2015-06-23 I&S Agenda - Item 5 - Local Disaster Recovery Plan - Attachment 2

                            Noosa Local Disaster Recovery Plan 2015/2016

24.15 Other considerations
24.15.1          Make safe
It is important that safety and security is maintained throughout the recovery process. There
is a risk that people will not maintain normal safety measures and procedures in their haste
to effect repairs and restore some sense of normality to their lives e.g. ensuring that only
appropriately qualified people perform work. The term ‘make safe’ means many things and
can include:
   classifying structural soundness
   establishing safe areas by removing hazards
   maintaining health, public health and safety standards
   managing ingress and egress routes
   receiving suitable sign off
   requesting domestic and industrial consumers of gas, water and electricity to shut off
    equipment to preserve limited supply
The sub-group should plan for and implement programs that promote and enhance safety in
building and construction. Agencies such as the Building Services Authority and trade
unions can assist in these matters.

24.15.2          Clean up
 A significant volume of damaged material must be removed prior to the construction of new
 facilities. In many cases this operation must be performed to restore amenity to the
 community.

Clean-up operations include:
o   removal of debris and other matter - green waste, building waste
o   removal of rotting food from shelves and refrigerators in commercial establishments and
    houses (both attended and unattended)
o   removal and disposal of hazardous substances (for example, asbestos containing
    material, dust from fluorescent tubes)6
o   removal of enviro-hazards (for example, oil or chemical spills, copper and arsenic,
    treated timber, lead, silt, flood debris which may become a future fire risk)
o   disposal of carcasses from pets or agricultural animals—this may require special
    disposal and environmental health officers should be consulted for appropriate areas
    and requirements
o   processing waste—grinding, compacting, recycling
o   disposal of medical waste, including pharmaceutical waste—this may require special
    supervision and disposal at secure sites (consult environmental health officers)
o   managing and removing debris that presents a safety hazard to the community and may
    require special steps to remove (for example, glass in school playgrounds)
Handling, safety and regulation
o   a need to take care with removal, handling and disposal of hazardous substances (for
    example, lead or asbestos-containing products)
o   calculating the logistics of moving the waste and debris—transport and
o   heavy equipment within built-up areas and high traffic levels at the disposal site may
    impact communities

6
 Where the amount of asbestos exceeds council control and handling, a request for assistance is to
be made to the DDMG
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