In recent years, construction contractors have discovered the importance of having a Construction Environmental Management Plan in order to begin work. The main reason why this has taken place is because society on a global level has become more conscious about the impact of human activities on the natural environment.

As a result, governments in most countries have reacted through enacting environmental legislation that obliges contractors and/or companies to detail and assess the impact of a project on the surrounding environment before the green light to go ahead.

Consequent and effective execution of the construction management plan will guarantee that environmental concerns are fully dealt with and that environmental legislative requirements are met, if not gone beyond, during the job.

Construction Environmental Management Plan

Important factors in the construction site that could probably damage the environment must be controlled and mitigated where all the possible and favourable outcomes will be encouraged.

The plan must cover the construction activities showing how best environmental management is put into practice. It is anticipated to be functional and is supposed to show how they are going to lessen undesirable results to the surroundings, environment and the construction community.

Consequently, it is most important also to show the enhancing beneficial impacts towards the environment. The contractor is also supposed to incorporate in this plan a statement of commitment pertaining to the environmental concerns and issues.

The construction environmental management plan should also provide an outline of the environmental management controls that will be engaged at some point in the construction. Furthermore, because everyone is included in the scope of this plan, everyone is responsible of his/her action in the construction site.

Hence, environmental responsibility must be practiced and initiated in the site. The construction environmental management plan shall cover all the aspects relating to the relationship between the construction workers and the environment.

The procedures developed by the contractor in management plans for other construction activities will take consideration of the objective to protect the landscape and landscape resources.

Relevant procedures will be set out in the following subsidiary management plans, as appropriate:

• Dust and Air Pollution Management Plan.

• Geology, Land Contamination and Waste Management Plan.

• Surface and Ground Water Management Plan.

• Ecological Management Plan.

• Cultural Heritage Management Plan.

• Pollution Incident Response Plan.

What is the environment?

When we talk about the environment it means everything that is around us: land, water, atmosphere, places of special importance, plant and animal life that influence human life and well-being. The environment affects us all. We all need a healthy environment to live healthy lives: clean air and water, safe living areas, sufficient and healthy food. When the environment gets degraded, it affects us all in the long run, but poor people are the first to suffer.
We all strive for an improved quality of life – now and in future. We all want our children to have better opportunities to live healthy and happy lives. For that we need economic development, social justice and a healthy sustainable environment. Allers, 1996

The environment is defined as follows in the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA) of 1998:

Means the surroundings within which humans exist and that are made up of -

i) the land, water and atmosphere of the earth;
ii) micro-organisms, plant and animal life;
iii) any part or combination of (i) and (ii) and the interrelationships among and between them; and
iv) the physical, chemical, aesthetic and cultural properties and conditions of the foregoing that influence human health and well-being.

More info on this topic will follow in a series over the next couple of weeks.

Regards,