| Environment Bringing benefits to the environment The Keller Group continues to recognise the impact of its business on the environment, with many of its products contributing environmental benefits. These include land reclamation schemes, soil erosion control, flood control, decontamination or containment of contamination and the preparation of brownfield sites. During the year, Keller Ground Engineering (KGE) was involved at a site in Portadown, Belfast, which is being used as a testing ground for an innovative in situ groundwater remediation system. This reactive gate and barrier system involved constructing deep slurry walls across the natural flow of groundwater, thereby directing contamination to a reactor vessel containing filter material where the contaminant is broken down. Group companies were involved in various dam remediation schemes, forming part of a worldwide focus on upgrading major dams to prevent premature failure due to soil erosion and earthquake. For example, Franki Australia was involved in the remediation of two dams – the Yarawonga Reservoir in Victoria and the Hume Dam, which straddles the Murray River, separating Victoria from New South Wales – where they installed secant walls comprising interlocking stone columns to depths of up to 20 metres. In 2002, Keller continued its support for various environmental research projects. These included a project undertaken jointly by Franki Australia and Monash University, to ascertain the effectiveness of deep soil mixing in Coode Island silt in the docks area of Melbourne. Coode Island silt is an acid sulphate soil and improving its strength in situ will allow construction of container platforms without undue settlement, reduce the requirement for more costly piling solutions and limit the expensive handling of this contaminated material. In the UK, KGE continued to support research into sustainable construction, through its sponsorship of a Queen’s University, Belfast, Ph.D programme. The Group is represented on the Industrial Advisory Board of the QUESTOR Centre (Queen’s University Environmental Science and Technology Research Centre) and, in partnership with the Environmental Agency, the QUESTOR Centre and others, Keller is involved in the development of permeable reactive barriers. Our Specialist Services business, Makers, is working with local authorities and housing associations across the UK on the structural refurbishment of social housing, much of which was constructed in the 1960s and 1970s. As an alternative to demolition and rebuild, these projects are resource efficient and have fewer environmental impacts. In addition, they invariably bring thermal efficiency benefits, resulting in reduced energy consumption. Environmental management systems Notwithstanding the positive impacts of many of the schemes in which we are involved, we do recognise that many of our site activities have environmental effects. Most notably, these involve noise, dust and slurry emissions and the use of specialist products, such as grouts. We have a continuous programme of trying to mitigate these impacts by, for example, selecting new plant with reduced noise emissions, researching the viability of new, more benign materials and seeking better ways of capturing waste from drilling. At Hayward Baker, for example, the equipment fleet has been converted to operate with a new, environmentally-friendly form of lubricant. Many of the hydraulic systems operate in areas where leaks or spills could result in contamination of the soil or nearby waterways. The properties of the new hydraulic oil make it inherently biodegradable, minimising the risk of long term environmental damage. Our environmental management systems are not uniform across the Group. Our businesses, which have their own environmental policies, have each adopted a system that reflects local regulations, culture and business needs. In Australia, for example, Franki has developed an Environmental Noise and Vibration Management Plan, which is modified to suit the specific requirements of individual sites. This plan involves community consultation, including advising local residents and businesses of the duration of Franki’s activities and providing an in-house contact who will discuss their concerns. Makers has now integrated its environmental management system into a single safety, quality and environmental management system. As planned, ISO14001 accreditation will be sought during 2003. During the year, environmental training for operatives has been undertaken at all sites and environmental awareness training has been incorporated into the standard induction training for all new staff. The KGE environmental management system, which complies with ISO14001, was fully introduced into the business in 2002. An “environmental performance” satisfaction rating has recently been added to their customer survey which, together with the internal review process, is expected to provide an independent measurement of performance. Working with the community Most projects in which Group companies are involved are located in remote areas, away from local populations and therefore, there is usually little impact on, or relationship with, a local community. For most of our businesses, support for local community projects is indirect – by, for example, sponsoring or supporting the efforts of employees who are involved in charitable or community projects. A notable exception to this is Makers which, through its social housing refurbishment schemes, has significant interfaces with residents and community groups. Makers prides itself in having an effective dialogue with residents, which includes the distribution of site brochures (in four different languages, in some cases) to advise residents on how they will be affected by their works. |
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