There has been, in recent years, a great discovery in the importance of project managers in the construction industry having Construction Environmental Management Plans in place prior to even commencing their work. The primary reason for this is that society as a whole has taken a greater consciousness in regards to the impact any human activities can produce in a natural environment. In turn, governments in most countries that are already developed have put in place a legislation, which makes it a legal procedure for either companies or contractors to have on-hand a document detailing and assessing the impact of the project in question on the surrounding environment. They will be unable to commence any proceedings on their project until this has been received and approved.
In Australia, the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act of 1999 became the primary environmental legislation at the federal level. It is this legislation that requires Construction Environmental Management Plans (or otherwise known by the acronym CEMP) must be prepared, submitted and approved prior to the commencement of any type of construction work.
Addition, the legislation clearly specifies the various penalties you can find yourself receiving if you do not comply with the aforementioned laws. The penalty at the lower end of the spectrum is a financial penalty that varies in size, all depending on various aspects of each case. The penalty at the high end of the spectrum is prosecution for environmentally related negligence.
It is important to take note that the following is simply a guideline on which to base your own Environmental Management Plans. It is not a definitive list and it is highly recommend that you take the time to visit the website of your state government respectively to obtain more information. There are slight variances in legislation from state to state, and you need to be sure all aspects are covered for your individual location.
Following are a list of components, which should be included with all documents in your plans:
- Adequate description of the project
- Environmental plan objectives
- Contact numbers (in order of importance)
- Any and all requirements as per legislative documentation
- Estimated or actual working hours for this project
- Established procedures regarding any possible complaints and communication on the worksite
- Emergency procedures protocol
- Manners for control of non-conformance
- Any undertaken or future environmental training (prior to commencement of project)
- Measures of protection for the environment
Now it is important for you to remember this is just a guideline for you to follow. It should be used only as a guide for those who have never created any Environmental Management Plans before, or require a refresher on how to in fact prepare one. In order to get your project started in the briefest time frame possible, while following the law to the letter, you must have your CEMP for your project, and any subsequent projects thereafter.
