate incident occurs
and it is also a non-conformance with
conditions imposed by an EPBC Act Referral,
the incident is upgraded to major severity)
Minor incident resulting from non-conformance n/a
with EPBC Act Referral Conditions (i.e. if a
minor incident occurs and it is also a non-
conformance with Conditions imposed by an
EPBC Act Referral, the incident is upgraded to
moderate severity)

IncidentCategory
* Incident occurring within approval or
conditions (ECC, RSO, SOPs), i.e. impact to
the environment above impact expected under
the relevant approval or conditions.
OR
* Incident occurring where SOP has not
adequately considered environmental impacts
* Biodiversity
* Uncontrolled release fuels & lubricants
Defence National Environmental Standard
Environmental Incident Reporting & Management
Major Moderate
Irreversible and extensive impact to the
environment on or off the Defence Estate
(EPBC Act) above that approved.
OR
Significant negative impact on management
objectives and targets, above that approved,
which requires an emergency commitment of
substantial resources (time and/or money) to
remediate, OR would take more than 10 years
to recover naturally.
Loss of or damage to a moderate or large
group, or moderate or large area (>100m2),
listed as a Matter of National Environmental
Significance under the EPBC Act (i.e.
wetlands, threatened species & ecological
communities, migratory species,
Commonwealth marine areas and Great
Barrier Reef Marine Park)
Spill of any size impacts on nationally or
internationally significant environmental
receptor(s) including soil, air and/or water
OR
Spill is >50L and impacts on environmental
receptor(s) including soil, air and/or water
Minor
Extensive but reversible, OR, irreversible but
localised impact to the environment on or off
the Defence Estate (EPBC Act) above that
approved.
OR
Negative impact on management objectives
and targets, above that approved, which
requires a programmed commitment of
substantial resources (time and/or money) to
remediate, OR would take 2- 10 years to
recover naturally.
Loss of or damage to a small group or small
area (10-100m2) listed as a Matter of National
Environmental Significance under the EPBC
Act
OR
Loss of or damage to a moderate or large
group, or moderate or large area (>100m2),
listed under a state listing
Spill is 5-50L and impacts on environmental
receptor including soil, air and/or water
15
Reversible and localised damage to the
environment on or off the Defence Estate
(EPBC Act).
OR
Negative impact on management objectives
and targets, above that approved, which
requires a programmed commitment of
resources (time and/or money) to remediate,
OR would take less than 2 years to recover
naturally.
Loss of or damage to an individual or very
small area (<10m2) listed as a Matter of
National Environmental Significance under the
EPBC Act
OR
Loss of or damage to a small group or small
area listed under a state listing
OR
Loss of or damage to a moderate or large
group, or moderate or large area (>100m2),
listed under a local listing
Spill is <5L and impacts on environmental
receptor including soil, air and/or water
 Defence National Environmental Standard
Environmental Incident Reporting & Management
IncidentCategory Major
* Waste Waste of any size impacts on nationally or
internationally significant environmental
receptor(s) including soil, air and/or water
OR
Waste is >50m3 and impacts on
environmental receptor(s) including soil, air
and/or water
* Heritage Unapproved, irreversible loss of natural or
cultural heritage values from a site with the
potential for listing or listed on the World
Heritage, National Heritage or Commonwealth
Heritage Lists.
* Resource usage water, energy, materials N/A
* Reputation Damage to Defences reputation or loss of
public confidence at a national or international
scale.
OR
Negative press coverage at a national or
international scale.
OR
Subject of a parliamentary question or
ministerial.
Moderate Minor
Waste is 5-50m3 and impacts on
environmental receptor including soil, air
and/or water
OR
Inappropriate disposal of significant volume of
waste (where significant is relative to the type
of waste)
Unapproved, extensive but reversible loss of
natural or cultural heritage values at a site with
the potential for listing or listed on the World
Heritage, National Heritage or Commonwealth
Heritage Lists.
OR
Unapproved, irreversible but localised loss of
natural or cultural heritage values at a site with
the potential for listing or listed on the World
Heritage, National Heritage or Commonwealth
Heritage Lists.
Excessive, wasteful or inefficient consumption
of large quantities of a limited resource
including materials, water and energy.
Damage to Defences reputation or loss of
public confidence at a local or regional scale.
OR
Negative press coverage at a local or regional
scale.
16
Waste is <5m3 and impacts on environmental
receptor including soil, air and/or water
OR
Inappropriate disposal of waste
Unapproved, reversible and localised loss of
natural or cultural heritage values at a site with
the potential for listing or listed on the World
Heritage, National Heritage or Commonwealth
Heritage Lists.
OR
Unapproved, reversible OR localised loss of
any natural or cultural heritage values
Excessive, wasteful or inefficient consumption
of a limited resource including materials, water
and energy.
Damage to Defences reputation or loss of
public confidence with a single or small group
of organisations or individuals.