Preventing pollution means that the environment is kept clean and safe for humans, plants and animals. It also means that the Council and you avoid the risk of prosecution.

Any pollution damages the environment whether it is a discharge to air, land or water or is noisy. It is in your best interests to be a responsible contractor and prevent pollution by planning your work. Polluting is easy, prevention needs planning and being responsible. It’s like reputations; good reputations are hard to keep but easy to lose.

Being responsible means that you need to

  • look at your work activities and assess the risk of pollution
  • assess if it is a high, medium or low risk
  • assess the impact of the risk on the environment and your business
  • put in place ways to eliminate or minimise the risk.

Air pollution damages the atmosphere, creates unwanted smells, damages health and property, and has a poor visual impact. Water pollution degrades water quality, damages streams and waterways, kills aquatic plants and animals, clogs drains, and has a poor visual impact. Land pollution degrades soil quality, can result in polluted run-off, kills plants, and can affect the future use of land. Noise pollution affects health and well-being, and impacts on relationships. All pollution has a cost of time and money which in itself is waste.

Prevention is better than cure. It is up to you to ensure you and your employees know the risks and how you will prevent pollution. Ask your employees for their input, they may have better ways to prevent pollution.

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Last modified: Tuesday, 17 July 2012, 3:06 PM