3.13 Gear and Equipment Disposal
Purpose
To outline requirements for the safe and appropriate disposal, transfer, recycling or decommissioning of SLS gear and equipment that is no longer required or suitable for operational use.
Overview
SLS gear and equipment may require removal from service because it is:
- Damaged or unserviceable,
- Beyond economical repair,
- Obsolete or no longer supported,
- Subject to a product recall,
- No longer compliant with SLS requirements,
- Surplus to operational requirements, or
- Replaced as part of an equipment renewal program.
Equipment must be disposed of in a manner that:
- Prevents unsafe equipment returning to lifesaving or rescue use,
- Protects SLS and organisational branding,
- Protects personal, operational and security information,
- Meets environmental and waste disposal requirements, and
- Maintains appropriate asset and equipment records.
Where practicable, consideration should be given to repair, reuse, transfer or recycling before disposal.
Procedure
Removal from Service
Equipment identified as unsafe or unserviceable must be removed from operational use as soon as practicable.
Where there is a risk that equipment may inadvertently be returned to service, it should be clearly identified as OUT OF SERVICE or otherwise isolated until a decision is made regarding repair or disposal.
Equipment that has failed an inspection must not be returned to operational use unless it has been repaired, assessed and returned to an approved serviceable condition.
Refer to SOP 3.8 – Gear and Equipment Inspections.
Disposal Assessment
Before disposing of equipment, the responsible club or service should determine whether the equipment can be:
- Repaired and returned to service,
- Redeployed for another approved purpose,
- Transferred to another SLS club or service,
- Returned to the manufacturer or supplier,
- Recycled or recovered for parts, or
- Permanently disposed of.
The ownership of the equipment must be confirmed before disposal.
Equipment that is leased, loaned, grant funded, provided under sponsorship arrangements or owned by another organisation must not be disposed of without confirming any applicable return, transfer or disposal requirements.
Equipment That Has Failed Safety Requirements
Gear or equipment that has been deemed unsafe or unsuitable for lifesaving use must not be sold, donated or transferred in a manner that could reasonably result in it being returned to lifesaving or rescue use.
Where failed equipment is retained or transferred for a non-operational purpose, it must be appropriately de-branded and, where necessary, permanently marked or modified to identify that it is not approved for lifesaving use.
Examples may include:
- Rescue boards,
- Rescue tubes,
- Personal protective equipment,
- First aid or resuscitation equipment,
- Powercraft equipment, and
- Other equipment carrying SLS identification or intended for safety-critical use.
Branding and Identification
Where SLS equipment is disposed of or transferred outside Surf Life Saving, organisational branding should be removed or permanently obscured where practicable.
This includes:
- Surf Life Saving logos,
- SLSSA branding,
- Club or service branding,
- SURF RESCUE markings,
- Call signs,
- Asset identification labels where appropriate, and
- Other markings that may reasonably imply that the item remains approved SLS equipment.
Equipment transferred between recognised SLS entities does not generally require de-branding where it will remain in approved SLS use.
Defibrillators and Medical Equipment
Defibrillators and other electronic medical equipment that is no longer suitable for use should be returned to the supplier, manufacturer or an appropriate e-waste recycling service where practicable.
Before disposal:
- Batteries and consumable components must be managed in accordance with manufacturer requirements,
- Any stored patient or incident information must be removed where the device has data storage capability,
- Organisational and asset identification must be removed where appropriate, and
- The relevant equipment or asset record must be updated.
Expired, contaminated or unusable medical and first aid consumables must be disposed of in accordance with manufacturer instructions and applicable waste requirements.
Sharps must be disposed of in accordance with SOP 1.3 – Sharps.
Oxygen Cylinders and Pressurised Equipment
Oxygen cylinders and other pressurised cylinders must not be disposed of through general waste.
Cylinders should be returned to the supplier, owner or an authorised service or disposal provider.
SLS personnel must not deliberately vent, puncture, cut or otherwise disable pressurised cylinders for the purpose of disposal unless specifically trained and authorised to do so.
Radios and Communications Equipment
Before an SLS radio is sold, transferred outside SLS or disposed of, any SLSSA radio programming or other restricted communications information must be removed in accordance with SOP 7.2 – Radio Equipment Specifications.
Deprogramming of radios must only be undertaken by an SLSSA approved service agent in accordance with SOP 7.2.
Radio equipment must not be transferred outside SLS with SLSSA frequencies or programming remaining accessible.
Batteries
Batteries should be separated from equipment where designed to be safely removed and directed to an appropriate battery recycling or disposal service.
Damaged, swollen, leaking or otherwise hazardous batteries must not be placed in general waste and must be handled in accordance with manufacturer and applicable safety requirements.
SLS personnel must not dismantle or interfere with damaged batteries where doing so may expose them to additional risk.
Reuse, Sale or Donation
Serviceable surplus equipment may be transferred, sold or donated where authorised by the equipment owner and where doing so does not create a safety, security, branding or compliance risk.
Before equipment leaves SLS control:
- Its condition and suitability for transfer must be considered,
- SLS branding must be removed where appropriate,
- Restricted radio programming must be removed,
- Organisational or personal information must be removed,
- Any ownership, funding or grant conditions must be satisfied, and
- Relevant asset records must be updated.
Equipment that has been condemned because it is unsafe for its intended lifesaving purpose must not be represented as serviceable lifesaving equipment.
Disposal Records
Where equipment is recorded within Surfguard, an organisational asset register, service register or other equipment management system, the record must be updated following disposal or transfer.
For significant or controlled assets, records should identify where applicable:
- Equipment description,
- Asset or serial number,
- Reason for disposal,
- Date of disposal,
- Disposal or transfer method,
- Recipient or recycling provider where relevant, and
- Person authorising the disposal.
Records should be retained in accordance with applicable organisational recordkeeping requirements.
References