Responsibilities

Staff at all levels within The University of Queensland (UQ) have responsibilities for minimising environmental harm.

These responsibilities are principally based on the Queensland Environmental Protection Act 1994 (EP Act) and related legislation. The University's Environment and Sustainability Policy further reinforces these responsibilities.

UQ senior management

The EP Act includes an Executive Officer Liability (section 493).

UQ’s senior managment (executive) must ensure UQ complies with the Act and all subordinate legislation. If the corporation commits an offence, the executive officers are deemed to have committed the same offense (maximum penalty – up to 6250 penalty units or five years imprisonment). In practice, this means a supervisor must ensure that the staff (or contractors) they are responsible for are able to undertake their duties without breaching the EP Act.

Defences to the Executive Officer Liability are:

the executive took all reasonable steps to ensure compliance, or
the executive was not in a position to influence the conduct of the corporation.

Taking “reasonable steps” to ensure compliance includes:

being familiar with all environmental aspects of UQ’s operations,
identifying members on staff with responsibility for environmental management,
preparing, implementing and supporting an Environmental Management System that addresses all regulatory requirements and risks,
keeping abreast of changes and developments in policy and legal requirements,
demonstrating and communicating responsibility to employees and the public,
ensuring staff are adequately trained and resourced to undertake their duties,
exercising control over the actions of contractors, and
keeping adequate records to demonstrate compliance.

To assist executives meet their responsibilities, UQ currently has:

Sustainability Policy
risk assessment of environmental aspects
Environmental Management System (EMS) including, but not limited to, procedures for waste management and disposal (including hazardous wastes and recycling), energy, noise and water management, training, reporting and responsibilities.

In practice, the UQ senior managment (executive) must:

ensure their managers are adequately trained and resourced to undertake their duties, minimising the risk of environmental harm,
ensure their managers are aware of the EMS and the applicable procedures,
consider environmental issues in making operational decisions, and
assist and support the University central administration with National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting.

National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting (NGER) Scheme

UQ is required to annually report the University’s energy consumption, energy production and greenhouse gas emissions to the Australian Government under the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Act 2007. Data to fulfil NGER reporting obligations is sought from relevant data custodians on an ongoing basis and is to be provided in a timely manner to enable an accurate and complete report submission by the reporting deadline (31 October or following business day) each year.

Individual Staff and Students

All staff and students have a responsibility to comply with environmental legislation as well as environmental policy and procedures developed by the University, School or Organisational Unit.

Notwithstanding the responsibilities below, numerous UQ staff and students will carry other responsibilities, namely:

Executive
Heads of Schools and Organisational Units, Managers and Supervisors
Property and Facilities Division (P&F) Staff
Sustainability Office, P&F Staff.

General Environmental Duty

Under the EP Act, everyone has a general environmental duty (section 319). You must be aware of the activities you undertake that may impact on the environment. For example, you must know how to correctly dispose of hazardous materials.

Duty to notify

If you become aware of environmental harm being caused (or possibly being caused), you have a duty to report that harm under the EP Act (section 320). If you fail to report environmental harm it is an offence and you can be prosecuted.

General environmental duty and duty to notify of environmental harm

Staff and students should:

comply with the UQ Environment and Sustainability Policy
follow the UQ Environmental Management System, and
provide feedback on new and/or existing activities that require improvements to existing procedures or development of new procedures to better address risk.

Online Sustainability Training covers UQ's environmental policies and procedures as well as workers' individual responsibilities. There are also a number of sustainability programs for staff and students at UQ.

IF SOMETHING DOES GO WRONG and there is an environmental incident:

contact PF Assist during business hours on 336 52222, Security anytime on 336 51234 for general/non-urgent matters or 336 53333 for emergencies and/or, Program Manager Environment & Sustainability (PMES) during business hours on 336 51587,
follow all instructions from PF Assist/Security
try to minimise harm if safe to do so, and
after the incident contact PMES, P&F Sustainability Office to complete the incident investigation process on 336 51587 or email sustainability@uq.edu.au

Note: Some Schools/Centres may appoint a specific person that staff and students can report environmental incidents to. This person should then contact Security on 336 51234 and/or PMES on 336 51587.

Property and Facilities Division

Property and Facilities Division is responsible for delivering comprehensive facilities management services to support UQ’s sustainability goals, Environmental Management System and legislative requirements. This includes:

incorporating sustainable design into construction, refurbishment and maintenance works,
sustainable operations (e.g. energy efficiency, sustainable cleaning, sustainable products and purchasing)
providing recycling and waste management facilities,
maintaining gardens, lakes and landscaped areas,
weed and pest control, and
environmental emergency response.

Attaining and managing development approvals and other environmental licences for central operational issues as required under the Sustainable Planning Act 2009 (Qld).

P&F Sustainability Office

Sustainability Office, Property and Facilities Division (P&F):

manages the University's central environmental responsibilities, including the Environmental Management System,
provides a range of support, and advisory services to the University community to assist meeting their individual and corporate environmental responsibilities,
promotes best environmental practice at UQ, and
manages the environmental risk of P&F and UQ.