Civil construction, building and demolition guide

EPA has engaged with industry to understand their experiences using the Civil construction, building and demolition guide, (CCBD guide) since its 2020 release, and used these insights to inform an update to the guide that was developed with industry in September 2023.

“This guide is particularly important for the construction, building and demolition industries to understand their obligations under Victoria’s environment protection laws,” said EPA Director Regulatory Enablement Jo Missen.

The CCBD guide is for people whose role involves site planning or environmental management in projects and supporting activities of all scales and complexity.

It supports the construction, building and demolition industries to understand the potential risks of harm to human health and the environment and how to eliminate or reduce these through good environmental practice. It provides an overview of duties under the Environment Protection Act 2017, controls that can be put in place to manage risks, and general information to help manage obligations associated with:

• Noise and vibration, including scheduling works, community consultation, managing noise and vibration at the source, and managing noise using offsite controls.
• Erosion, sediment and dust, including managing stormwater flows, minimising dust, managing stockpiles and working within waterways.
• Contaminated land and groundwater, including identifying presence of contaminated land, and preventing contamination of stormwater and groundwater.
• Chemical storage and handling, including managing storage and handling of liquid and solid chemicals, spill response and cleanup, and managing volatile liquids.
• Waste, including managing different types of waste, storage, collection, transport and removal.

EPA developed the CCBD guide in consultation with construction companies, industry groups, local councils, and government agencies. As part of the update EPA re-engaged with stakeholders to understand the user’s experience with the guide, including currency and accessibility of information. EPA considered all feedback received and used these insights to inform the updates.

Feedback was generally positive with most stakeholders advising that the guide helps them to understand their environment protection responsibilities and informs their decisions and steps they take to manage their environmental risks.

Updates to the guide include new information about managing noise outside normal working hours and inaudibility, sodic and dispersive soils, environmental audit overlays and planning requirements, and managing termite pesticides.
EPA has spoken to industry and promoted the updated guide at events such as the Waste Expo Australia, Build Aware Warrnambool Tradies Breakfast, TAFE talks and presentations, social media, EPA website and during site inspections.

“EPA is committed to supporting industry, and have been doing that through industry associations, industry events and industry publications like ALGA’s Cronicle. It’s important industry have clear and accessible information so that they understand their role in protecting Victoria’s environment,” said EPA Director Regulatory Enablement Jo Missen.
 

Seeking your input on other EPA guidance

EPA is reviewing the Soil sampling guidelines to align with the Environment Protection Act 2017. The updated publication 'Soil sampling for waste soils guidance’ is out for public consultation on Engage Victoria until 21 December 2023.

EPA is also seeking feedback on proposed changes to the way per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in waste and waste soil are managed in Victoria. Public consultation on Engage Victoria is open until 21 December 2023.

EPA contact details
For further information on the CCBD guide or other EPA guidance, please visit the EPA website here https://www.epa.vic.gov.au/ or email the Industry Guidance Unit at Industry.Guidance@epa.vic.gov.au.

Article Published on 12/12/2023

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