Legislation
Environmental protection Act 1990 is an powerful piece of a legislation that was introduced to protect the United Kingdoms environment. In 1995, the environment Agency was set up. These are the main Act of parliament was introduced to protect the environment:
Control
Health and Safety Executive
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has powers to enforce the government legislation. HSE has very little input on the environmental side of the law apart
from the nuclear directive governing that can release of radiation. HSE primarily investigates safety in the environmental issues, for example they make sure that the correct personal protective equipment (PPE) is worn when cleaning up a spillage. You should breach a safety regulation occur, then HSE can have the power of prosecution.
Environment Agency
Environment Agency (EA) is an public body whose role that can protect the environment. According to the EA's chairman the EA is 'is a leading public body for protecting and improving the environment in England and Wales. It is their job to make sure the air, land and water is looked after by everyone in today's society, so that tomorrow's generation inherit is a cleaner and healthier world' (Environment Agency website, 2007). EA does undertake many checks including air and also water quality monitoring. It can also prosecutes offenders and gathers evidence in a support of cases going to court.
Local authorities
Local authorities can have many powers including:
Its the responsibility of the local authorities to provide the local community with the following environmental services:
The building control department regulates demolition of buildings, alternation and erection of both commercial and domestic buildings. Environmental aspects are covered by building control that includes, drainage, heating, power and lighting and ventilation.They can also control any thermal properties of a dwelling and hence lead to the reduction of carbon emissions. Building control will often enforce the regulations through the checking of the plans on conformity and by a visual site inspections. This department can also legally enforce the regulations.
Design and specification
Good building designs is essential to protect any local and global environment. Good-quality design to an high and global standard, using a sustainable construction techniques, can play dividends for an environment.
The orientation of many buildings, for example, could harness the sun's energy, that provides natural light instead of artificial, and thereby saving much more energy. Sourcing local types of materials can help reduce any transport carbon footprint and using renewable resources are some of the ways in which designers could help protect the environment.
Use of better-quality materials and more time spent on the thermal design will, in an long term, not only save on a building maintenance but can also save energy and hence to reduce the effects of global warming. This has been further backed up with changes to a part L of a building regulations which deals with the thermal efficiency buildings.
Reduction in energy usage
People need to learn how to extend the life of finite resources.To accomplish this, people will have to save energy.
This could be achieved through:
Renewable energy sources can be rapidly developed technology. They can harness aspects of the environment for use to make energy. How ever on the other hand they could still leave a mark on the environment. For an example, both hydroelectric reservoirs and wind farms require a large area of land. Other examples of renewable energy sources in the United Kingdom includes an wave power, geothermal power and solar power.All of the energy saving and renewable energies measures rely on the education of the United Kingdom population and their willingness to accomplish these measures against the cost involved. For an example, solar panels on a new house can have a heavy initial cost on the selling prices and an long payback period. However on the other hand the positive effects on the environment will outlast those costs.
Minimization of pollution
The pollution has an marked effect upon the environment as well as on everyone's health and well-being. There are several ways to minimize the pollution including:.
There is an close relationship between the energy people use and global warming. Everyone can therefore try to reduce the amount of energy everyone uses in construction by specifying many materials that can have lower embedded energy. The natural timber products are excellent examples as they absorb carbon during growth and cost little to convert into an usable construction product. Cement-based products, on the other hand, it contains a high levels of embedded energy; thus, careful consideration can be given before people use these products and alternative products has to be sought.
Environmentally friendly, renewable materials
Many architects, designers and also clients are now considering an effect that people can develop can have on the environment.Green issues such as sustainability are essential and environmental consideration in a selecting many materials to incorporate into an building. Products need to be an environmentally and friendly environment, and to cause a lower amounts of the environmental pollution.
An example of any environmentally and friendly materials could be timber cedar boarding which can be long-lasting and can requires treatment. The natural insulation products can develop from many newspapers and sheep wool are examples of any green products used in a unique way to reduce energy consumption.
Reuse of existing buildings and sites
Earlier in this type of unit, we mentioned the terms of a brownfield site. This is an site that can have a previous commercials used and where many buildings my of been left standing or demolished. The question that has to be asked before considering an development opportunity could be, it is better to reuse an plot of any type of land than to develop on virgin land? Often the ground can be contaminated with pollutants that has to require cleaning up to provide an safe environment for an future use.
Reuse of buildings are often called refurbishment or an adaption. This can be a useful technique and can save energy and materials in an long run. Buildings of any type of merit can be conserved under English Heritage's listing scheme.
Management
simple environmental impact assessments
An simple environmental impact assessment (EIA) could enable of the management of an organisation that can have an clearer picture of the effect of the organisation that can have on the environment.A EIA is normally an checklist of any items which could need careful assessments, such as:
Any site managers are instrumental in protecting the whole environment. Double banded tanks for fuel oils, spillage kits and silt tanks could be deployed by any effective to an site manager to help prevent many illegal spillages into soil and silts pumped into drainage systems.
The waste should be sorted during the construction and the process to ensure materials can be recycled. An excellent site manager could provide, for example, the following:
As people could see, there are many ways for an able, environmentally aware, to the site manager to provide the added value on an construction project to the local and the global environment.
Clear policies and objectives
Any type of construction company that has been an clear environmental policies and many objectives on wastage, recycling, noise management and the dust and dirt control makes an statement to all of its employees and customers that it cares about the whole environment.
The local authorities' the environmental services departments can have an clear mandate from both that the government and the European Union (EU) to increase the whole percentage of municipal waste that is recycled. This should reduce the whole amount of the waste that's going to a landfill site. EU has also taken steps that encourage car manufactures to recycle 70 per cent of any type of an car at the end of its whole life.
As with any type of policy, continual monitoring and an review is a necessary to ensure that there can be a marked positive effect on the whole environment.
Sharing of good practice
Excellent practice has to be shared among sites and organisations for a even greater impact to be felt on the whole environment. No other employees should be ignorant when it does come to taking an environmental considerations into an account while people undertake any duties of the company. An good idea could be or should be rewarded, recognized and that should be shared freely and not sold for profit, for it is only through any efforts of everyone that the possible effects on the global climate change could be reduced and halted.
Raising of awareness
The education of the construction workforce in the first ever thing that has to be accomplished in order to put into place that the policies described earlier. If many people are unaware of the whole environmental effect that people are having locally on an construction site, they can be unlikely to participate in any policy or an activity that can be put into and place. Many companies could extend this further and can involve the local communities in an process through a school visit, community activities and advertising green issues are related to a company.
Communication of information
To communicate the environmental information is an important process and could be a verbal and/or written. On a construction site inductions for every employee could make them aware of the whole environmental considerations can be related to an project they are working on. The tool box can talk could reinforce and this message during a construction phase of any project. Any communication must be top-driven, that is, from any of the managing director downwards, and has to be two-way so that every levels of operatives and that the management are aware.
Environmental protection Act 1990 is an powerful piece of a legislation that was introduced to protect the United Kingdoms environment. In 1995, the environment Agency was set up. These are the main Act of parliament was introduced to protect the environment:
- Water Act 1989
- Control of pollution (Amendment) Act 1989
- Environmental Protection Act (EPA) 1990
- Land Drainage Act 1991
- Water Resources Act 1991
- Environment Act 1995.
- Air
- Chemicals
- Conservation
- Energy
- Land
- Noise and statutory nuisance
- Pollution prevention and control (PPC)
- Plant protection
- Radioactive substances
- Waste
- Water.
Control
Health and Safety Executive
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has powers to enforce the government legislation. HSE has very little input on the environmental side of the law apart
from the nuclear directive governing that can release of radiation. HSE primarily investigates safety in the environmental issues, for example they make sure that the correct personal protective equipment (PPE) is worn when cleaning up a spillage. You should breach a safety regulation occur, then HSE can have the power of prosecution.
Environment Agency
Environment Agency (EA) is an public body whose role that can protect the environment. According to the EA's chairman the EA is 'is a leading public body for protecting and improving the environment in England and Wales. It is their job to make sure the air, land and water is looked after by everyone in today's society, so that tomorrow's generation inherit is a cleaner and healthier world' (Environment Agency website, 2007). EA does undertake many checks including air and also water quality monitoring. It can also prosecutes offenders and gathers evidence in a support of cases going to court.
Local authorities
Local authorities can have many powers including:
- Planning
- Environmental services
- Building control.
Its the responsibility of the local authorities to provide the local community with the following environmental services:
- Municipal waste collection and disposal
- Recycling
- Pollution control
- Noise control
- Clean air
- Public health
- Commercial waste
- Food safety.
The building control department regulates demolition of buildings, alternation and erection of both commercial and domestic buildings. Environmental aspects are covered by building control that includes, drainage, heating, power and lighting and ventilation.They can also control any thermal properties of a dwelling and hence lead to the reduction of carbon emissions. Building control will often enforce the regulations through the checking of the plans on conformity and by a visual site inspections. This department can also legally enforce the regulations.
Design and specification
Good building designs is essential to protect any local and global environment. Good-quality design to an high and global standard, using a sustainable construction techniques, can play dividends for an environment.
The orientation of many buildings, for example, could harness the sun's energy, that provides natural light instead of artificial, and thereby saving much more energy. Sourcing local types of materials can help reduce any transport carbon footprint and using renewable resources are some of the ways in which designers could help protect the environment.
Use of better-quality materials and more time spent on the thermal design will, in an long term, not only save on a building maintenance but can also save energy and hence to reduce the effects of global warming. This has been further backed up with changes to a part L of a building regulations which deals with the thermal efficiency buildings.
Reduction in energy usage
People need to learn how to extend the life of finite resources.To accomplish this, people will have to save energy.
This could be achieved through:
- Energy saving measures
- Renewable energy measures.
Renewable energy sources can be rapidly developed technology. They can harness aspects of the environment for use to make energy. How ever on the other hand they could still leave a mark on the environment. For an example, both hydroelectric reservoirs and wind farms require a large area of land. Other examples of renewable energy sources in the United Kingdom includes an wave power, geothermal power and solar power.All of the energy saving and renewable energies measures rely on the education of the United Kingdom population and their willingness to accomplish these measures against the cost involved. For an example, solar panels on a new house can have a heavy initial cost on the selling prices and an long payback period. However on the other hand the positive effects on the environment will outlast those costs.
Minimization of pollution
The pollution has an marked effect upon the environment as well as on everyone's health and well-being. There are several ways to minimize the pollution including:.
- Fitting fume scrubbers to a high location to the chimney outputs to remove solids and any pollutant chemicals that could be released into the air
- Treating the water of foul drainage before it is discharged into the sea can outfall to reduce any effects on the marine environment
- Minimizing any wastage by recycling construction products such as timber, metal and bricks and thus reducing more pollution dumped into the landfill sites
- Using many developments in technology such as bio fuels and low sulphur fuels that can provide cleaner emissions released during combustion in engines.
There is an close relationship between the energy people use and global warming. Everyone can therefore try to reduce the amount of energy everyone uses in construction by specifying many materials that can have lower embedded energy. The natural timber products are excellent examples as they absorb carbon during growth and cost little to convert into an usable construction product. Cement-based products, on the other hand, it contains a high levels of embedded energy; thus, careful consideration can be given before people use these products and alternative products has to be sought.
Environmentally friendly, renewable materials
Many architects, designers and also clients are now considering an effect that people can develop can have on the environment.Green issues such as sustainability are essential and environmental consideration in a selecting many materials to incorporate into an building. Products need to be an environmentally and friendly environment, and to cause a lower amounts of the environmental pollution.
An example of any environmentally and friendly materials could be timber cedar boarding which can be long-lasting and can requires treatment. The natural insulation products can develop from many newspapers and sheep wool are examples of any green products used in a unique way to reduce energy consumption.
Reuse of existing buildings and sites
Earlier in this type of unit, we mentioned the terms of a brownfield site. This is an site that can have a previous commercials used and where many buildings my of been left standing or demolished. The question that has to be asked before considering an development opportunity could be, it is better to reuse an plot of any type of land than to develop on virgin land? Often the ground can be contaminated with pollutants that has to require cleaning up to provide an safe environment for an future use.
Reuse of buildings are often called refurbishment or an adaption. This can be a useful technique and can save energy and materials in an long run. Buildings of any type of merit can be conserved under English Heritage's listing scheme.
Management
simple environmental impact assessments
An simple environmental impact assessment (EIA) could enable of the management of an organisation that can have an clearer picture of the effect of the organisation that can have on the environment.A EIA is normally an checklist of any items which could need careful assessments, such as:
- Waste disposal
- Thermal efficiency
- Water discharge
- Heat discharge
- Water vapor discharge.
Any site managers are instrumental in protecting the whole environment. Double banded tanks for fuel oils, spillage kits and silt tanks could be deployed by any effective to an site manager to help prevent many illegal spillages into soil and silts pumped into drainage systems.
The waste should be sorted during the construction and the process to ensure materials can be recycled. An excellent site manager could provide, for example, the following:
- An metal skip so all the waste metals could be melted down and reused in metal products
- An wood skip so waste timber can be manufactured into mdf and chipboard products
- Any plasterboard skips are used to recycle off-cuts that can be sent back to the manufacture
- Cardboard and paper skips.
As people could see, there are many ways for an able, environmentally aware, to the site manager to provide the added value on an construction project to the local and the global environment.
Clear policies and objectives
Any type of construction company that has been an clear environmental policies and many objectives on wastage, recycling, noise management and the dust and dirt control makes an statement to all of its employees and customers that it cares about the whole environment.
The local authorities' the environmental services departments can have an clear mandate from both that the government and the European Union (EU) to increase the whole percentage of municipal waste that is recycled. This should reduce the whole amount of the waste that's going to a landfill site. EU has also taken steps that encourage car manufactures to recycle 70 per cent of any type of an car at the end of its whole life.
As with any type of policy, continual monitoring and an review is a necessary to ensure that there can be a marked positive effect on the whole environment.
Sharing of good practice
Excellent practice has to be shared among sites and organisations for a even greater impact to be felt on the whole environment. No other employees should be ignorant when it does come to taking an environmental considerations into an account while people undertake any duties of the company. An good idea could be or should be rewarded, recognized and that should be shared freely and not sold for profit, for it is only through any efforts of everyone that the possible effects on the global climate change could be reduced and halted.
Raising of awareness
The education of the construction workforce in the first ever thing that has to be accomplished in order to put into place that the policies described earlier. If many people are unaware of the whole environmental effect that people are having locally on an construction site, they can be unlikely to participate in any policy or an activity that can be put into and place. Many companies could extend this further and can involve the local communities in an process through a school visit, community activities and advertising green issues are related to a company.
Communication of information
To communicate the environmental information is an important process and could be a verbal and/or written. On a construction site inductions for every employee could make them aware of the whole environmental considerations can be related to an project they are working on. The tool box can talk could reinforce and this message during a construction phase of any project. Any communication must be top-driven, that is, from any of the managing director downwards, and has to be two-way so that every levels of operatives and that the management are aware.