Environmental compliance

Construction sites

Al Galloway, Regulatory Manager, SEPA

Graeme Henderson, Senior, SEPA

Types of construction we see

Trunk/main roads

Forestry roads

Estate access roads

Renewables (hydro, wind); roads, pipelines

High Voltage Overhead Line upgrades

[rail upgrades]

Typical problems

Many of these are linear construction

In remote/mountainous areas – weather, lots of it!

Problem soils – e.g. clays, till

Watercourses/GWDTE’s

Sensitive Habitats

Avoid one problem, create another - balance

Planning is Key

Construction Method Statement; ground truth

Your insurance document

CMS - themes; practical; easy to pick up and read;

“do’s and don’ts”; ‘pinch points’; pictures, schematics

Dynamic, will need to change

‘Site’ plan

Good practice

Toolbox talks

Role of ECoW

Daily/weekly checks

Eye and ears – report; take action; tell SEPA

Basics

Keep clean water, clean

Avoid working over large areas

What materials are you working with; clays, tills, soils,

gravels, sands

Enough land for treatment?

Divert, settle, filter, pump, dewater

Bank stabilisation

Straw Poll

The following photos;

Good?

Bad?

Somewhere in-between?

Environmental Harm

Who’s risk?

Owners Risk?

Main contractors Risk?

Sub contractors Risk?

ECoW’s Risk

Digger drivers Risk?

SEPA’s Risk?

SEPA’s Role

To inform/educate?

To advise/guide?

Consultant?

Policeman?

SEPA Guidance

CAR Practical Guide – what needs a licence

Pollution Prevention Guidance; e.g. oil storage; works

in near water; pollution incident planning etc.

PPG6 – Working at Construction or Demolition sites

Temporary Construction Methods (SG29)

Good Practice Guides – plenty of these, e.g. Bank

Protection; River Crossings

Other Guidance

CIRIA Linear Construction; Site Guide; Technical Guide

NETREGS

Your own Industry Associations

Other stuff!!

Waste Management – peat, soils & stones, burning

Oil storage & refuelling

Laydown

Roads; cut/fill/floating/materials/capping/drainage

Batch concrete & wash-down

Welfare facilities

River engineering

River/watercourse crossings

Borrow pits

Overburden storage

Large Construction site licences

New for SEPA

For sites like large road building

One ‘site’ licence

Responsible Person

SEPA’s new enforcement powers

Existing

Formal Written Warnings

Enforcement Notices

Reports to PF

New

Fixed Monetary Penalties

Variable Monetary Penalties

Environmental Undertakings

Thank you

&

any questions?

SEPA's Pollution Hotline - 0800 80 70 60 (24 hour service)

SEPA's Floodline service - 0845 988 1188 (24 hour service)

References 1

Pollution Prevention Guidelines (PPG) series:

PPG2 Above ground oil storage tanks

PPG4 Treatment and Disposal of sewage…

PPG5 Works and maintenance in or near water

PPG6 Working at construction and demolition sites

PPG8 Safe storage and disposal of used oils

PPG21 Pollution incident response planning

PPG22 Incident response – dealing with spills

References 2

Good Practice Guidelines series:

WAT-SG-25 River crossings

WAT-SG-28 Intakes and outfalls

WAT-SG-29 Construction Methods

References 3

CIRIA publications:

C532 Control of water pollution from construction

sites – Guidance for consultants and contractors

C648 Control of water pollution from linear

construction projects – Technical Guidance

C649 Control of water pollution from linear

construction projects – Site Guide

C650 Environmental Good Practice – Site Guide

C698 Site Handbook for the Construction of SUDS