Dealing With Hazardous Waste: A Constant Battle In Construction & How Technology Can Combat It
by Natasha Christou Digital Marketing ConsultantThe construction industry has never been more lucrative for
potential investors and eager entrepreneurs. With a growing population and a
demand for greater infrastructure in our city spaces, the Office
for National Statistics confirmed that the number of firms operating around
the UK is rising, with a significant increase of 6.2%, in 2017 — meaning that
314,590 were active in the country.
The numbers for the sector do sound impressive, with the
highest level of employment on record, increased earnings, and rising value of
new construction orders. But despite this, the industry does encounter some
downfalls that can have a negative impact on client delivery.
Hazardous waste is an issue that continues to present itself
on building sites, and once hazardous materials have been detected, it can
change an entire development plan. This will inevitably cost both time and
money to the business, which might not always be an option. As a result, construction
developers are having to invest into environmental
consultancy firms and know that any waste of this type needs to be detected
as early as possible.
What is hazardous waste and how can you handle it?
The Health and Safety Executive state that waste is
hazardous when it contains substances that are harmful to human health or the
environment, although it is not required to have an immediate effect. Businesses
have a responsibility for handling hazardous waste, however their duty of care
will depend on whether they are a producer or holder, carrier or a
consignee.
The most common types of hazardous waste are:
·
Asbestos
·
Chemicals
·
Batteries
·
Solvents
·
Pesticides
·
Oils
·
Various equipment that include ozone depleting
substances and general hazardous waste containers — which can be quite common
in construction.
Reflecting on the above, these hazardous substances can come
in various forms which could include solids, liquids, vapours, gases, and
micro-organisms. However, under certain conditions a substance can exist in
more than one form at the same time, which means businesses must be correctly equipped
to handle them.
It has been reported that we produce 400 million tonnes of
hazardous waste each year globally — that’s 13 tonnes every second. As this
figure has significantly increased over time, governments around the world are
applying pressure on businesses to keep waste to a minimum through the
encouragement of prevent, reuse, recycle or recover waste in that specific
order. This is known as The Waste Hierarchy.
Hazardous waste must be sorted and stored differently to general
waste, with a focus on safety and security. As a standard, this waste can be
categorised within four main sub-categories which will depend on the type of
development you are working on:
·
Construction
·
Demolition
·
Industry
·
Agriculture
Once stored away, you must make sure that your waste is
secure and labelled appropriately so that it can be easily identified. To
prevent any contamination on your construction site, waterproof covers are
recommended so that no waste can run off to any other area.
As well as the physical precautions you put in place, you
must keep records to make sure that everything is accounted for. Before your
waste management company comes for collection, you must also fill out a
consignment note which is required when:
• Collections
from businesses that are registered waste carriers.
• Movements
from one premises to another within the same organisation.
• When
another business has produced waste, movements from customer premises.
The consignment note is not needed when:
• The
movement of domestic hazardous waste – other than asbestos.
• Waste has been imported and exported under international
waste shipment controls that
require
a different movement note.
There’s a lot to think about when it comes to hazardous
waste on your next development project. Make sure you’re prepared ahead of your
next build by analysing your site before putting plans in place or discussing
with environmental consultants.
Sources:
https://www.gov.uk/managing-your-waste-an-overview
http://www.hse.gov.uk/construction/healthrisks/hazardous-substances/key-points.htm
https://www.gov.uk/dispose-hazardous-waste
http://www.theworldcounts.com/counters/waste_pollution_facts/hazardous_waste_statistics
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Created on Aug 2nd 2019 04:16. Viewed 429 times.