The Environment

New legislation sets high environmental standards for future industries and developments. Those wishing to develop must first improve the quality of their land prior to laying new services or redeveloping.

We now have a legal obligation to clean up the litter labyrinth of underground services that industry has created over the past centuries.

• Waste Fluids: these can collect in abandoned water mains and in turn can find their way into, and contaminate fresh water supplies. This is especially true on redundant industrial sites where oil and chemicals have contaminated the ground over a long period of time.
• High-pressure Oil-filled Cables: such cables (e.g. 132 kVñ400 kV) are becoming increasingly redundant and difficult to reclaim. The high content of oil contained within the cores of such cables must be drained in a clinical manner to prevent spillage and ground contamination before the cables can be removed from site.
• PCB Levels: the oil content in above-ground switchgear and transformers must be analysed for PCB count before removal from site.
• Mercury Levels: the mercury content from associated switches and relays must be disposed of in a safe way prior to removal from site.
• Asbestos: a hazardous product that was used extensively in past years. Ground works can expose asbestos water pipes and asbestos cement pipes. Exposure of this material in dry conditions releases toxic particles into the surrounding environment.
• Other Hazardous Materials: materials such as heavy metals, ash, old landfills etc., all cause health and safety problems when left uncontrolled, be it above or below ground level.