RACA Journal September 2022 | Page 29

Feature

Air quality management ( by-law , 2016 ) In concurrent action required by industrial facilities is the mandate to ensure that the activity performed at any site does not adversely affect the environment – this appears little-known around the bylaws that govern the country .

Another common term heard far too often that is disguised as a joke is the one stating “ Well , the wind will blow away all the contaminated air .” Science has proved that this is not an accurate statement at all because all that happens is that pollution and contaminants simply find themselves somewhere else in the environment and thus affect the air quality possibly hundreds of kilometres away from the origin . A good example that is also well known is the scenario whereby some parts of Johannesburg are occasionally flooded with foul smells that originate from the Witbank coal mining area more or less 150 kilometres away .

This extract was taken from the air quality management act by law of the Western Cape , that states , amongst other pertinent information , for context the extent of what encompasses environmental impact and air quality factors :

• ‘‘ Environment ’’ means the surroundings within which humans exist and that are made up of — ( a ) the land , water and atmosphere of the earth ; ( b ) micro-organisms , plant and animal life ; ( c ) any part or combination of ( a ) and ( b ) and the interrelationships among and between them ; and ( d ) the physical , chemical , aesthetic and cultural properties and conditions of the foregoing that influence human health and well-being ;

• ‘‘ Fuel-burning equipment ’’ means any installed furnace , boiler , burner , incinerator , smoking device , wood-fired oven , commercial wood or charcoal fired braai , barbecue or other equipment including a chimney – ( a ) designed to burn or capable of burning liquid , gas or solid fuel ; ( b ) used to dispose of any material including general and hazardous waste by the application of heat at a rate of less than 10 kg of waste per day ; or ( c ) used to subject liquid , gas or solid fuel to any process involving the application of heat ; but excludes standby generators and temporary standby generators ; domestic fuel-burning equipment ; and gas-fired commercial cooking equipment ;

• ‘‘ Living organism ’’ means any biological entity capable of transferring or replicating genetic material , including sterile organisms and viruses ;

• ‘‘ Nuisance ’’ means an unreasonable interference or likely interference caused by air pollution which has an adverse impact on - ( a ) the health or well-being of any person or living organism ; or ( b ) the use and enjoyment by an owner or occupier of his or her property or the environment ;

• “ Smoke ’’ means the gases , particulate matter and products of combustion emitted into the atmosphere when material is burned or subjected to heat and includes the soot , grit and gritty particles emitted in smoke .

The extract goes on to include points around various manufacturing processes that include even the most common tasks performed that can affect the quality of air both within and outside of the facility .

As you can see , these documents are linked directly to several aspects related to industrial applications that need to be managed accordingly by law . As the country progresses in its industrial activity and overall growth , air quality will become a much higher-ranking factor and therefore industrial HVAC engineers and contractors should take note of the laws and bylaws in order to minimise a facility ’ s impact internally and externally , while also fulfilling the role in preserving the plant and equipment . This will also avoid liability of fines that will be seen in future falling onto role players who do not comply , possibly jointly . The severity of consequences will no doubt increase over time too as the world navigates “ punishments ” for pollution and the reduction of illnesses derived from poor air quality . RACA