HFSY357: Environmental Management and Sustainable Development | Ivan Engineering

Introduction

Ivan Engineering Pte Ltd was established in 2000 for the fabrication of stainless steel and mild steel structures. The Company is supported by a team of experienced and dedicated workers, supervisors, engineers, and technicians. The business has been very successful, and the management wants to contribute towards the environment by going for ISO 14001:2015 certification so that their business processes will not cause any adverse effects on the environment.

There are two different businesses in Ivan Engineering Pte Ltd. One of the businesses involves the fabrication of stainless steel shelves and cabinets for the food industry.

The other business is in the fabrication of mild steel structures for the heavy industry.

The fabrication processes for stainless steel cabinets involve shearing, bending, Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) welding, and polishing at the weld joints to shine. The fabrication of mild steel structures involves cutting the steel plates using acetylene cutter, manual arc welding, and radiography if required.

Purchasing

The Purchasing Department is responsible for the purchase of stainless steel sheets, steel plates, acetylene gas, welding electrodes, welding fillers, and polishing compounds. The Department is also responsible for arranging with authorized waste collectors for the disposal of waste generated during production, including the disposal of scrap metals.

Since electrodes and fillers contain chemicals, all electrode waste will be classified as toxic waste. In the production area, an electrode waste bin is provided for the collection of all welding filler rod ends. When this bin is three-quarter full, the Production Supervisor will inform the Purchasing Department to arrange for the approved waste disposal company to collect the welding filler rod ends for proper disposal. Record of such disposal is maintained.

Production

Stainless Steel Cabinet Fabrication

The stainless steel cabinet business consists primarily of fabricating shelves and cabinets for the food industry. The material used is primarily 2 mm thick stainless steel sheets.

The stainless steels, which are protected by plastic sheets to prevent any scratches on the surface, are first cut to size in accordance with the drawing requirement using the shearing process.

After that, the semi-finished parts are bent according to the design configuration. Manual TIG welding, which is a process where the tungsten electrode is used to fuse the filler material using high heat, is used to join the pieces together. The arc area is shrouded in an inert gas shield to protect the weld pool and the tungsten electrode.

Similarly, the legs are joined to the cabinets by TIG welding. After the cabinets or shelves are welded together, the plastic sheets protecting the surface of the sheets are removed, and the welded joints are polished using a polisher to shine.

The product is considered complete and ready for delivery.

Mild steel structures fabrication

The technician will prepare the cutting plane from the drawings provided by the client. The technician will then cut the pieces of mild steel plates using the acetylene cutter. After the plates are cut to the size as required in the cutting plane, the welder will weld the parts together using manual electrode arc welding. Electrode arc welding is a welding process that uses an electrical power supply to create an electric arc between an electrode and the base material to melt the metals at the welding point. Welding fumes are released during the welding process.

Welding slags, a vitreous material produced as a by-product of the arc welding process, have to be removed after welding. This process is done manually by chipping away the slags using a hammer. The process can cause noise problems, and such noise may propagate to the outside of the factory.

After welding work is completed, non-destructive testing of the welds is carried out internally by trained inspectors. External inspectors carry out Magnetic Particle Inspection (MPI) or radiography. The magnetic powder used for carrying out MPI will be disposed of as toxic waste.

Radiography of weld joints will be carried out by trained and certified contractors who will supply the equipment and radiography source. As a precaution, radiography is carried out at night when there is a minimum number of employees at work, and the place is secured to prevent anyone from accessing it.

Store

A store located within the building is maintained for the storage of tools, equipment, and consumables such as welding electrodes. The storekeeper is responsible for the control in the issue of welding electrodes and fillers to the welders at the beginning of the shift.

Open Yard

Stainless steel sheets and mild steel plates are kept in racks in the open yard. A shed is provided for the rack to protect the stainless steel sheets and mild steel plates from the rain.

All unwanted equipment and scrap items are kept in the open yard outside the building waiting for disposal. Such equipment and scrap items are covered by canvas. The parameter of the building is surrounded by open drains. The parameter drains are well-maintained but in the event of rain, water may be collected on the canvas that are used to cover the items kept in the open yard.

Quality Control

The Quality Control Department will carry out inspection of the welding to ensure that it follows the specifications in the drawings. Any non-conformity detected will be rectified before proceeding to the next stage of work. If the non-conformity cannot be corrected through rework, the workpiece will be scrapped and the scrapped parts will be sent to the scrapyard to be scrapped.

Question 1

(a) Why are the environmental aspect and impact study important in obtaining ISO 14001:2015 certification?

(b) Apply the methodology for environmental aspect and impact study and identify FOUR (4) environmental aspects in Ivan Engineering Pte Ltd.

(c) Propose THREE (3) environmental objectives Ivan Engineering Pte Ltd should work on towards achieving ISO 14001:2015 certification.

Question 2

(a) As a consultant, how would you propose for Ivan Engineering Pte Ltd to work towards ISO 140012015 certification?

(b) Why is an understanding of the environmental legislations important in attaining ISO 14001:2015? For the business of Ivan Engineering Pte Ltd, propose THREE (3) applicable environmental legislations that the company must comply with.

(c) Illustrate your understanding of the environmental policy by developing an environmental policy for Ivan Engineering Pte Ltd.

Question 3

(a) You realize that although the parameter drains in Ivan Engineering Pte Ltd are well maintained, the use of canvas to cover the materials in the open yard may pose a potential mosquito breeding problem. Propose an environmental program to prevent mosquito breeding in Ivan Engineering Pte Ltd.

(b) In ISO 14001:2015, clause 8.2 emergency preparedness and response requires the organization to establish, implement, and maintain the process(es) needed to prepare for the response to identified emergency situations. Discuss the steps to be taken to fulfill this requirement in the standard.

Question 4

(a) Discuss your understanding of sustainable development and discuss ways that Ivan Engineering Pte Ltd can carry out the business and yet able to contribute towards sustainable development.

(b) In the process of conducting its business, the top management is also concerned about its corporate responsibility. What is your understanding of corporate responsibility? Illustrate with a diagram the SEVEN (7) stakeholders of Ivan Engineering Pte Ltd.

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Importance of environmental aspect and impact study

ISO 14001:2015 makes it important for an organisation to identify the environmental aspects of its activities, products and services and utilise this information when establishing an environmental management system. With respect to Ivan Engineering, it can identify risks such as welding fumes, toxic waste, noise and contaminated stormwater, and thereby establish control before it causes any environmental harm.

Environmental aspects

The four environmental aspects are welding fuels and gases resulting from arc/TIG welding, and it can result in air pollution and community exposure. The second environmental aspect is generation of toxic waste from activities like electrode/MPI waste and it can result in negative environmental impact in the form of soil and water contamination. The third environmental aspect is noise generation from slag chipping which can cause noise disturbance to the surrounding environment. Finally it is the rainwater accumulation because of open yard storage, and it will result in mosquito breeding and associated public health nuisance.

Three environmental objectives

The three environmental objectives are to reduce hazardous welding related waste by improving electrode collection, reduce air emissions from welding activities by installing fume extraction systems and finally stagnant water Mosquito breeding points by ensuring open yard covers.

Working towards ISO 14001:2015 certification

It is important for Ivan Engineering to carry out an initial environmental review, identify environmental risks, determine applicable legal and regulatory requirements, establish environmental policy and measurable objectives, develop operational controls for welding, waste, storage, and emergency situations, provide environmental training and define responsibilities, establish monitoring and measurement records, and engage in accredited certification body for ISO 14001:2015 certification audit.

Importance of environmental legislation

It is important to comply with legal aspects because ISO 14001 requires organisations to monitor their compliance, as non compliance would result in enforcement action, financial penalties and reputational damage. With respect to Ivan Engineering in Singapore, three important areas of environmental legislation for the company are and environmental protection and management act 1999 (EPMA) in relation to pollution control and hazardous substances, and mental Public Health act 1987 (EPHA) relevant to public health matters like waste and nuisance control, and environmental Public Health regulations specially in handling and disposing toxic industrial waste.

Environmental policy – Ivan engineering Pte Ltd.

The company is committed to conducting its stainless steel and mild steel fabrication activities in an environmental friendly way by:

• Complying with applicable environmental laws and regulations.
• Identifying and controlling environmental aspects arising from fabrication, welding and waste handling.
• Preventing pollution and minimising emissions and waste.
• Ensuring hazardous waste is properly segregated and disposed-off.
• Promoting efficient use of materials and other resources.
• Provide employees with appropriate environmental awareness training.
• Communicating policy to the employees and relevant parties.

Mosquito breeding prevention program

The important actions to be considered as a part of the program are removing stagnant water, improving covering, drainage control, inspection, larval control, awareness to report water immediately, and regular monitoring to maintain inspection records. The target is to identify Mosquito breeding sites and 100% completion of Scheduled inspections.

ISO 14001:2015 Clause 8.2 – Emergency Preparedness and Response

It is important for the Ivan Engineering to identify potential emergencies, assess environmental consequences of each emergency, develop emergency response procedures, provide necessary equipments such as spill kits, and fire fighting equipment, define emergency responsibilities, train employees on emergency procedures, conduct drills/tests at planned intervals, coordinate with external parties, review incidents and drills for corrective actions, and update emergency procedures.

Sustainable development

Sustainable development is all about performing business activities in a way that meets the present need while protecting the ability of future generations to meet their needs. With respect to Ivan Engineering, it is important for the company to balance economic performance, environmental protection and social responsibility. Special actions that need to be considered are increasing recycling and recovery of stainless steel scrap, reducing material wastage, improving energy efficiency of welding, using durable and energy efficient machinery, minimising toxic waste generation, preventing stormwater contamination, training employees on Environment practices, and considering environmental criteria.

Corporate responsibility and seven stakeholders

Corporate responsibility indicates the responsibility of a company for its economic, legal, environmental and social consequences of its business activities. With respect to Ivan Engineering, its corporate responsibility extends beyond making profit to responsible treatment to employees, customers, suppliers, regulators, community and the environment.

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An analysis of the Ivan Engineering environmental aspects, ISO 14001:2015 requirements, Singapore legislation, sustainability, emergency response and corporate responsibility above indicates the ways in which the business can conduct its activity in an environmental responsibility way. With our sustainability and environmental management experts in Singapore, you can also get a similar kind of assistance for your assignment. Simply visit Singapore assignment help homepage to get a professional writer for your assignment, or access SUSS assignment answers written by experts to know more about our experts before ordering your assignment.

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