Construction Looks To Focus On Air Pollution

When you’re racing to fit fibre cement roofing sheets and get a structure watertight, it can be difficult to focus on best practices which are considered optional by the industry, however, now members of the Considerate Constructors Scheme are focusing on a new element of the trade.

According to Planning and Building Control Today, new research has revealed that there is an urgent need for greater awareness of air pollution, as 84 per cent believe there is an issue caused by the construction industry, and 64 per cent believe the industry is not doing enough to tackle it.

Within the considerate Considerate Constructors Scheme, 600 companies responded to the survey, and 88 per cent said that air pollution minimisation was being communicated to their staff on site. However, only 56 per cent said that their knowledge of air pollution and the regulations surrounding it was good or detailed.

Considerate Constructors Scheme Chief Executive, Edward Hardy spoke of the importance of considering air pollution, for both the health and wealth of the whole economy. After all, air pollution can cause respiratory illness, asthma, bronchitis and cancer, which in turn costs the UK £20 billion a year through the NHS.

“A staggering 40,000 deaths a year are linked to air pollution in the UK, and.. as construction is a significant contributor to air pollution, it is essential for the industry to put measures in place to clean up our air by working together to reduce our impact,” he says.

The scheme’s ‘Spotlight On… Air Pollution’ aims to give members the opportunity to educate themselves on the subject with best practice, guidance and case studies all made available.