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CONTENTS

Part 1 Introduction Page1. Ba ckg round 4

2. Purpose o f the code 4

3. Genera l 5

4. Pro tect ion o f the public a nd building s 5

5. Hours o f w ork 6

6. Publicity 67. Va ria t ion f rom norma l w orking hours 6

Part 2 Noise and Vibration

8. Pla nt a nd eq uipment 8

9. Piling 9

10. Sa ndbla st ing 9

Part 3 Dust and Air Pollution and Soil Contamination

11. Dust a nd a ir po llut ion 10

12. Asbestos 11

13. Conta mina ted la nd 11

14. Crushing ma chines 11

15. Monitoring 11

Part 4 Drainage Following Demolition of Buildings

16. Dra ina g e 12

Appendices

(1) Form A Applica t ion fo r w orks outside the code 13

(2) List o f conta ct s 15

Co nt ro l o f Po llut io n & No ise f romDem o lit io n & Co nstruction Sit es

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PART 1 INTRODUCTION1. Background

1.1 There is a need to ensure t ha t residen ts an d b usinesses are prot ected fromenvironmenta l disturba nce d uring the construction o f b ot h ma jor a ndsma ller developmen ts.

1.2 This Cod e o f Practice ha s bee n prepa red t o h elp develope rs a nd th eir con tra ctorsensure tha t they und ertake t heir w orks in t he mo st considerat e ma nner, in o rderto reduce t he impact of the w ork on loca l communities.

1.3 This do cument ha s be en prepa red by th e Environme nt a l Hea lth Dep a rtmen ts of

the Lond on Boroughs of Bromley, Croydon, Merton, Sutt on an d Wa ndswo rth,w ho ha ve long experience d ea ling w ith environmenta l prob lems arising fromde mo lition a nd construction site s. The Cod e o f Practice is th e po licy o f t hesea utho rities Environmenta l Hea lth Department s and w ill be a tt a ched to relevantplanning approvals and building control applications and circulated to contractorsw orking in th e respective bo roug hs.

1.4 Noise and environmental nuisance can also be controlled through the priorconsent principle und er the Cont rol of Pollution Act 1974 Sections 60 &61 a ndalso through the Environmental Protection Act 1990 Section 80.

1.5 A local a uth ority ma y serve a lega l not ice imposing no ise req uiremen ts (includingvibra tion) as to th e w a y in w hich th e w orks a re to b e ca rried o ut. The personserved w ith a not ice is g uilty o f a n o ffence under th e relevant Act if, w itho utreasonable excuse, any requirement of the notice is contravened.

1.6 Adherence t o this Cod e w ill demonstrate a positive a tt itude a nd commitmentto w a rds minimising en vironme nt a l disturba nce to loca l residen ts.

1.7 The cont racto r sho uld a lw a ys comply w ith th e provision s of:- The Control o f Po llut ion Act 1974 Pa rt IV The Hea lth &Saf et y a t Work Act 1974 The Clea n Air Act 1993 The Environ me nt a l Prot ect ion Act 1990

2. Purpose of Code

2.1 The purpo se o f t his Cod e o f Pra ctice is to ensure t ha t d isturba nces due tono ise, vibra tion, du st a nd smoke a rising from d emo lition a nd constructionw orks on a ll building site s, including th e Public Highw a y, are kept to a na ccept a ble level w ith out th e impo sition o f unne cessa ry or unduly onerousrestrictions on contractors.


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2.2 The Cod e is a lso int end ed to provide g uidan ce to con tra cto rs in circumsta ncesw here there is not a need to implement the forma l procedure deta iled in Sections60 and 61 of t he Cont rol of Po llution Act 1974. It is no t inte nde d t o supersede a ny

other published guidance.2.3 The t erm construction w orks in t his Cod e a pplies to site a ctivities, prepa rat ion ,

dem olition, exca vat ion , tunn elling w orks, building ope rat ion s, structuralalterat ion a nd ma intena nce and transportat ion o f ma teria ls a nd spoil to or fromthe site. Conta ct your boroug h Environmenta l Hea lth Department fo r ad vice o nthe ir req uirement s for the dem olition of building s (see list o f cont a cts inAppendix 2).

2.4 Although all contractors are expected to adopt the full provisions of the Code, itmay not be appropriate to apply all the provisions to some smaller developments.How ever, all develope rs sho uld com ply w ith th e spirit o f t he Cod e.

2.5 If cont racto rs seek to vary the provisions of t he Code , this must be do ne inconsultation with the local Environmental Health Department prior toimplement a tion. Deta ils of t he procedure a re included w ithin the Cod e.

3. General

3.1 The cont racto r w ill be h eld respon sible fo r ensuring th a t a ll plant a nd e q uipment,including a ny w hich ma y be o n hire, is w ell ma int a ined , properly silenced a ndused in a ccorda nce w ith the ma nufa cturers instructions and BS 5228.

4. Protection of The Public and Buildings

4.1 The cont racto r sho uld ensure tha t me a sures a re ta ken to :

(i) Prot ect resident s, users of b uildings close by and pa ssers by from nuisa nce orharm and

(ii) Prote ct building s from physical da ma g e caused by vibra tion.

4.2 Contractors should be aware that the Health and Safety Executive are responsiblefo r enfo rcing sa fet y leg isla tion o n d emo lition a nd con struction site s. For a dvicecon ta ct th e Hea lth a nd Sa fet y Executive (see list of con ta cts in Appendix 2).

4.3 Contractors should be aware that Building Control officers are responsible forenf orcing sa fet y leg islation in rela tion t o d a ng erous structures. They o perat e a 24hour service a nd if called t o a site t o investiga te, remove and or ma ke g oo d w ha tma y be considered to be a da ng er to the public e.g. unsa fe hoa rding s, the ow nerof th e site w ill be responsible fo r the pa yment of costs in rela tion t o t he service.

For advice phone your local Building Control section (see list of contacts inAppendix 2).


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5. Hours of Work

5.1 Where residen tial o ccupiers are likely t o be a ffe cte d by n oise, t he ho urs of no isyw orks sha ll norma lly be restricted to :-

Mo nd a y Frida y 8.00 a .m. - 6.00 p.m.

Sa turda y 8.00 a .m. - 1.00 p.m.

Sund ay a nd Ba nk Ho lid ays No no isy a ct ivit ies o n sit e

5.2 How ever you must check w ith your local aut hority a s there ma y be a dditionalcon ditions set e.g . pla nning cond ition s specifying h ours of w ork.

5.3 Instructions sho uld be g iven to ensure th a t vehicles a nd pla nt a rriving a t a ndlea ving th e site comply w ith th e sta te d ho urs of w ork. (See 5.1).

6. Publicity

6.1 Prior t o a ny w orks sta rting, t he cont racto r sha ll info rm occupiers of a ll prope rtiesw hich ma y be af fected by no ise, dust or vibra tion a rising from construction w orksof the na ture of t he w orks, propo sed ho urs of w ork an d th eir expected durat ion.In pa rticular, it is recomme nde d tha t a no tice b e placed in a con spicuou s position ,a greed w ith loca l resident s, info rming t hem of the a greed ho urs of w ork.

6.2 In a ll insta nces publicity should include t he na me a nd t elephone numb er of ama in cont act w ithin the contractors orga nisat ion w ho is a ble to g ive furtherinfo rmation a nd d ea l w ith a ny complaints or emergencies tha t ma y arise ata ny time.

7. Variation from Normal Working Hours

7.1 It is recog nised th a t t here ma y be circumsta nces w here t he restriction o n ho urs ofw ork in 5.1 ca nno t b e a dhe red to . In t hese circumsta nces th e cont racto r w ill berequired to justify fully any proposed deviation from this Code of Practice and

provide w ritt en justifica tion t o the local aut hority b efo re any w orks sta rt out sidenormal hours.

7.2 Provided the cont ractor ha s been a ble to justify the ca se t o the local aut hority,w orks ma y be allow ed t o proceed in accorda nce w ith a ppropria tealternative conditions.

7.3 The local aut ho rity w ill con firm a ll ag reed va ria tions in w riting to th e cont racto r.

7.4 In a ny insta nce w here it is necessa ry or desirab le to deviat e f rom t his Cod e o fPractice the cont racto r should be a ble to d emonstrate tha t a ll reasona ble stepshave been taken to minimise disturbance from the works. Where appropriate,con sidera tion sha ll be g iven t o:


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(i) Screening t o reduce noise levels.

(ii) The off ering o f tem porary accomm od at ion t o resident s likely to experiencesevere and prolonged disturbance.

(iii) Publicised rest period s during w hich noisy operat ions arete mpo rarily cea sed.

(iv) The provision of public refug es aw a y from severe noisy w orks.

7.5 Prior a g reement fo r w orks involving a ny devia tion f rom th is Cod e of Practiceshould be sought from your local authority, preferably at least 3 days prior to thew orks commencing , on f o rm A in this do cument (see Append ix 1).

7.6 In t he a bsence o f prior a g reement fo r noisy w orks, the Coun cil ma y serve a no ticeunde r Section 60 of th e Cont rol of Pollution Act 1974 to prohibit or restrict w orksin a ccordan ce w ith th is Cod e o f Practice.

7.7 In except ion a l circumsta nces, w here w orks being ca rried o ut on th e Pub licHighw a y w ould cause severe disruption to tra ffic, permission t o w ork outside t heho urs st a te d in 5.1 ma y be g iven b y the Highw a ys Eng ineer/Tran spo rta t ion Gro upin conjunction w ith t he Environme nt a l Hea lth Depa rtment (see list o f cont a cts inAppendix 2).


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PART 2 NOISE AND VIBRATION8. Plant and Equipment

8.1 Noisy plant or eq uipmen t sha ll be situa te d a s far a s possible fro m no ise sensitivebuildings. Barriers (e.g. site huts, acoustic sheds or partitions) to reduce noisereaching no ise sensitive building s sha ll be employed w here pra ctica ble. Oldbuildings around the site perimeter w a iting to be demo lished can provideeffective noise screening.

8.2 The f ollow ing provisions sho uld be a dhe red t o w herever pra ctica ble:-

(i) Vehicles and mechanical plant used fo r the purpose of the w orks shall befitt ed w ith ef fective exhaust silencers, mainta ined in go od a nd ef ficientw orking order a nd operat ed in such a ma nner as to minimise no iseemissions. The con tra cto r sha ll ensure tha t a ll plan t com plies with t herelevant sta tut ory req uirements.

(ii) Machines in intermittent use should be shut dow n or throttled dow n to aminimum w hen no t in use.

(iii) Compressors should be fitted w ith properly lined an d sealed a coustic coversw hich should b e kept closed w hene ver in use. Pneuma tic percussive to olsshould be fitted with mufflers or silencers of the type recommended by the

manufacturers.(iv) Eq uipment w hich breaks concrete, brickw ork or masonry by bending o r

bursting or nibbling sha ll be used in preference to p ercussive t oo ls w herepractica ble. Avoid t he use of impa ct to ols w here t he site is close tooccupied premises.

(v) Where pra ctica ble, rot a ry drills an d b ursters a ctiva ted by hydraulic, chemicalor electrica l pow er sha ll be used fo r excavat ing ha rd or extrusive ma te ria l.

(vi) Where pra ctica ble, equipment po w ered by ma ins electricity shall be used in

preference t o eq uipment pow ered by internal comb ustion eng ine o r locallyg enera te d electricity.

(vii) Neither an y part of the w orks nor any ma intena nce of pla nt shall be carriedout in such a ma nner a s to ca use unn ecessa ry noise o r vibra tion e xcept inthe case of a n emergen cy w hen t he w ork is ab solutely necessa ry fo r thesa ving of life o r property or th e sa fet y of the w orks.

(viii) Plan t shall be ma inta ined in go od w orking order so t ha t extraneo us noisefrom mechanical vibration, creaking and squeaking is kept to a minimum.

(ix) Noise emitting ma chinery w hich is required to run continuously sha ll beho used in a suita ble a coustic lined enclosure w herever pra ctica ble.


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8.3 Ca re should be ta ken to reduce no ise w hen loa ding o r unloa ding vehicles ordismantling scaffolding or moving materials etc.

9. Piling

9.1 The no ise sensitivity o f t he a rea should b e considered w hen d et ermining t hemethod of piling to be used. Building Control and the Environmental HealthDepartment s should be consulted on t he chosen met hod .

9.2 Sheet piling sho uld, w herever pra cticable, be carried out using hydra ulicallyoperat ed o r vibrat ory hamm ers.

9.3 The use o f convent ion a l impa ct ha mmers sho uld, w herever possible, be a voided .

Where pra ctica ble, jacked piles sha ll be used in pref erence t o piles driven usingother methods. Any pile driving shall be carried out by plant equipped with arecognised noise reducing system.

9.4 Where surfa ce con ta minat ion is present on site , appro pria te piling techniq uessho uld be a do pte d. (See a lso Section 13).

9.5 In some circumsta nces th e Environme nt a l Hea lth Depa rtment ma y limit t he ho ursof piling further tha n t hose q uot ed in 5.1.

10. Sandblasting

10.1 The w ork area w ill be close sheet ed to reduce dust nuisa nce from g rit. Routinechecking is req uired t o e nsure tha t t he sheeting rema ins soun d o r sea led d uringthe o peration. Particular a tt ention sha ll also b e g iven to the w orking plat fo rm toensure that it is properly sheeted or sealed to contain dust.

10.2 Non siliceo us grit w ill be used to a void long te rm irreversible lung da ma g e fro msilica dust.

10.3 Proper protection w ill be provided fo r any structure pa inted w ith lea dba sed paint.

10.4 In ca ses w here w a ter is used f or la rge sca le cleaning a nd b la sting therequirements of the Environment Agency should be followed.


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PART 3 DUST AND AIR POLLUTION ANDSOIL CONTAMINATION

11. Dust and Air Pollution

11.1 Burning of materials on site shall not be permitted.

11.2 Empha sis sho uld be pla ced on th e f ollow ing to minimise t he risk of a ir pollution:-

(i) Using processes w hich do not g enerate hazardous fumes and hazardous dust

(ii) Ensuring th a t airbo rne ha za rds do no t esca pe from the site to af fectmembers of the public and surrounding environment.

11.3 Dust pollution w ill be minimised during d emo lition by t he comp let e screening, ifpractica ble, of t he b uilding o r structure to be d emo lished w ith deb ris screens orsheet s. Old building s a round t he site perimet er w a iting to be d emo lished canprovide effective air pollution screening.

11.4 The w a tering do w n o f the area should be carried out w here necessa ry to m inimisedust t ransfer into neighb ouring p remises. Wheel w a sh f a cilities sho uld beprovided on larger sites. Contact your Environmental Health Department for theirreq uirement s (see list o f cont a cts in Append ix 2).

11.5 Sto ckpiles of ea rth sha ll be da mped d ow n o r otherw ise suita bly trea ted to preventth e emission of dust fro m t he site . Sto ckpiles sho uld be plan ned a nd site d t ominimise t he po te ntia l fo r dust g enera tion. The ha ndling of spoil sho uld be keptto a minimum a nd w hen ma terials are depo sited ont o a sto ckpile it should b efrom th e minimum po ssible heigh t.

11.6 The cont racto r sha ll ensure t ha t t he a rea a round th e site , including th e pub lichigh w ay, is regula rly and ad eq uat ely sw ept t o prevent a ny accumulat ion o f d ustand dirt.

11.7 Skips and remo val vehicles shall be properly covered w hen leaving th e sit e. Spo ilsho uld be ha ndled in such a w a y so t ha t it d oe s no t g ive rise to excessive dust.Wa te ring of rubble chut es sha ll be un dert a ken w here necessa ry to preventdust emission.

11.8 The con tra cto r sho uld ta ke all necessa ry precau t ions to preven t smoke em issionsor fum es from plant or sto red fue l oils from drift ing int o residen tial a reas. Inpa rticular, mea sures sho uld b e t a ken to ensure th a t a ll plant is w ell ma int a ineda nd no t left running fo r long period s w hen not in use.

11.9 General advice can be o bt ained from t he Cont rol of dust from construction a ndde mo lition a ctivities , Feb ruary 2003 published by t he Building Resea rchEsta blishme nt (see list o f cont a cts in Appendix 2).


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12. Asbestos

12.1 The cont racto r sha ll con sult w ith th e Health a nd Sa fet y Executive w hen removing

a sbesto s mat erials (see list o f cont a cts in Append ix 2).

13. Contaminated Land

13.1 The con tra cto r sha ll con sult w ith th e Environmen t Ag ency an d t he Environme nta lHealth Department when dealing with any contaminated soil or contaminatedgroundw at er on the site.

13.2 Certain contaminants may affect construction materials and advice should besoug ht a t a n ea rly sta ge . Cont act Building Control and the Environmenta l Hea lth

Departments for further advice (see list of contacts in Appendix 2).

14. Crushing Machines

14.1 Any plant used f or th e crushing o f ma te ria ls sho uld b e issued w ith a Permit b y aLoca l Auth ority und er t he Pollution Prevent ion a nd Con trol Regulat ions 2000.All w ork sho uld be carried out in a ccorda nce w ith t he cond itions of t he Permit.Where plant is used to recycle ma te ria ls, th e a ppropria te licence from th eEnvironmen t Ag ency sha ll be o bt a ined . The p rocess operat or should no tify t helocal authority in whose area the process is proposed prior to operation.

15. Monitoring

15.1 The d evelope r and contra cto r sho uld cond uct a regular a ir monito ringprogramm e w here there is evidence of vola tile o r airbo rne haza rdous mat erials orthere is a risk of fumes or dust affecting the local area and take any necessarycorrective a ction. They should a lso con ta ct th e Environme nt a l Hea lth Depa rtment(see list of con ta cts in Appendix 2) fo r ad vice, fu rther informa tion a ndan y a dditiona l req uirements.


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PART 4 DRAINAGE FOLLOWING DEMOLITIONOF BUILDINGS

16. Drainage

16.1 Follow ing th e dem olition o f a building t he disused d rains must be sea led off at the junction w ith the sew er under the public road .Generally the local aut hority w ill not a llow you t o re-use o ld drainag esyste ms for ne w building s. How ever in certa in cases th is ma y bepermitted subject to a satisfactory closed circuit television(CCTV) survey.

16.2 The Environme nt a l Health Depa rtment ma y req uire you t o pro videa CCTV survey a nd ma y itself b e a ble t o pro vide a CCTV service.Add itiona l services may b e a vaila ble such as ca rrying out a dra in sealof f service by remo te cont rol w ith out th e unnecessa ry expense a nddisruption o f digg ing u p t he p ublic roa d. These services a re charg ea ble.

16.3 For f urther d et a ils on th ese or o th er t echnical services ava ila ble plea secontact your local authority (see list of contacts in Appendix 2).


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13

Appendix 1

Form A

LONDON BOROUGH OF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH DEPARTMENT

Application for works not conforming with the Control of Pollution and Noisefrom Demolition and Construction sites Code of Practice.

When completed please send and/or fax to the relevant Environmental HealthDepartment (see list of contacts in Appendix 2), together with any supporting documents

Applicant ...................

Registered Office: .......................

Telephone ................ Mobile ..........................

Fax ........................................... Email .................................................

Contact Name/s .........................................................................................................

...............................................................................................

Address for correspondence (if different from above)

.................

.................

Telephone ................ Mobile .........................

Fax ............................................ Email ........................

Contact Name/s .........................................................................................................

...............................................................................................

Location of works ...............................

...........................


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14

Proposed start date .....................

Estimated duration of works...................

Proposed hours of work (where not in accordance with Code of Practice)....................

..............................................................................................................................................

Full details of proposed works Please give full details of plant and machinery to beused and any other proposed deviations from the Code of Practice....................

..............................................................................................................................................Reasons for not adhering to Code of Practice ...................

....................

..............................................................................................................................................

Details of advance publicity, consultation and measures taken/proposed to minimisenoise, dust and pollution....................

....................

Signed . Date .....................

Designation ....................................................

For use by Environmental Health Department

Comments:

......................................................

...........................

...........................

...........................

...........................

Signed ...................... Date ............................


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Appendix 2

LIST OF CONTACTSLONDON BOROUGHOF BROMLEY

Civic Centre,Stockw ell Close,Bromley BR1 3UH

Environmental ServicesDepartment 020 8313 4830 020 8313 4450 (Fax)email:[email protected]

Building Control 020 8313 4313 020 8313 4604 (Fax)email:[email protected]

Highways(Skip, scaffoldingand licences etc.) 020 8313 4621 020 8313 4478email:[email protected]

LONDON BOROUGHOF CROYDON

Taberner House,Pa rk Lane,Croydon CR9 3BT

Pollution 020 8760 5483 020 8760 5630 (Fax)email:[email protected]

Drainage 020 8760 5503 020 8760 5724 (Fax)

Building Control 020 8760 5637 020 8407 1321 (Fax)

LONDON BOROUGHOF MERTON

Civic Centre,Lond on Road , Morden,Surrey SM4 5DX

EnvironmentalHealth Service 020 8545 3025 020 8545 4025 (Fax)

Building Control 020 8545 3123 020 8545 6085 (Fax)

Highways Team 020 8545 3038 020 8545 3099 (Fax)

LONDON BOROUGHOF SUTTON

Environmental Health,

24 Denmark Road,Carshalton,Surrey SM5 2JG

Environmental HealthDepartment 020 8770 5527 020 8770 5540 (Fax)

Building Control 020 8770 6267/8 020 8770 6270 (Fax)

Transportation Group(Road Closures) 020 8770 6455 020 8770 6298 (Fax)

Highways(Skip, scaffoldingand buildingmaterial licences) 020 8770 6055/6060

Parking Services(Suspension ofparking bays) 020 8770 5341

LONDON BOROUGHOF WANDSWORTH

PO Box 47095London SW18 9AQ Environmental

Services Division 020 8871 6170 020 8871 7661 (Fax)

Building Control 020 8871 7620

Highways Engineer 020 8871 6542

HEALTH AND SA FETYEXECUTIVE

020 7556 2100

ENVIRONMENT

AGENCY

Emergency Hotline 0800 807060

Thames Region & SouthEast Area Office 08708 506 506 01276 454301 (Fa x)

Contaminated Land 01276 454370

BUILDING RESEARCHESTABLISHMENT

01923 664000e-mail:[email protected]


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D e m o l i t i o n

C o n s t r u c t i o n

N o i s e

Pollution & Noisefrom Demolition &Construction Sites

Control of

building sites code of conduct

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