A free one-page field guide for SMEs – print it, laminate it, and know exactly what to do when it matters most.
When an environmental incident happens, you won’t have time to search for the right process. You need the critical steps in front of you, immediately.
This free quick reference card condenses the full incident response protocol into a single, at-a-glance format – designed to be printed, laminated, and kept on-site. It covers the four stages your team needs to act on in the first hours of any environmental incident. If you want to understand the reasoning behind each step, read our guide: How to Respond to an Environmental Incident: A Step-by-Step Protocol.”
What’s on the card
- Immediate actions – the first 30-minute checklist: stop the source, contain the spread, alert your response lead
- Notification prompts – who to contact (regulator, emergency services, senior management, affected parties) and when
- Documentation essentials – exactly what to record at the scene, in plain language, facts only
- Investigation and close-out – root cause questions and corrective action framework to prevent recurrence
The card is formatted for A4 landscape printing and is sized to laminate. One copy per site, one for your vehicle, one for your site office.
Who this is for
This card is designed for any SME that operates in or near environments where a spill, discharge, or unplanned emission could occur – trades businesses, contractors, transport operators, manufacturers, land managers, and agricultural operations.
If your team works on-site without easy access to policies and procedures, this card fills that gap.
Ready to go further?
The Quick Reference Card tells your team what to do. A formal Incident Response Plan documents how your organisation specifically does it – your contacts, your site procedures, your documentation forms, ready before an incident occurs.
The Environmental Compliance Starter Kit includes a complete Incident Response Plan Template and Procedures – along with five other essential compliance documents – so your business has a documented, defensible system in place, not just a laminated card.