Student number: 00270075
Location: Trondheim Renholdsverk AS, Trondheim, Norway, Date of review 27/02/2015
Introduction including overview of area inspected and activities taking place
The practical application area for my project is a department of a big company named TRV group from Norway that deals with waste collection, transport, treatment and management. Company’s department name is Trondheim Renholdsverk Gjenvinngsstasjon. It represents a waste collection station with the main activity to collect, sort, store and prepare various types of households waste for either re-use, recycling or incineration/landfill phase. It is approximately 1 acre large and is located about 13 km from the city centre of Trondheim, Norway. lt is positioned outside the urban area and surrounded by forest.
There are overall 120 people employed in TRV group from which 12 people with permanent contracts are employed in given application area of Trondheim Renholdsverk Gejnvinningsstasjon. From time to time, vicars and students for practice assignments are hired. The waste that is collected is mainly wood, metal, paper, plastics, electric waste (WEEE), hazardous waste, chemical and the category marked
as
“other” which is then sorted as burnable or non-burnable waste.Executive Summary
This report provides an environmental analysis and evaluation of a working site of Trondheim Renholdsverk Gejnvinningsstasjon. Methods used were based on roughly 3 hours long inspection of working facilities: personal observation, checking internal HSE documentation and interviewing HSE responsible and Chief executive for the given working site about the report topic. All the necessary information gained during personal observations, reading internal documents and conducted interviews were written in the environmental review proforma, given by NEBOSH examiners. With regards to information collected and written, main findings were summed up, conclusions were given and recommendations identified.
Overall, report finds the company being mostly successful in environmentally based management within its activities. The company is Certified by ISO 14001. The strengths are pointed out through well-defined products and operations of the working site, as well as environmental trainings and systems of work. Moreover, waste management is indicated to be one of the key strengths.
Additionally, all the appropriate procedures are followed towards land and property management representing one of the main strengths, together with well identified incident and emergency response.
The main weaknesses are also identified within the report. These are: lacking of further chemical analysis for hazardous Substances that might occur occasionally, lacking of planned inspections and testing of storage facilities, disregarding potential significance of air emissions by the working site, disregarding of local biodiversity comparative analysis, lacking of clear environmentally defensive
Name of the student: Bogdan Glogovac Student number: 00270075
strategies against the strong wind conditions and finally, the emergency responses weren’t tested up to now by planned exercise for the given practical application area.
According to main weaknesses, recommendations are defined and provided as follows: to conduct annually an additional chemical analysis for hazardous substances that might appear on the site, to conduct once per year the analysis for air emissions, to organise every two years planned inspection and testing of storage facilities, to handle defensive strategies versus strong wind conditions during the wind season, to do comparative analysis of local biodiversity once per year and lastly, to test emergency responses by planned exercise at least four times per year.
Main findings of the inspection
Trondheim Renholdsverk Gjenvinningsstasjon working department looked very transparent and easy to assess. Employees and HSE management were happy to provide any information needed from them. The company is ISO 14001 Certified and every year holds revision management meetings in order to improve its EMS business strategy.
lt seems that environmental trainings and systems of work are well defined and conducted properly.
Products and operations are also well defined. The waste is collected and sorted in different containers, according to its type and size. Environmentaliy significant materials that are coilected and sorted may be: wood, impregnated wood, asbestos bricks, metal, plastics and chemical/hazardous waste in small concentrations. Nonetheless, further analysis should be conducted, since it is reported that other materials/substances (nickel, zinc, chloroparaffin, mercury etc) might occur on the working site.
Storage facilities
seem
to be in good shape. However, storage facilities are not subject to planned inspections and testing which can be a potential environmental threat, long term speaking. Emissions to atmosphere are given very low priority for this practical application area, even though they are defined. The main reason for this is that it has been concluded that there are no significant emissions originating from the working area itself. As for effluent treatment and discharge, through collaboration with external partners, environmental analysis of discharge water is conducted annually and drainage systems are well monitored. Waste management is probably the strongest point of this practical application area. All the required procedures and standards seem to be fulfilled.The working area is well guarded, surrounded by wired fence about 3m in height. Risk Assessment analysis is respected and all the procedures followed towards land and property management. As for noise nuisance, necessary measures are taken in order to identify the noise levels and follow up legal requirements, respecting the noise levels allowed. The facility itself is located outside the urban zone and surrounded by the forest which creates quite effective noise isolation strategy. However, being located close to natural environment, it is fair to assume that the local wildlife might be disturbed.
Additionally, there is no strategy defined regarding the potential spread of dust and some of the waste outside the working facility, when it comes to strong wind conditions.
Incident and emergency response is another strong characteristic of the working area. Potential environmental incidents/accidents are well identified and necessary precaution or remediation steps/emergency responses well described. However, the emergency responses weren’t tested up to now by planned exercise, even though all the response equipment is available and appropriate conditions are met.
Conclusions
The practical application area Trondheim Renholdsverk Gjenvinningsstasjon, seems to work according to legal requirements, respecting EMS business strategy and fulfilling its tasks/activities appropriately and successfully. However, there is a space for environmental improvements regarding this practical application area. Planned inspections and testing of storage facilities, for example. Also,
Name of the student: Bogdan Glogovac Student number: 00270075
taking into consideration further revision of conclusions regarding the insignificance of air emissions, establishing comparative wildlife analysis around the working site and testing emergency responses via planned exercise. Additionally, further analysis for identifying hazardous substances should be conducted, since it is reported that other materials/substances (nickel, zinc, chloroparaffin, mercury etc) might occur on the working site.
Overall, this practical application area justifies its ISO 14001 certification and with further improvements it shall represent a good example of EMS business strategy.
Recommendations:
Recommendation Likely resource implications Priority Review date
it can be organised internally In the next 3 2 years after Planned inspections or externally, so the price months inspection and testing of storage may vary
facilities
In the spring time Year after Testing emissions to organised externally period (the most inspection
atmosphere regarding hectic season, a
fossil fuel emissions, lot of car traffic)
dust concentrations and potential VOCs evaporation.
organised externally During summer Year after
Wildlife analysis, time inspection
comparing results of biodiversity before and after establishing practical application area, also continuous comparative analysis every year.
As soon as 3 months after Planned exercise for 4h trainings for all the possible
testing emergency employees
responses (organised internally)
Environmental As soon as Year after
analysis for identifying possible inspection
traces of other hazardous substances
Watering the road, organised internally According to wind Year after
using windbreaks, forecast and
reducing exposed conditions, during
ground the wind season