This document discusses environmental management at construction sites. It outlines short-term objectives like reducing resource consumption, emissions, and waste production. It also covers initial ground contamination assessment, waste management practices like prevention, reuse, and recycling, and pollution control of air, water, and noise. The key aims are suppressing pollution at its source and following standards for hazardous materials, air and water pollutants, and noise levels.

1. ENVIRONMENT AT SITE –
CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT
By
T . SrinivasaRao

2. INTRODUCTION
 The basic approach should be to suppress/control
the pollution at source rather than its reduction
once generated or caused.
 Environment protection activities aids in reducing
damage to the environment by controlling
emissions and adverse impacts on the eco
systems, and reduced demand on natural
resources.

3. Short term objectives for reduction of environmental
impact of any process are:
 Reduced consumption of resources
 Reduction of emissions and other byproducts of the
process to air, water and land
 Reduction of production (of waste) and increased
recycling of waste.
Contractor working on a long term project should monitor
his activities to minimize the consumption of energy
resources and other items for the sake of ecosystem.

4. INITIAL GROUND CONTAMINATION
 Initial ground contamination, if any, and its extent
should be established during soil investigation.
 If contamination is found, necessary actions should
be enforced to restore a polluted site to a condition
suitable for execution of construction work safely.

5. WASTE MANAGEMENT AND POLLUTION
CONTROL
 Waste should be prevented or reduced at the source by
proper planning and designing whenever feasible.
 Waste that cannot be prevented or reduced should be
reused whenever feasible.
 Waste that cannot be prevented, reduced or reused
should be recycled in a safe and environment friendly
manner (recycling – is treating the material to recover a
useful product)
 Waste that cannot be prevented, reduced, reused or
recycled should be treated in a eco friendly manner,
and energy should be derived from it if possible.

6.  Disposal or release into the atmosphere should be
considered as a last resort. Also it should be done
in a safe manner.
 Main Hazardous waste materials : asbestos,
asbestos containing products, lead and lead
compounds, organic halogen compounds etc.

7. AIR POLLUTION CONTROL
 Control of air pollution requires limiting of the
emission of air pollutants into the atmosphere.
 Six major air pollutants are:
 Carbon monoxide
 Ozone
 Sulpher dioxide
 Nitrogen dioxide
 Particulate matter and
 Lead (automobile emissions)
 There are also air emission standards for friable
asbestos during a number of activities such as
disposal of asbestos or its related materials.

8.  Pollution from the use and maintenance of motor
vehicles and construction equipment should be
controlled.
 Releases from stationary sources such as boilers,
furnaces and the burning of waste should be
controlled.

9. WATER POLLUTION CONTROL
 Water should be physically, biologically and
chemically free of pollution.
 Toxic or conventional problems include:
 Pollutants affecting pH values
 Pollutants affecting temperature
 Flammable pollutants
 Pollutants that require pre-treatment
 Spillage from oil storage tanks and surrounding
dyke area on account of
 Loading/unloading
 Ruptured hydraulic or fuel line/tank
 Release from petroleum/gas/oil tanks

10.  Leaking of underground storage tanks and
 Manhole contamination should be controlled.
 Each contractor must furnish all information
including the means of disposal and contaminant of
spillages if any.

11. NOISE CONTROL
 Noise can be defined as unwanted sound
 A noise problem comprises of 3 inter related
problems
1. Source
2. Receiver
3. Transmission path between source and receiver.
 The transmission path is usually the atmosphere.

12. The safety guidelines to noise pollution are:
 Procuring equipment with inbuilt noise control
 Moving the noise source away from the work area
 Building sound absorbing total enclosure
surrounding noise source.
 Using silencers whenever possible.
 Using personal safety gear
The protection of environment is governed by the
Environment (protection) rules under Environment
protection act, 1986.