Description
This paper presents a systematic approach to environmental management of pollution and/or hazards caused by urban construction projects in China
1
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT OF URBAN CONSTRUCTION
PROJECTS IN CHINA
Zhen Chen
1
and Heng Li
2
and Conrad T C Wong
3
ABSTRACT
This paper presents a systematic approach to environmental management of pollution and/or
hazards caused by urban construction projects in China. It proposes a qualitative approach to
assess and control the problem and a method to calculate the Construction Pollution Index (CPI)
which provides a quantitative measurement of pollution and/or hazards caused by the urban
construction projects. Based on the analysis and discussions, the paper further proposes that
major construction companies in China should obtain ISO 14001 Environmental Management
System (EMS) certifications. By doing so, the construction companies can integrate the concept
of environmental management into their construction management practice.
Keywords: Construction, Project Management, Pollution Management, ISO 14000
INTRODUCTION
Pollution and hazards caused by urban civil construction projects have become a serious problem
in China. Sources of pollution and hazards from construction sites include dust, harmful gases,
noises, blazing lights, solid and liquid wastes, ground movements, messy sites, fallen items, etc.
These types of pollution and hazards can not only annoy residents nearby, but also affect the
health and well-being of people in the entire city. For example, in big cities such as Shanghai
and Beijing, air quality has been deteriorating due to extensive urban redevelopment activities
(Li 1998).
In order to tackle the problems, the Chinese government has issued a number of laws and acts on
environmental protection since early 1980s. These laws and acts include Oceanic Environment
Act (issued in 1982), Water Pollution Protection Act (issued in 1984), Air Pollution Protection
Act (issued in 1987), and Noise Pollution Protection Act (issued in 1989). In 1998, the Ministry
of Construction also issued the first Construction Law which explicitly includes the liabilities
and responsibilities of contractors in preventing and reducing the emission of pollutants to the
natural environment.
1
Research student, Department of Building and Real Estate, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom,
Kowloon, Hong Kong.
2
Associate Professor, Department of Building and Real Estate, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom,
Kowloon, Hong Kong.
3
Managing Director, Yau Lee Construction Co Ltd. 10/F, Tower 1, Enterprise Square, 9 Sheung Yuet Road,
Kowloon Bay, Hong Kong
2
This paper provides a systematic approach to dealing with environmental pollution caused by
construction projects. This approach allows for both qualitative analysis and control and
quantitative assessments through measuring the Construction Pollution Index (CPI). We believe
that the qualitative assessment and control method is useful because it can provide construction
project managers with essential knowledge on how to limit environmental pollution to its
minimum. The CPI is also necessary as it can be used to quantitatively measure the degree of
pollution caused by particular construction projects. The concept of CPI can also help
construction project managers to re-arrange and revise construction plans and schedules in order
to reduce the level of pollution and disturbance.
3
QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS OF POLLUTION AND HAZARDS GENERATED FROM
URBAN CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS
Sources of pollution and/or hazards from construction activities can be divided into seven major
types: dusts, harmful gases, noises, solid and liquid wastes, fallen objects, ground movements
and others. In order to reduce and prevent the pollution and hazards, it is necessary to identify
the construction operations that generate the sources. In Table 1, construction activities that
generate pollution and hazards, and corresponding methods for prevention are listed. The table is
based on an extensive studies of many construction sites in Shanghai, Beijing and Hong Kong, as
well as numerous discussions with many project managers.
Methods for preventing pollution and hazards can be divided into the following four categories:
Technology
This category recommends a range of advanced construction technologies which can reduce the amount
of dust, harmful gases, noise, solid and liquid wastes, fallen objects, ground movements and others. For
example, replacing the impact hammer pile driver with the hydraulic piling machine can significantly
reduce the level of noise generated by the piling operation.
Managerial
This category recommends the use of modern construction management methods which may help reduce
the amount of dusts, noises, solid and liquid wastes, fallen objects and others.
Planning
This category emphasises on revising and re-arranging construction schedules to reduce the aggregation
of pollution and hazards. This category has effect on dusts, noises, solid and liquid wastes, fallen objects,
ground movements and others.
Building material
Better building material can also help reduce pollution and hazards. This category has effect on harmful
gases, fallen objects, ground movements and others.
The four categories of preventive methods and their effects are also summarized in table 2.
We believe that by adopting the above preventive methods, it is possible to effectively control
4
and reduce the amount of pollution and hazards generated from construction activities. In order
to further analyze the effect of pollution and hazards, the next section describes a method to
quantify the amount of pollution and hazards generated by a construction project.
QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF POLLUTION AND HAZARDS IN URBAN
CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS
As a construction project spans over a year or even longer, the methods for quantitative analysis
have to be a continuous monitoring and assessment of the whole project duration. In this section,
we present a method to quantatively measure the amount of pollution and hazards generated by a
construction project within its project duration. The method sets to measure the Construction
Pollution Index (CPI), as shown in formula 1.
Note:
CPI
— Construction Pollution Index of a urban construction project.
CPI
i
— Construction Pollution Index of a specific construction operation i.
h
i
— hazard magnitude per unit of time generated by a specific construction operation i.
D
i
— Duration of the construction operation I that generates hazard h
i.
n — Number of construction operations that generate pollution and hazards.
In formula 1, parameter h
i
is a relative value indicating the magnitude of hazard generated by a
particular construction operation in a unit of time. Its value is limited in the range of [0,1]. If h
i
=
1, it means that the hazard can cause fatal damage or catastropies to people and/or properties
nearby. For example, if a construction operation can generate some noise and the sound level at
the receiving end exceeds the ‘threshold of pain’, which is 140 dB (McMullan 1993), then the
value of h
i
for this particular construction operation is 1. If h
i
=0, then it indicates that no hazard
is detectable from a construction operation. It is possible to identify values of h
i
for all types of
pollution and hazards generated by commonly used construction operations and methods. For
example, according to the information on sound emmision from piling driven machines, as well
as the types of piles, we can formulate the content of Table 3 which contains values of h
i
for
some piling operations.
Information and data such as the emision of noise levels, harmful gases and wastes are normally
i
n
i
i
n
i
i
D h CPI CPI • = =
? ?
= = 1 1
…………………….(1)
5
available in the specifications of relevant construction machinery and plant, or can be
conveniently measured. These data can then be converted to h
i
values by normalising them into
the range of [0,1]. In case that there is no data available for such conversion, then h
i
values have
to be decided based on user’s experience and expert opinions.
Durations required for completing construction operations are measured in number of days. For
example, the Shanghai Maxwell (see Figure 1) construction project involves a piling operation
which includes the following activities and durations,
1) driving prefabricated concrete piles using drop-hammer driver, and duration is 31 days.
2) driving sheet steel piles using hydraulic piling driver, and duration is 57 days.
Then, according to formula 1, the value of CPI for the piling operation is, 0.5*31 + 0.3*57 =
32.6. The overall CPI value for the project is 747.2. The value of Construction Pollution Index
(CPI) reflects the accumulated amount of pollution and hazards generated by a construction
project within its project duration.
(Insert Figure 1)
It is also very useful to create a CPI bar chart. A CPI bar chart is very similar to the ordinary bar
charts used in construction scheduling, except that the thickness of the bars represents the h
i
value for the corresponding construction operation. By integrating the concept of CPI into MS
Project, which is a commonly used tool for construction project management, we can develop a
system to neatly combine environmental management with project management, as shown in
Figure 1. In Figure 1, h
i
values are listed beside their corresponding construction operations. As
the height of a bar represents the h
i
value, the area of the bar represents the CPI value of the
construction operation. The aggregation of the thicknesses of bars, as indicated at the bottom of
the bar chart, represents the distribution of the CPI value along the whole project duration. This
distribution is particularly useful for project managers to identify the periods when the project
will generate the highest amount of pollution and hazards. Therefore, preventive methods such as
those listed in Table 1 can be used to reduce the amount of pollution and hazards during those
periods. In this example, it can be seen, from the distribution diagram of Figure 1, that during
Nov. to Dec. 1998 the project generated the highest poillution and hazards, mainly because of
the large amount of on-site mixing of concrete and masonry works. The project manager forsaw
the problem, and decided to reduce the amount of on-site mixing concrete in those months by
using 25% ready-mixed concrete. The use of ready-mixed concrete reduced the amount of noise
generated from the on-site concrete mixing. This reduced the h
i
value in Nov. and Dec. 1998
from 3.3 to 2.5, a 25% reduction in the value of h
i.
It also indicates that the amount of pollution
and hazards has been reduced.
6
So far, a quantitative method for analysing the magnitude of construction pollution and hazards
has been presented. In order to ensure that the concept of environmental management is
embedded into the daily practice of construction project management, we propose that major
construction companies should obtain ISO 14001 Environmental Management System (EMS)
certifications. Discussions on the ISO 14000 stnadards and ways of integrating the standards into
construction project management are given in the next section.
INTEGRATING ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT WITH CONSTRUCTION
MANAGEMENT
This section presents the series of international standards on environmental management, ISO
14000, and the need for integrating environmental management into construction management.
ISO 14000 is a series of international standards for environmental management. The ISO14000
standards address the following aspects of environmental management (Quality network 1999,
Peglau1999, ISO 1999, Kloepfer 1997), as shown in Table 4.
As a subset of ISO 14000, the EMS is a systematic approach to dealing with issues related to
environmental management. It is a 'tool' that enables a company of any size or type to control the
impact of its activities, products or services on the natural environment. Although many
companies in other businesses have already obtained ISO14001 EMS (Environmental
Management System) certifications, none of the construction companies (contractors) in China
has such a certification. In order to build the concept of environmental management into
construction management, we propose that it is fundamentally important for major construction
companies in China to make necessary efforts to obtain certifications on ISO 14001 EMS.
In the ISO 14001 EMS, environmental management is maintained through five stages (see
Figure 2): issuing environmental policies, planning, implementation and operation, checking and
corrective action, and management review.
ISO 14001 EMS requires construction management to establish systematic policies and methods
to deal with problems related to environmental management. Specifically, the certification
requires a construction company to establish objectives, targets and programs for environmental
management. A thorough analysis of all processes and methods used in construction operations
is necessary in order to identify sources and magnitude of pollution and hazards. Once the
sources are identified, the construction company needs to make all necessary efforts to reduce
the amount of pollution and hazards generated from a particular operation. Also, it is important
7
to have a regular management review to ensure the suitability and sustainable implementation of
the established policies and methods.
The establishment and implementation of ISO 14001 EMS requires a total commitement and
cooperation of all parties involved in the supply chain, including construction contractors,
supervisors, designers, manufacturers, investors (Cysewski 1995). However, in developing
countries such as China, there are many difficulties and challenges ahead for implementing ISO
14001 EMS in the construction industry. The most formidable one is that, efforts spent in
environmental protection do not necessarily result in lower project cost and/or shorter durations.
In fact, introducing environmental management into construction management increases the
project direct costs, as at present, contractors do not need to pay for the pollution and hazards
generated by their projects, if they can get away with current environment and construction laws.
Another difficulty is that the awareness of environmental protection among general public is low
compared to many developed countries. People seem to be too busy accumulating personal
wealth to worry about the natural environment. As a consequence, the public pressure on the
construction industry for improving its environmental management is not very high.
With these difficulties and challenges in mind, we believe that it is important for the government
to further reinforce relevant environmental protection laws on one hand, and promote the general
education of importance in protecting the natural environment on the other.
CONCLUSIONS
In order to tackle pollution and hazards generated by urban construction projects in China, we
first presented a qualitative system to identify and to categorise sources of pollution and hazards
on construction sites. Methods for preventing or reducing the amount of pollution and hazards at
the sources are provided. Then, a method is presented to quantitatively measure the construction
pollution index (CPI) which indicates the accumulated pollution and hazards generated from a
construction site. Integrated with MS Project, a popular scheduling software used by
construction professionals in China, we developed a computer tool which can automatically
generate the pollution and hazards distribution diagram over the project duration. The
distribution diagram can assist project managers to identify worst periods in terms of emision of
pollution, and to take necessary preventive measures to reduce the amount of pollution and
hazards. The computer tool is being tested on different projects, and detailed descriptions of the
computer tool and its test results will be reported in the future.
As the concept of environmental management is relatively new in China, we recommended that
it is vital for major construction companies in China to obtain ISO 14001 EMS certifications. By
doing so, construction companies will establish comprehensive policies and regulations and self-
guard the implementation of enviromental management within the context of construction
management.
8
REFERENCES
1. Cysewski, J . B. (1995) 3M International Environmental Management System. Total Quality
& Environment Management. 5(2), pp.25-34.
2. Kloepfer, R. J . (1997) Will the Real ISO14001 Please Stand Up. Civil Engineering. 67(11),
pp.45-47.
3. ISO (1999) The ISO Survey of ISO 9000 and ISO 14000 Certificates: Seventh cycle –1997.
Available at:http://www.iso.ch/presse/surveye.htm.
4. Li, Z. (1998) Statutebook of Japanese Laws in Construction Industruy. China Aerial Industry
Press. Beijing.
5. McMullan, R (1993) Environmental Science in Building. 3
rd
edition, MacMillan. U.K.
6. Peglau, R (1999). The number of ISO14001/EMAS registration of the world. ISO World
Press. Also available at:http://www.ecology.or.jp/isoworld/english/analy14k.htm.
7. Productive (1998) Productive Products Co. Ltd. Pioneering Non-explosive Demolition
Agents. Construction News. 9(7). Productive Products Co. Ltd. Hong Kong
8. Quality Network (1999) International Standard ISO14000. Available at:http://www.quality.co.uk/iso14000.htm.
9
Table 1 Causes of pollution and hazards and preventive methods
Type Causes Methods to prevent
Dust Demolition, Rock blast
Excavation, Rock drilling
Open-air rock power and soil
Open-air site and structure
Bulk material transportation
Bulk material loading and unloading
Open-air material
Transportation equipment
Concrete and mortar making
Static crushing / Chemical breaking
Static crushing / Chemical breaking / Wet excavation / Wet drilling
Covering / Wet construction
Wet keeping / Site clearing / Mask
Awning / Concrete goods / Washing transporting equipment
Concrete goods / Packing and awning / Wet keeping
Awning / Storehouse
Cleaning
Concrete goods
Harmful gases Construction machine-Pile driver
Construction machine-crane
Construction machine-Electric welder
Construction machine-Transporting
equipment
Construction machine-Scraper
Organic solvent
Electric welding
Cutting
Hydraulic piling equipment
Electric machine
Bolt connection / Pressure connection
Night shift
Electric machine
Poison-free solvent
Bolt connection / Pressure connection
Laser cutting
Noise Demolition
Construction machine-Pile driver
Construction machine-crane
Construction machine-Rock drill
Construction machine-Mixing machinery
Construction machine-Cutting machine
Construction machine-Transporting
equipment
Construction machine-Scraper
Static crushing / Chemical breaking
Hydraulic pile equipment
Electric machine
Static crushing / Chemical breaking
Concrete goods / Prefabricated component
Laser cutting machine / Prefabricated component / Soundproof
room
Ground movements Demolition
Pile driving
Forced ramming
Static crushing / Chemical breaking
Static pressing-in pile
Static compacting
Wastes solid-state waste-Building material waste
solid-state waste-Building material package
Prefabricated component / Recovery
Recovery
10
Liquid waste-Mud / Building material waste
Liquid waste-Machinery oil
Recovery
Material saving
Fallen objects solid-state waste-Building material waste
solid-state waste-Building material package
Liquid waste-Mud / Building material waste
Liquid waste-Construction water
Construction tools-Scaffold and board
Construction tools-Model plate
Construction tools-Building material
Construction tools-Sling / Others
Recycle of solid waste / Technology improvment
Recovery
Technology improving / Recovery
Recovery
Safety control / Reliable tools
Technology improving / Safety control
Technology improving / Recovery
Safety control
Others
Urban transportation-Road encroachment
Civic safety-Demolition
Civic safety-Automobile transportation
Civic safety-Tower crane
Civic safety-Construction elevator
Civic safety-Foundation / Earth dam
Urban landscape-Structure exposed
Urban landscape-Night lighting
Urban landscape-Electric-arc light
Urban landscape-Mud / Waste water
Urban landscape-Civic facility destruction
Enclosing wall / Night shift / underground construction
Static crushing / Chemical breaking
Overloading forbidden / Speed limiting
Safety control
Safety control
Safety control
Masking
Using projection lamp
Bolt connection / Pressure connection / Prefabricated component
Drainage organization
Technology improving / Plan preconception
11
Table 2 countermeasures of construction pollution in urban civil engineering and their effects
Category Pollution and hazards
Dusts Harmful
gases
Noises Ground
movements
Wastes Fallen objects Others
Technological methods
Managerial methods
?
?
Planning methods
?
?
?
Building material methods ?
?
? ?
Note: -More effective, -Partial effective, ?-Noneffective.
12
Table 3: Values of h
i
for some piling operations
Piling operations h
i
value
(per day)
1 Prefabricated concrete piles using drop-
hammer driver
0.5
2 Sheet steel piles using drop-hammer driver 0.6
3 Prefabricated concrete piles using hydraulic
piling driver
0.2
4 Sheet steel piles using hydraulic piling driver 0.3
5 Bored piling 0.1
6 Sheet steel piles using drop-hammer driver 0.7
7 Prefabricated concrete piles using static
pressing-in driver
0.2
13
Table 4: ISO14000 series standadds
Standard Title / Description
14000 Guide to Environmental Management Principles, Systems and Supporting Techniques
14001 Environmental Management Systems : Specification with Guidance for Use
14010 Guidelines for Environmental Auditing : General Principles of Environmental Auditing
14011 Guidelines for Environmental Auditing : Audit Procedures-Part 1: Auditing of Environmental Management Systems
14012 Guidelines for Environmental Auditing : Qualification Criteria for Environmental Auditors
14013/15 Guidelines for Environmental Auditing : Audit Programmers, Reviews & Assessments
14020/23 Environmental Labeling
14024 Environmental Labeling : Practitioner Programs – Guiding Principles, Practices and Certification Procedures of Multiple
Criteria Programs
14031/32 Guidelines on Environmental Performance Evaluation
14040/43 Life Cycle Assessment General Principles and Practices
14050 Glossary
14060 Guide for the Inclusion of Environmental Aspects in Product Standards
14
Environmental Policy
Planning
Management Review
Implementation and operation Checking and corrective action
Notes:
Environmental Policy: the environmental policy and the requirements to pursue this policy via objectives,
targets, and environmental programs
Planning: the analysis of the environmental aspects of the organization (including its processes, products
and services as well as the goods and services used by the organization;
Implementation and operation: implementation and organization of processes to control and improve
operational activities that are critical from an environmental perspective (including both products and
services of an organization)
Checking and corrective action: checking and corrective action including the monitoring, measurement,
and recording of the characteristics and activities that can have a significant impact on the environment
Management Review: review of the EMS by the organization's top management to ensure its continuing
suitability, adequacy and effectiveness
Figure 2: Key stages of ISO14000 EMS
doc_170075997.pdf
This paper presents a systematic approach to environmental management of pollution and/or hazards caused by urban construction projects in China
1
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT OF URBAN CONSTRUCTION
PROJECTS IN CHINA
Zhen Chen
1
and Heng Li
2
and Conrad T C Wong
3
ABSTRACT
This paper presents a systematic approach to environmental management of pollution and/or
hazards caused by urban construction projects in China. It proposes a qualitative approach to
assess and control the problem and a method to calculate the Construction Pollution Index (CPI)
which provides a quantitative measurement of pollution and/or hazards caused by the urban
construction projects. Based on the analysis and discussions, the paper further proposes that
major construction companies in China should obtain ISO 14001 Environmental Management
System (EMS) certifications. By doing so, the construction companies can integrate the concept
of environmental management into their construction management practice.
Keywords: Construction, Project Management, Pollution Management, ISO 14000
INTRODUCTION
Pollution and hazards caused by urban civil construction projects have become a serious problem
in China. Sources of pollution and hazards from construction sites include dust, harmful gases,
noises, blazing lights, solid and liquid wastes, ground movements, messy sites, fallen items, etc.
These types of pollution and hazards can not only annoy residents nearby, but also affect the
health and well-being of people in the entire city. For example, in big cities such as Shanghai
and Beijing, air quality has been deteriorating due to extensive urban redevelopment activities
(Li 1998).
In order to tackle the problems, the Chinese government has issued a number of laws and acts on
environmental protection since early 1980s. These laws and acts include Oceanic Environment
Act (issued in 1982), Water Pollution Protection Act (issued in 1984), Air Pollution Protection
Act (issued in 1987), and Noise Pollution Protection Act (issued in 1989). In 1998, the Ministry
of Construction also issued the first Construction Law which explicitly includes the liabilities
and responsibilities of contractors in preventing and reducing the emission of pollutants to the
natural environment.
1
Research student, Department of Building and Real Estate, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom,
Kowloon, Hong Kong.
2
Associate Professor, Department of Building and Real Estate, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom,
Kowloon, Hong Kong.
3
Managing Director, Yau Lee Construction Co Ltd. 10/F, Tower 1, Enterprise Square, 9 Sheung Yuet Road,
Kowloon Bay, Hong Kong
2
This paper provides a systematic approach to dealing with environmental pollution caused by
construction projects. This approach allows for both qualitative analysis and control and
quantitative assessments through measuring the Construction Pollution Index (CPI). We believe
that the qualitative assessment and control method is useful because it can provide construction
project managers with essential knowledge on how to limit environmental pollution to its
minimum. The CPI is also necessary as it can be used to quantitatively measure the degree of
pollution caused by particular construction projects. The concept of CPI can also help
construction project managers to re-arrange and revise construction plans and schedules in order
to reduce the level of pollution and disturbance.
3
QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS OF POLLUTION AND HAZARDS GENERATED FROM
URBAN CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS
Sources of pollution and/or hazards from construction activities can be divided into seven major
types: dusts, harmful gases, noises, solid and liquid wastes, fallen objects, ground movements
and others. In order to reduce and prevent the pollution and hazards, it is necessary to identify
the construction operations that generate the sources. In Table 1, construction activities that
generate pollution and hazards, and corresponding methods for prevention are listed. The table is
based on an extensive studies of many construction sites in Shanghai, Beijing and Hong Kong, as
well as numerous discussions with many project managers.
Methods for preventing pollution and hazards can be divided into the following four categories:
Technology
This category recommends a range of advanced construction technologies which can reduce the amount
of dust, harmful gases, noise, solid and liquid wastes, fallen objects, ground movements and others. For
example, replacing the impact hammer pile driver with the hydraulic piling machine can significantly
reduce the level of noise generated by the piling operation.
Managerial
This category recommends the use of modern construction management methods which may help reduce
the amount of dusts, noises, solid and liquid wastes, fallen objects and others.
Planning
This category emphasises on revising and re-arranging construction schedules to reduce the aggregation
of pollution and hazards. This category has effect on dusts, noises, solid and liquid wastes, fallen objects,
ground movements and others.
Building material
Better building material can also help reduce pollution and hazards. This category has effect on harmful
gases, fallen objects, ground movements and others.
The four categories of preventive methods and their effects are also summarized in table 2.
We believe that by adopting the above preventive methods, it is possible to effectively control
4
and reduce the amount of pollution and hazards generated from construction activities. In order
to further analyze the effect of pollution and hazards, the next section describes a method to
quantify the amount of pollution and hazards generated by a construction project.
QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF POLLUTION AND HAZARDS IN URBAN
CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS
As a construction project spans over a year or even longer, the methods for quantitative analysis
have to be a continuous monitoring and assessment of the whole project duration. In this section,
we present a method to quantatively measure the amount of pollution and hazards generated by a
construction project within its project duration. The method sets to measure the Construction
Pollution Index (CPI), as shown in formula 1.
Note:
CPI
— Construction Pollution Index of a urban construction project.
CPI
i
— Construction Pollution Index of a specific construction operation i.
h
i
— hazard magnitude per unit of time generated by a specific construction operation i.
D
i
— Duration of the construction operation I that generates hazard h
i.
n — Number of construction operations that generate pollution and hazards.
In formula 1, parameter h
i
is a relative value indicating the magnitude of hazard generated by a
particular construction operation in a unit of time. Its value is limited in the range of [0,1]. If h
i
=
1, it means that the hazard can cause fatal damage or catastropies to people and/or properties
nearby. For example, if a construction operation can generate some noise and the sound level at
the receiving end exceeds the ‘threshold of pain’, which is 140 dB (McMullan 1993), then the
value of h
i
for this particular construction operation is 1. If h
i
=0, then it indicates that no hazard
is detectable from a construction operation. It is possible to identify values of h
i
for all types of
pollution and hazards generated by commonly used construction operations and methods. For
example, according to the information on sound emmision from piling driven machines, as well
as the types of piles, we can formulate the content of Table 3 which contains values of h
i
for
some piling operations.
Information and data such as the emision of noise levels, harmful gases and wastes are normally
i
n
i
i
n
i
i
D h CPI CPI • = =
? ?
= = 1 1
…………………….(1)
5
available in the specifications of relevant construction machinery and plant, or can be
conveniently measured. These data can then be converted to h
i
values by normalising them into
the range of [0,1]. In case that there is no data available for such conversion, then h
i
values have
to be decided based on user’s experience and expert opinions.
Durations required for completing construction operations are measured in number of days. For
example, the Shanghai Maxwell (see Figure 1) construction project involves a piling operation
which includes the following activities and durations,
1) driving prefabricated concrete piles using drop-hammer driver, and duration is 31 days.
2) driving sheet steel piles using hydraulic piling driver, and duration is 57 days.
Then, according to formula 1, the value of CPI for the piling operation is, 0.5*31 + 0.3*57 =
32.6. The overall CPI value for the project is 747.2. The value of Construction Pollution Index
(CPI) reflects the accumulated amount of pollution and hazards generated by a construction
project within its project duration.
(Insert Figure 1)
It is also very useful to create a CPI bar chart. A CPI bar chart is very similar to the ordinary bar
charts used in construction scheduling, except that the thickness of the bars represents the h
i
value for the corresponding construction operation. By integrating the concept of CPI into MS
Project, which is a commonly used tool for construction project management, we can develop a
system to neatly combine environmental management with project management, as shown in
Figure 1. In Figure 1, h
i
values are listed beside their corresponding construction operations. As
the height of a bar represents the h
i
value, the area of the bar represents the CPI value of the
construction operation. The aggregation of the thicknesses of bars, as indicated at the bottom of
the bar chart, represents the distribution of the CPI value along the whole project duration. This
distribution is particularly useful for project managers to identify the periods when the project
will generate the highest amount of pollution and hazards. Therefore, preventive methods such as
those listed in Table 1 can be used to reduce the amount of pollution and hazards during those
periods. In this example, it can be seen, from the distribution diagram of Figure 1, that during
Nov. to Dec. 1998 the project generated the highest poillution and hazards, mainly because of
the large amount of on-site mixing of concrete and masonry works. The project manager forsaw
the problem, and decided to reduce the amount of on-site mixing concrete in those months by
using 25% ready-mixed concrete. The use of ready-mixed concrete reduced the amount of noise
generated from the on-site concrete mixing. This reduced the h
i
value in Nov. and Dec. 1998
from 3.3 to 2.5, a 25% reduction in the value of h
i.
It also indicates that the amount of pollution
and hazards has been reduced.
6
So far, a quantitative method for analysing the magnitude of construction pollution and hazards
has been presented. In order to ensure that the concept of environmental management is
embedded into the daily practice of construction project management, we propose that major
construction companies should obtain ISO 14001 Environmental Management System (EMS)
certifications. Discussions on the ISO 14000 stnadards and ways of integrating the standards into
construction project management are given in the next section.
INTEGRATING ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT WITH CONSTRUCTION
MANAGEMENT
This section presents the series of international standards on environmental management, ISO
14000, and the need for integrating environmental management into construction management.
ISO 14000 is a series of international standards for environmental management. The ISO14000
standards address the following aspects of environmental management (Quality network 1999,
Peglau1999, ISO 1999, Kloepfer 1997), as shown in Table 4.
As a subset of ISO 14000, the EMS is a systematic approach to dealing with issues related to
environmental management. It is a 'tool' that enables a company of any size or type to control the
impact of its activities, products or services on the natural environment. Although many
companies in other businesses have already obtained ISO14001 EMS (Environmental
Management System) certifications, none of the construction companies (contractors) in China
has such a certification. In order to build the concept of environmental management into
construction management, we propose that it is fundamentally important for major construction
companies in China to make necessary efforts to obtain certifications on ISO 14001 EMS.
In the ISO 14001 EMS, environmental management is maintained through five stages (see
Figure 2): issuing environmental policies, planning, implementation and operation, checking and
corrective action, and management review.
ISO 14001 EMS requires construction management to establish systematic policies and methods
to deal with problems related to environmental management. Specifically, the certification
requires a construction company to establish objectives, targets and programs for environmental
management. A thorough analysis of all processes and methods used in construction operations
is necessary in order to identify sources and magnitude of pollution and hazards. Once the
sources are identified, the construction company needs to make all necessary efforts to reduce
the amount of pollution and hazards generated from a particular operation. Also, it is important
7
to have a regular management review to ensure the suitability and sustainable implementation of
the established policies and methods.
The establishment and implementation of ISO 14001 EMS requires a total commitement and
cooperation of all parties involved in the supply chain, including construction contractors,
supervisors, designers, manufacturers, investors (Cysewski 1995). However, in developing
countries such as China, there are many difficulties and challenges ahead for implementing ISO
14001 EMS in the construction industry. The most formidable one is that, efforts spent in
environmental protection do not necessarily result in lower project cost and/or shorter durations.
In fact, introducing environmental management into construction management increases the
project direct costs, as at present, contractors do not need to pay for the pollution and hazards
generated by their projects, if they can get away with current environment and construction laws.
Another difficulty is that the awareness of environmental protection among general public is low
compared to many developed countries. People seem to be too busy accumulating personal
wealth to worry about the natural environment. As a consequence, the public pressure on the
construction industry for improving its environmental management is not very high.
With these difficulties and challenges in mind, we believe that it is important for the government
to further reinforce relevant environmental protection laws on one hand, and promote the general
education of importance in protecting the natural environment on the other.
CONCLUSIONS
In order to tackle pollution and hazards generated by urban construction projects in China, we
first presented a qualitative system to identify and to categorise sources of pollution and hazards
on construction sites. Methods for preventing or reducing the amount of pollution and hazards at
the sources are provided. Then, a method is presented to quantitatively measure the construction
pollution index (CPI) which indicates the accumulated pollution and hazards generated from a
construction site. Integrated with MS Project, a popular scheduling software used by
construction professionals in China, we developed a computer tool which can automatically
generate the pollution and hazards distribution diagram over the project duration. The
distribution diagram can assist project managers to identify worst periods in terms of emision of
pollution, and to take necessary preventive measures to reduce the amount of pollution and
hazards. The computer tool is being tested on different projects, and detailed descriptions of the
computer tool and its test results will be reported in the future.
As the concept of environmental management is relatively new in China, we recommended that
it is vital for major construction companies in China to obtain ISO 14001 EMS certifications. By
doing so, construction companies will establish comprehensive policies and regulations and self-
guard the implementation of enviromental management within the context of construction
management.
8
REFERENCES
1. Cysewski, J . B. (1995) 3M International Environmental Management System. Total Quality
& Environment Management. 5(2), pp.25-34.
2. Kloepfer, R. J . (1997) Will the Real ISO14001 Please Stand Up. Civil Engineering. 67(11),
pp.45-47.
3. ISO (1999) The ISO Survey of ISO 9000 and ISO 14000 Certificates: Seventh cycle –1997.
Available at:http://www.iso.ch/presse/surveye.htm.
4. Li, Z. (1998) Statutebook of Japanese Laws in Construction Industruy. China Aerial Industry
Press. Beijing.
5. McMullan, R (1993) Environmental Science in Building. 3
rd
edition, MacMillan. U.K.
6. Peglau, R (1999). The number of ISO14001/EMAS registration of the world. ISO World
Press. Also available at:http://www.ecology.or.jp/isoworld/english/analy14k.htm.
7. Productive (1998) Productive Products Co. Ltd. Pioneering Non-explosive Demolition
Agents. Construction News. 9(7). Productive Products Co. Ltd. Hong Kong
8. Quality Network (1999) International Standard ISO14000. Available at:http://www.quality.co.uk/iso14000.htm.
9
Table 1 Causes of pollution and hazards and preventive methods
Type Causes Methods to prevent
Dust Demolition, Rock blast
Excavation, Rock drilling
Open-air rock power and soil
Open-air site and structure
Bulk material transportation
Bulk material loading and unloading
Open-air material
Transportation equipment
Concrete and mortar making
Static crushing / Chemical breaking
Static crushing / Chemical breaking / Wet excavation / Wet drilling
Covering / Wet construction
Wet keeping / Site clearing / Mask
Awning / Concrete goods / Washing transporting equipment
Concrete goods / Packing and awning / Wet keeping
Awning / Storehouse
Cleaning
Concrete goods
Harmful gases Construction machine-Pile driver
Construction machine-crane
Construction machine-Electric welder
Construction machine-Transporting
equipment
Construction machine-Scraper
Organic solvent
Electric welding
Cutting
Hydraulic piling equipment
Electric machine
Bolt connection / Pressure connection
Night shift
Electric machine
Poison-free solvent
Bolt connection / Pressure connection
Laser cutting
Noise Demolition
Construction machine-Pile driver
Construction machine-crane
Construction machine-Rock drill
Construction machine-Mixing machinery
Construction machine-Cutting machine
Construction machine-Transporting
equipment
Construction machine-Scraper
Static crushing / Chemical breaking
Hydraulic pile equipment
Electric machine
Static crushing / Chemical breaking
Concrete goods / Prefabricated component
Laser cutting machine / Prefabricated component / Soundproof
room
Ground movements Demolition
Pile driving
Forced ramming
Static crushing / Chemical breaking
Static pressing-in pile
Static compacting
Wastes solid-state waste-Building material waste
solid-state waste-Building material package
Prefabricated component / Recovery
Recovery
10
Liquid waste-Mud / Building material waste
Liquid waste-Machinery oil
Recovery
Material saving
Fallen objects solid-state waste-Building material waste
solid-state waste-Building material package
Liquid waste-Mud / Building material waste
Liquid waste-Construction water
Construction tools-Scaffold and board
Construction tools-Model plate
Construction tools-Building material
Construction tools-Sling / Others
Recycle of solid waste / Technology improvment
Recovery
Technology improving / Recovery
Recovery
Safety control / Reliable tools
Technology improving / Safety control
Technology improving / Recovery
Safety control
Others
Urban transportation-Road encroachment
Civic safety-Demolition
Civic safety-Automobile transportation
Civic safety-Tower crane
Civic safety-Construction elevator
Civic safety-Foundation / Earth dam
Urban landscape-Structure exposed
Urban landscape-Night lighting
Urban landscape-Electric-arc light
Urban landscape-Mud / Waste water
Urban landscape-Civic facility destruction
Enclosing wall / Night shift / underground construction
Static crushing / Chemical breaking
Overloading forbidden / Speed limiting
Safety control
Safety control
Safety control
Masking
Using projection lamp
Bolt connection / Pressure connection / Prefabricated component
Drainage organization
Technology improving / Plan preconception
11
Table 2 countermeasures of construction pollution in urban civil engineering and their effects
Category Pollution and hazards
Dusts Harmful
gases
Noises Ground
movements
Wastes Fallen objects Others
Technological methods
Managerial methods
?
?
Planning methods
?
?
?
Building material methods ?
?
? ?
Note: -More effective, -Partial effective, ?-Noneffective.
12
Table 3: Values of h
i
for some piling operations
Piling operations h
i
value
(per day)
1 Prefabricated concrete piles using drop-
hammer driver
0.5
2 Sheet steel piles using drop-hammer driver 0.6
3 Prefabricated concrete piles using hydraulic
piling driver
0.2
4 Sheet steel piles using hydraulic piling driver 0.3
5 Bored piling 0.1
6 Sheet steel piles using drop-hammer driver 0.7
7 Prefabricated concrete piles using static
pressing-in driver
0.2
13
Table 4: ISO14000 series standadds
Standard Title / Description
14000 Guide to Environmental Management Principles, Systems and Supporting Techniques
14001 Environmental Management Systems : Specification with Guidance for Use
14010 Guidelines for Environmental Auditing : General Principles of Environmental Auditing
14011 Guidelines for Environmental Auditing : Audit Procedures-Part 1: Auditing of Environmental Management Systems
14012 Guidelines for Environmental Auditing : Qualification Criteria for Environmental Auditors
14013/15 Guidelines for Environmental Auditing : Audit Programmers, Reviews & Assessments
14020/23 Environmental Labeling
14024 Environmental Labeling : Practitioner Programs – Guiding Principles, Practices and Certification Procedures of Multiple
Criteria Programs
14031/32 Guidelines on Environmental Performance Evaluation
14040/43 Life Cycle Assessment General Principles and Practices
14050 Glossary
14060 Guide for the Inclusion of Environmental Aspects in Product Standards
14
Environmental Policy
Planning
Management Review
Implementation and operation Checking and corrective action
Notes:
Environmental Policy: the environmental policy and the requirements to pursue this policy via objectives,
targets, and environmental programs
Planning: the analysis of the environmental aspects of the organization (including its processes, products
and services as well as the goods and services used by the organization;
Implementation and operation: implementation and organization of processes to control and improve
operational activities that are critical from an environmental perspective (including both products and
services of an organization)
Checking and corrective action: checking and corrective action including the monitoring, measurement,
and recording of the characteristics and activities that can have a significant impact on the environment
Management Review: review of the EMS by the organization's top management to ensure its continuing
suitability, adequacy and effectiveness
Figure 2: Key stages of ISO14000 EMS
doc_170075997.pdf