Investigate the eastern boundary dust complaint

You are the Environmental Coordinator at Wattle Creek Quarry.

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What is going on

On 8 September 2026 a neighbour on the eastern boundary of Wattle Creek complained of dust over their property between 2:00 pm and 4:00 pm during strong westerly winds. The complaint is logged in the Hazard and Incident Register. The quarry's environmental authority sets dust limits at the boundary and requires complaints to be investigated and responded to within five working days. The trigger action response plan requires the crusher sprays to be running and the water cart on the haul roads above a set wind speed, and stockpile work to stop above a higher wind speed. The water cart WC03 has a leaking spray bar valve and was in the workshop for part of the afternoon.

Ngaire Thompson, HSE and Training Manager
Subject: Dust complaint from the eastern boundary, 8 September

A neighbour on the eastern boundary of Wattle Creek has complained about dust over their property on the afternoon of 8 September during strong westerlies. The complaint is in the Hazard and Incident Register. I want you to investigate it under the Environmental Policy: pull the boundary monitor data for the afternoon, the water cart log and the crusher spray log, check what the trigger action response plan required and whether it was followed, and draft the response to the neighbour and the corrective actions. The complaint must be closed out within five working days, so I need your draft by Monday.

Your brief

Investigate the complaint under the Environmental Policy using the monitor data, the water cart and crusher spray logs and the trigger action response plan, determine whether the controls were applied, and draft the response to the neighbour and the corrective actions for the HSE and Training Manager.

Work through it

You do not need to do it all. Doing a few of these will show you what the work is like. Your ticks and notes stay on this device.

Read the Environmental Policy dust and complaints sections and the Legal and Other Requirements Register entry for the environmental authority, and list the obligations that apply.
Review the boundary monitor data, wind speed and the water cart and crusher spray logs for the afternoon of 8 September, and build a timeline.
Compare what the trigger action response plan required at each wind speed with what actually happened, including the water cart WC03 in the workshop.
Determine whether a boundary limit was exceeded and whether the event must be reported to the environmental regulator, and record your reasoning.
Draft the written response to the neighbour, factual and courteous, for the HSE and Training Manager's approval.
Write corrective actions in order of the hierarchy of controls, with owners and dates, and update the Hazard and Incident Register entry to actions open.
Prepare a prestart briefing for the quarry crew on the dust trigger levels and what to do when the water cart is unavailable.

My notes: what did I enjoy, and what surprised me?

What someone in this role would produce

Timeline and control comparison
Reportability decision with reasoning
Draft response to the neighbour
Updated register entry with corrective actions

Printing this is a record of what you explored. It is not a certificate or a qualification.