Fifty years ago, a brown looking river or sea due to sediment run off, was a sign of progress. This is no longer the case, now there is a huge range of environmental legislation and regulations that govern how construction is undertaken.

The main Acts (together with their associated Regulations) are as follows:

• Building Act 2004
• Climate Change Response Act 2002 
• —Environment Act 1986 
• —Forests Act 1949 
• —Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act 1996
• —Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992
• —Litter Act 1979
• —Local Government Act 1974
• —Local Government Act 2002
• —National Parks Act 1980
• —Ozone Layer Protection Act 1996
• —Resource Management Act 1991

• Soil Conservation and Rivers Control Act 1941

The penalties for transgressing against these Acts can be very severe.

It is difficult for many construction companies to stay abreast of the requirements of all the legislation. In situations like this LADRA Ltd can act as a company’s environmental advisor. In this role LADRA can undertake the following work:

• Reviewing tender documentation to ascertain environmental risks, together with appropriate management strategies.
• Assessing company operations to confirm adherence with appropriate legislation, developing remedial actions where required.
• Regular audits of construction sites to check on environmental performance, together with documented close out procedures for any identified environmental risks.

LADRA understands that every business is unique and therefore the services provided will vary on a client specific basis.