ENVIRONMENT IN FOCUS
ENVIRONMENTAL RISKS
By Eamonn Ryan
Speaking at The Concrete Conference on 16 May at the Sandton Convention Centre , Eben van Schalkwyk , a director of EP3 Environmental , presented the practical risks that quarry managers and contractors face in terms of the environment .
EP3 Environmental
Licenses are required for temporary storage of more than 80m 3 of hazardous waste .
Environmental protection is enshrined in s24 of the Constitution , as well as the National Environmental Management Act , 1998 ( Act No . 107 of 1998 ) and several regulations . Many of these risks are not well understood and frequently , offences are committed by individuals blithely ignorant that they are doing anything wrong . All access roads , including those on farms , are covered by the regulations , for instance , and Van Schalkwyk gives the example of a contractor who was fined for inadvertently killing protected plants along such a road .
“ Site camps , spoil areas , and other laydown areas are not always assessed during the EIA and can therefore be in contravention of environmental legislation , as contractors are not fully aware of site establishment requirements and the environmental risks associated with them ,” says Van Schalkwyk .
Reporting of emergency incidents also comes in for attention : “ There are certain thresholds above which incidents have to be reported , and penalties are levied when they are not reported . These penalties are severe at a R10-million fine or 10 years imprisonment — not for the incident , just for failing to report it .”
Waste management
“ The regulations have changed a lot in the past 10 years and some of the ‘ old school ’ guys are not aware of the provisions of the National Environmental Management : Waste Act ( 2008 ). Provision has to be made for waste in projects , as there is
34 _ QUARRY SA | SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2018