June 2013
CONSTRUCTION WORLD
22
environment
CLARK POINTS OUT THAT
no longer is the
focus on just preventing environmental
impacts at the construction site, but also
outside of the site with a great amount of
emphasis being placed on cross-disciplinary
matters.“Hatch Goba’s ESG has developed an
approach, which has been piloted interna-
tionally, to integrate environmental manage-
ment with construction services in order to
manage issues within and outside of the site
more effectively,”explains Clark.
He adds that as unlikely as it may have
seemed years ago, currently the success of a
project cannowhinge onhowenvironmental
management is approached. Hatch Goba’s
ESG approach, manages the sustainability
work stream, including environmental and
social components, throughout the project
lifecycle. Hatch Goba ESG becomes an inte-
gral part of the construction team longbefore
site establishment by getting involved from
concept and prefeasibility stage – both of
which set the scene for construction.
The ever increasing scope of construction
environmental management has resulted
in the management of social issues and the
fostering of sustainable development taking
centre stage.
“Through our experience on mega-proj-
ects of different kinds, we have identified sev-
eral aspects that are important in construc-
tion environmental management, including:
local procurement, selection of construction
materials, job creation, workforce planning
and training and community engagement.
Furthermore, typical impacts that would
require management on a construction site
include: removal of vegetation, relocation of
animals, relocation of rare species and plants
noisemanagement, air qualitymanagement
and meeting permit conditions during con-
struction,”explains Clark.
Projects are often delayed or sometimes
even stopped during construction due to
environmental or social issues that have been
neglected prior to site establishment. Clark
stresses that the cost impact resulting from
these delays is usually considerable. Hatch
Goba’s ESGmakes use of risk and opportunity
assessments to develop an approachfor each
aspect and impact, while consultation with
the client and communities is used to refine it.
The approach is multi-disciplinary with
the environmental objectives being inte-
grated into the roles of the construction
team. Hatch Goba’s ESG works closely with
the overall project teamto helpmanage each
component of the Construction Environmen-
tal Management Plan (CEMP).
Speaking on the social aspects that need
to be considered in a construction project,
Clark points out that the biggest shift has
been seen in community engagement, which
is no longer confined to the Environmental
Impact Assessment (EIA). “Ongoing com-
munity participation during construction
Social and environmental sustainability
in construction projects
The environmental management of construction, especially on complex,
large-scale projects, has become a specialised activity that is multi-
disciplinary in its approach. Hatch Goba Environmental Services Group
(ESG) regional director for Africa, Max Clark says that the range of
environmental, social and sustainability issues that need to be dealt with
during the construction phase has grown tremendously over recent years.
is important in order to identify and create
opportunities for the community. In order
to determine how much a community is
benefiting from a new development, Hatch
Goba ESG conducts a comprehensive base-
line of a community’s socio-economic status
against which it measures impacts and
programmes that are developed through
community consultation.
The sooner these programmes are es-
tablished, the sooner benefits will start to
be realised and project benefits to the com-
munity will be realised by all. It takes time
to develop links with Non-Governmental
Organisations (NGOs) working in the area and
to establish a level of trust with the affected
community. Interactionwith local communi-
ties is of utmost importance – maintaining a
good relationshipwith the local communities
and the construction siteworkforce is critical.
Imported workforces may be regarded as
stealing jobs or not paying due respect to
local customs.
This education is integrated into aware-
ness programmes, which are carried through
to the induction process and implemented
throughout the project lifecycle.
Job creation is an important aspect of
the CEMP in that a construction project can
benefit affected communities by providing
employment to unskilled and semi-skilled
communitymembers. Communitymembers
are provided with the opportunity to get
work experience and develop new skills to
improve their standard of living.This requires
cooperation among social specialists from
Hatch Goba ESG, the recruitment team and
the industrial relations practice.
Clark concludes by saying that an inte-
grated, multi disciplinary approach during
construction involving the environmental
management team together with the other
project disciplines is important in order to
maximiseenvironmentalandsocio-economic
opportunities, to manage risk and to ensure
successful project delivery.
●
The environmental management of construction has become a specialised activity.
Success of a project can now hinge on how envi-
ronmental management is approached.
