The Construction Environmental Management Plan is one of the most important documents for managing the environmental impact of a construction site. Given its importance, it is also one of the most sought-after legal documents in the Australian construction industry. The abbreviation most commonly used is CEMP, and sometimes the C may stand for Contractor’s instead of Construction, depending on who you talk to. However, they are exactly the same thing and serve the same purpose.
The bottom line is that there exists legislation both at state and federal level that oblige all construction worksites to have a Construction Environmental Management Plan. As with all legislation, there are severe penalties for not complying with the law. In the case of environmental legislation, this may range from a fine to even jail time. The Federal Government has a website detailing all Australian Environmental Legislation for your convenience.
In addition, we as the human race have a moral obligation to minimise our impact on the environment. As a responsible global citizen, we can choose to preserve our current environment so that future generations can reap the same rewards we are reaping today. Environmental Management is all about “thinking globally, acting locally.” What better way to do your bit for the environment than by acting environmentally responsible at your construction site.
Some people may not be aware about what a CEMP should include. Below are just some of the features of a good environmental management plan to get you started:
Please note that the above list is only a guideline as to what a Construction Environmental Management Plan should include. It is by no means definitive, but it gives you a good start on coming up with your own plan. Nevertheless, even if you may know what it should include, you may not be too keen on putting together such a plan. In fact, you may not have time to come up with one from scratch. Here’s where you should consider using a template.
A template is essentially a pre-written and pre-structured document that requires you to fill in some specific details for it to be fully customised to your needs. The benefit lies in the fact that it has all been written up and structured for you, which means that you can have your own customised plan in a very short period of time.
Ensafe Planning Solutions is one company that offers an Environmental Management Plan Template which complies with current Australian environmental legislation. In addition, it is flexible enough for it to be adapted to any construction worksite in all Australian states and territories. If you are not keen on writing your own environmental plan for your worksite, you may want to consider using a template from a company like Ensafe.
There is little doubt that being green is the way to go in the future. Companies which do not adopt a green approach today risk losing revenue and hence profits if they do not begin to act responsibly when it comes to the environment.
If you are in the Australian construction industry, then you have no choice but to get your hands on a Construction Environmental Management Plan.
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