Plant maintenance on construction sites

Good practice

Maintenance work

Consider using a system of preventative plant maintenance. Well-maintained plant and equipment are less likely to break down, will emit fewer pollutants to the air and can help prevent spills of oil and fuel. In addition, well-maintained plant vibrates less and makes less noise.

Regularly check hoses and connections for wear or damage. These are the parts of any vehicle or equipment that are most likely to cause a spill if they fail.

Fix all leaks immediately, regardless of their size.

Make sure that plant maintenance is undertaken on an impermeable surface such as concrete hard standing, a plastic membrane or other suitable material, away from surface water drains, watercourses, source protection zones and vulnerable groundwaters.

Surface water run-off

You should channel run-off from maintenance areas to an oil separator (interceptor) before you discharge it by an authorised route.

Oil separators at construction sites

Disposal of waste

Maintaining plant and equipment can produce waste materials including waste oil, materials used to clean up spills, hydraulic oil from servicing and oily rags.

Make sure that all materials from plant maintenance are collected and disposed of as hazardous/special waste.

Bunded areas can collect rainwater contaminated with fuel, oil or chemicals.

You may need to dispose of waste materials, including contaminated rainwater, that contain hydrocarbons (fuel and oils) or other hazardous substances as hazardous/special waste.

Hazardous / special waste

Hired plant and equipment

If you are hiring plant and equipment, check whether the hiring business has a system of preventative plant maintenance in place.

If you allow people from an equipment or plant hire business to maintain or repair plant that you have on hire, make sure that they understand and follow your waste disposal procedures.

SEE ALSO: Road sweepers at construction sites