DIEM Ltd

QHS Solutions Ltd are hosting a half day Environmental & Waste Management Explained course in Burnley on Friday 26th October.

Delivered by Chartered Environmental Surveyor and Chartered Environmentalist David Inman, of Blackburn based environmental consultants DIEM Ltd, this course will give sensible and practical expert advice on reducing environmental and waste management risks and potential costs, plus demystify some common environmental challenges that businesses face today.

For more details and to book please contact Alison at QHS Solutions on:

01282 839103 

Email, info@qhs-solutions.com

Is your organisation is responsible for storing and transporting materials that could cause pollution if they leak or are spilt, such as

•       diesel

•       oil

•       chemicals?

If so have you prepared an environmental incident response plan?

I’ve been working a construction client in this area to reduce their risk and meet the requirements of ISO 14001:2004.

You may want to carry out and emergency response planning exercise which can cover:

• identifying sources of pollution
• causes of spillages
• internal procedures for spill management
• responsibilities on site for spill control
• equipment for spill control
• managing spills
• the subsequent clean up.

Testing the plan can take the form of:

• deploying spill equipment to show staff what to do under controlled conditions
• do a desk top exercise where a spill scenario on a site is discussed by staff, with in a group or one to one 

Items included in your exercise will be site specific but can include typically:

• Identify the location and type of site drains from both drawings & on site information
• Review your site drainage plan
• Review then brief staff to chemicals and substances on site including COSHH requirements
• Use of diesel plant and plant nappy/drip dray use
• Security risk of keeping fuel on site and how to prevent theft
• Review and brief staff on refuelling & chemical use, plus confirm authorisation to do so
• After checking contents, brief staff to location and type of spill kit on site
• Review and brief staff on arrangements for safe and compliance disposal of used spill kits as hazardous waste

Don’t forget to create a record of what was discussed and who attended. 

For work with my client, I’ve videoed one spill response test session in order to make a training video for them. So, there are lots of ways, but please ensure that you know your environmental risks, minimise them and prepare for the unexpected as spills and leaks can

• cause environmental damage which can result in prosecution
• lead to civil claims
• give loss of reputation
• affect you winning work

The rise in fuel prices in the UK may result in an increase of thefts of fuel nationwide.

Did your organization know it’s fuel was stored safely out of hours over this weekend?

Fuel theft does not only cost firms and organizations money, but if the theft causes a pollution incident by releasing diesel this could result in prosecution, civil claims and loss of reputation which may affect firms winning new work.

Measures which may reduce the risk of fuel theft are:

ü Keep fuel bowsers locked at all times

ü Keep smaller fuel caddies in locked stores (if safe to do so)

ü Lock fuel bowsers in a steel container or outbuilding (if safe to do so)

ü Consider fitting a hitch lock to bowers to prevent them being removed from site

ü Keep keys for fuel bowsers secure

ü Consider erecting a fence around refuelling areas to shield from view

Sussex Police Service provide some good advice on preventing fuel and oil theft at:

http://www.sussex.police.uk/advice-and-support/crime-prevention/fuel-and-oil-theft/

Remember report any suspicious activity in your area to your local police station

QHS Solutions and DIEM Ltd  Environmental Consultants, have worked together for several years delivering related services.   Our firms share the same values in the delivery of high quality and cost effective services to Client.

We are now offering this new half day   

“Environment and Waste Management Explained”

course on Friday 25th May from 0930 to 1230 in Burnley.

Course Aims

This half day course is designed and delivered by Environmental Consultants DIEM Ltd to enable delegates to understand Environment and Waste management systems and legal requirements to help give your business the environmental advantage.

Course Content

·         Introduction to the environment –

·         Managing our environment,

·         ISO 14001 Environmental Management and supply chains and includes:·        

o   Winning work with good environmental management

o   PAS 91

o   Sustainable procurement

o   PAS 2030 (including introduction to the Green Deal)

Part 1: Environmental management on sites  - Minimising the risks:

·         Noise & vibration

·         Waste (brief overview - full waste training to follow)

·         Contaminated land

·         Water

·         Dust and Air quality

·         Ecology

·         Spill incidents  

·         Organising for site work

This section culminates with a short multiple-choice assessment

Part 2: Effective waste management

·         What is waste?    

·         Duty of care and legal requirements

·         Handling and storage of waste

·         Pricing for waste

·         Reducing the cost of waste within the law

This section concludes with a practical duty of care waste transfer note exercise.

A Certificate will be awarded following successful assessment.

This training will be delivered by David Inman of DIEM Ltd. David is a Chartered Environmental Surveyor, Chartered Environmentalist and Lead EMS Auditor. Across the UK, he supports companies and organizations ranging from widely known “superbrands” to small family run companies in reaching their environmental management potential.

Course fees are just £75.00 per delegate (plus VAT) to include course handouts, certificate and refreshments. 

We are expecting a high demand for this course to book, please contact Alison on 01282 839 103 or a.stansfield@QHS-Solutions.com

We look forward to seeing you there!

The RICS APC (Assessment of Professional Competency) pathway guide for Quantity Surveying describes the discipline as:

Quantity surveyors are the cost managers of construction. They are initially involved with the capital expenditure phase of a building or facility, which is the feasibility, design and construction phases, but they can also be involved with the extension, refurbishment, maintenance and demolition of a facility.

They must understand all aspects of construction over the whole life of a building or facility. They must have the ability to manage cost effectively, equating quality and value with individual client needs.

Looking at the term “cost”, QSs hold the key not just to costing financially, but in terms of waste quantities and diverting this from landfill plus more critical, carbon accounting right through projects from design and construction to long term maintenance and eventual disposal.  The information QSs hold is invaluable for analysing material, including waste, quantities and carbon.

From a Chartered Environmental Surveyor who interprets and manages carbon, waste and materials data for environmental and sustainability reporting, my advice to trainee QSs is embrace the wider sustainability applications which you skills can unlock and you’ll be the stars of the future.

Green_Drinks_Lancs_May_12.pdf Download this file

Green Drinks Lancashire returns!

Friday 25th May 2012 

When I with clients being audited for ISO 14001 I pay very good attention to the auditor. This is mainly as a lead EMS auditor I’m interested in seeing how other auditors work, but secondly I’m fascinated about the differences between auditors.

However, what doesn’t change is that the have to audit against the clauses of the standard.

Personally, when writing an EMS I like to keep it simple and follow the organisation of the clauses of the standard. I speak to colleagues who look at the activities carried out by the organisation and write the EMS to those. We all must be right if our clients are getting through ISO 14001 accredited certification.

What I have noticed with external auditors that if the EMS manual is in the same order as the standard’s clauses, then it’s easy for them to follow and can find parts of the manual if only auditing certain clauses of the standard.

I also believe in keeping it simple as all you have to do is meet the minimum requirements of the standard. Now, this sounds defeatist, but being pragmatic you want to meet the requirements as a minimum as diversions into other avenues may distract you from meeting the basic requirements…of the standard you are being audit against.

Often I hear people starting out or thinking of starting ISO 14001 that CSR or sustainability can drive it. Whilst they can, I think get the basic systems and legal requirements right and the rest will follow.

Green Deal is coming and whether you are basing your business plans on it or not, it won’t go away.

I’ve recently, in conjunction with Martin Brown of Fairsnape via the Lancashire Construction Best Practice Club have given several talks to construciton professionals about Green Deal and the PAS 2030 standard.

Construction profesisonals I’ve been talking who are interested in PAS 2030 and Green Deal are preparing to modify their existing practices for them or develop new ones, but I’d say start testing the systems now.

The mindset for Green Deal for installers is to deliver everything PAS 2030 asks for so why not start testing the standard on current projects.

There is professional help from Martin Brown & myself to assist and whilst there are off the shelf software products available, bespoke professional advice is far more beneficial and economic. With some parties saying one to one professional business support is unaffordable, I’d like to say that DIEM Ltd offers affordable professional services which can be tailored to resources available at clients and also existing systems as not to duplicate work.

I travelled to Holland with my partner last weekend and in a commuter centre between Amsterdam Centraal Station and Schipol Airport I saw a park and ride which was about 2 Euro per day. The ironic thing was that it was only about a quarter full of cars on a weekday. 

Unlike this, the cycle storage facilities were vast, well used and in good condition.  Why is this? Well, in my opinion the modern, clean public transport is the reason with commuter trains like this:

How ironic that it’s the same organisation, Nederlandse Spoorwegen, which operates these trains and some of the shocking commuter stock in the UK under the brand “Abellio” (Northern & Merseyrail are joint ventures with Serco and Greater Anglia).

The Dutch have the mindset and the infrastructure to provide and use good quality public transport, whilst the UK, having minimal cycle facilities and few segregated cycle lanes, view bikes as a dangerous and risky option.