What is the purpose of a Construction Environmental Management Plan?
Construction sites can be very complex to the level where it will be difficult to manage the impacts of construction activities without affecting the surrounding environment. This is where the Construction Environmental Management Plan (CEMP) comes in.
CEMP is a site-specific plan developed to ensure that appropriate environmental management practices are followed during the construction of the project to control and minimize associated environmental impacts. In other words, the CEMP ensures that the identified environmental impacts of the project will be properly managed in an environmentally safe way and that construction activities will comply with all applicable environmental regulations.
CEMP applies to all construction activities associated with the project. It provides a management framework for the planning and implementation of construction activities in accordance with environmental commitments.
Goals of the Construction Environmental Management Plan
The main goals of the CEMP are to specify the roles and responsibilities of the personnel involved in all aspects of the construction works; identify potential environmental impacts and the mitigation measures that will be used to address them; establish procedures for audits, provide monitoring and inspection programs during construction phase; and specify training for the project team in order to increase their knowledge for the environmental protection of the surrounding area.
What the CEMP Contains
A CEMP will layout the following;
- Environmental management plan (EMP) requirements.
- Effective, site-specific and implementable procedures and mitigation measures to control environmental impacts during construction.
- Efforts to achieve environmental regulatory compliance during construction
- The monitoring program that will ensure regulatory compliance during construction.
Requirements
It is often a requirement of regulatory bodies such as municipalities and free zone authorities that a CEMP is submitted for approval prior to construction permits being issued.
Due to the importance of the CEMP for the successful completion of the project, it applies to several types of projects including industrial facilities, residential and commercial developments, infrastructure projects, power projects or in general any project required to obtain a license to operate.
