Industries We Work With

The impacts of dust and air quality affect us all and are concerns for most industrial, commercial and public organistaions. We work in many countries beyond the British and Irish islands from Australia to the USA and Azerbaijan to Portugal. Our clients' activities are equally variable and range from running docks to managing the environmental impacts of steel works and from road construction to running museums.

Many industrial activities produce dust or impact on air quality; others may be adversely affected by neighbours' activities and the public have a direct and often increasing concern with undesirable impacts. It is essential that due consideration is given to the whole network of impacts at the earliest stages of planning as well as during and after implementation.

DustScanAQ provides consultancy services to a wide range of sectors including:

Minerals, oil and gas
Food and agriculture
Transport and infrastructure
Planning and development
Construction and refurbishment
Power generation

Recycling and waste management
Manufacturing
Local and national government
Storage and warehousing
Docks, harbours and marinas
Public institutions - schools, hospitals etc.

Construction Dust Risk Assessment

Written By

SuperUser Account

Background

The client was seeking planning permission for a mixed-use development within an inner London Borough. The proposed development consisted of a new ten-storey building, comprising of 3,000 m² of B1(a) office space, 544 m² of B1(c) light industrial use, 100 m² of shared B1(a) and B1(c) use and 508 m² of ancillary and plant space.

To support the planning application, an air quality assessment was required.

Issue

Before instructing DustScanAQ, the client had previously commissioned an air quality assessment from another consultant. This had been repeatedly rejected by the local authority for not being sufficiently robust.

Solution

In the first instance, DustScanAQ liaised with the local authority to agree a suitable scope of work. As illustrated below the main concern was the Newton Preparatory School, indicated by the blue flag, only 25m to the south west of the proposed development site.

DustScanAQ undertook an Air Quality Assessment, which followed the latest guidance from the Institute of Air Quality Management (IAQM) and Environmental Protection UK (EPUK).

Outcome

The deliverable was approved by the local authority and assisted in securing planning permission for the client. Further assurances were given to the local authority based on conservative assumptions made in the absence of detailed construction information.

The planning consent contained conditions relating to dust mitigation and real time particulate matter (PM) monitoring, which were based upon the conclusions of the air quality assessment. DustScanAQ own a fleet of real time PM monitors and are in a position to discharge the condition prior to construction beginning on site.