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Sustainability of Environmental Performance in Hong Kong Construction Industry

Student’s Name

Institution Affiliation

Date
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Contents

Abstract.......................................................................................................................................................3
Introduction.................................................................................................................................................4
Techniques Minimizing Environmental Disasters in The Construction Industry.....................................4
i. Overview.....................................................................................................................................4
ii. Air and Noise Pollution Assessment............................................................................................5
iii. Environmental Site Planning...................................................................................................6
iv. Government Regulations.........................................................................................................6
v. Sustainable Building....................................................................................................................7
vi. Innovative Environmental Measures........................................................................................7
vii. Auditing...................................................................................................................................8
viii. Operation of Plants and Equipment.........................................................................................8
ix. Management and Training.......................................................................................................9
x. Sustainable Concepts and Innovative Ideas.................................................................................9
Conclusion.................................................................................................................................................10
References.................................................................................................................................................11
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Abstract

With the global concern of environmental protection and sustainability, construction

industries are expected to develop and implement ecological practices to reduce construction

activities' negative impacts on the environment. This paper discusses how sustainable

consideration in reducing the occurrence of environmental disasters. The construction industry

employs techniques such as innovation measures, auditing, ecological site planning, government

regulations, sustainable building, and management and training. The content of this essay is

based on the construction industry in Hong Kong. The outcomes of the techniques used to

enhance the sustainable development of environmental performance in the construction industry

in Hong Kong.
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Introduction

Environment is the surrounding where air, water, land, and natural resources interrelate.

With the growing rate of the construction industry in Hong Kong, there has been a major concern

about its impact on the environment. Sustainable development of the sector is valuable to

ensuring that the environment is protected and future generations are not compromised.

Environmental disasters are considered worldwide to be mainly as a result of the resurgence of

industries. Factors for preventing environmental disasters have to be considered in the

construction industry. The Hong Kong construction industry is an essential part of the economy

and has led to more government investing in this field. Site status is crucial in this sector

following the current rapid change in climate, which has greatly become a challenge to many

countries. Sites have to be restricted to their destruction of the environment and encouraged to

ensure they put the measures to prevent environmental disasters such as emissions of harmful

substances. The construction industry works on projects in many parts of the city with different

sites. An example is a project being worked in a place largely covered by vegetation cover. Here

during construction, the minimum land disturbance has to be performed to prevent erosion.

These are some of the issues to be highlighted in the essay. This essay will discuss the effects on

the environment in projecting sustainable development in the construction industry and how to

minimize environmental disaster.

Techniques Minimizing Environmental Disasters in The Construction Industry

i. Overview

Construction projects have a critical impact on the environment. In Hong Kong, where

most of the city is mostly involved in construction projects, the effect on the environment is a big

challenge to deal with. Construction entails all the activities from mining to the disposing of the
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waste produced by the entire project. Considerable techniques on minimizing environmental

disasters have to be implemented. Complexity and dynamics of construction activities determine

the directions for traversing the concepts of sustainable development and environmental safety of

the industry (Tam,2018, p.25). The construction industry has to ensure there is sustainable

construction. Sustainable construction ensures that the negative impacts in the environment are

minimized, whereas the positive impacts are maximized. In the Hong Kong construction

industry, waste reduction is a major performance indicator in applying sustainable construction,

followed by air pollution and energy savings. Wastes can be managed through various ways such

as recycling and reuse, application of low-waste technologies, and effective landfill charging

schemes. With this achieved the environmental disasters will be minimized, ensuring the

sustainability of the construction industry.

ii. Air and Noise Pollution Assessment

Air and noise pollution assessment is important in ensuring environmental performance is

improved. In the construction industry, Air and noise pollution are some of the major challenges

that threaten the environment. Hong Kong has a large construction industry that has to address

the problems arising from air pollution. Air pollution leads to problems with the respiratory

system, dirty buildings, and an increase in the corrosion rate. Construction industries generate a

lot of dust hence the advanced technology that has generated spraying flying dust reducing air

pollution (Chen et al., 2016, 247). Hong Kong construction industry has advanced so much in the

infrastructure modifications, which is seen by the many high-density building developments.

These buildings make a lot of noise, which is a big challenge. Also, during construction work,

noise is inevitable. Effective time management and measurements to noise levels have been

utilized to reduce construction activities' impact.

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iii. Environmental Site Planning

Environmental site planning is essential in minimizing disasters. According to Jasch

(2000), this improves the performance of on-site activities allowing for a better arrangement of

activities. A plan can cut costs and, more importantly, improve environmental performance. A

construction environmental management plan outlines how a project will mitigate the effects on

the environment. A lot of issues are considered. Through the plan, measures and all activities are

conducted per the environmental legislation (Javed et al., 2018, p.122). Air Pollution Control

Regulation in Hong Kong prohibits the import and manufacture of regulated products with

volatile organic compounds exceeding the prescribed limits. Such rules must be considered

before initiating any construction project. Air quality, water quality, noise, and nature

conservation are the subject areas considered during planning. A project that has all these factors

considered will not all be productive for a long time, but the future generations as well.

iv. Government Regulations

Government regulations also play a critical role in ensuring the sustainability of the

construction industry. In the related literature, the benefits of environmental practice have been

discussed. The construction industry in Hong Kong is considering using the green strategy,

which enhances better outcomes. The government expects environmental performance and

reduced environmental disasters in the construction industry. Setting regulations that prevent the

construction industry from negatively impacting the environment by the government ensures a

suitable construction. Environmental performance leads to the resurgence of the construction

industry for a long time

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v. Sustainable Building

Sustainable building is a necessary property in positively impacting the environment.

Sustainable building minimizes its impact on the environment. In ensuring the green building is

effective, standards are set by incorporating the impacts of green design. This will lead to

complete projects on quality and environmental performance. Green building is promoted by

collaboration with subcontractors and consultants and complying with HK-BEAM (Sing et al.,

2017, p.346). In Hong Kong, sustainable building performance is ensured through the BEAM

Plus rating tool guiding the city into a green built environment. Buildings are considered behind

60 percent of carbon footmarks. Hong Kong Green Building Council is a non-profit organization

that educates the construction industry on reducing gas emissions. This contributed greatly to

construction activities that are keen on ensuring a sustainable future from environmental

disasters.

vi. Innovative Environmental Measures

Innovative environmental measures play an important role in the environment. Shui On

embrace sound measures in the construction industry in Hong Kong. Through close monitoring,

Shui On aims to conserve resources and prevent pollution, thus creating a pleasant environment

for the city. Shui On construction division, which is a key player in Hong Kong's construction

industry, uses innovative techniques air pollution control, environmental monitoring, and water

quality control (Hazarika et al.,2019, p.117816). These techniques have proved to be crucial in

positively impacting the environment. In water pollution control, water is treated and reused, and

polishing is done to prevent air pollution by removing dust. Monitoring equipment such as

Sound Level Meter is used to monitor noise emission. Shui On has worked on many other
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innovations for the digital platform, and these techniques have greatly reduced the negative

impact caused by the construction industry on the environment.

vii. Auditing

Auditing activities are also essential in the construction industry. Auditing activities are

classified into pre-auditing, auditing, and post-auditing. The construction industry in Hong Kong

has implemented environmental management, and all stages of auditing need to be added to

enhance quality output. During construction, frequent audit checks should be done to monitor the

corrective action (Yiu et al., 2018, p.4). Auditing needs to be done with different inputs to

facilitate the efficient execution of auditing processes. In the pre-auditing level, thought is given

to the construction industry employees to enable them to comprehend environmental issues. All

the auditing activities done should be added to the Environmental Performance Assessment

(EPA), where it can be reviewed annually or quarterly. When auditing is carried out regularly,

the environmental performance will improve. In case of any non- conformities in environmental

protection, action should be taken. With this, the construction industry in Hong Kong is

guaranteed sustainability while ensuring that no environmental disasters are resulting.

viii. Operation of Plants and Equipment

The operational system of the construction industry entails the operation of the plants and

equipment. Energy is the main supply for construction operations that influences environmental

performance. The evaluation of the performance should include the amount of energy consumed

by construction activities, which is done by monitoring energy usage. Facilities and equipment

being used to work on the activities greatly influence environmental performance. Therefore,

regular maintenance of equipment is recommended to reduce water, waste, air, and noise

pollution. Effective maintenance often reduces the generation of emissions and helps enhance the
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efficiency of the operations. The efficient operations ensure a pollution-free environment, and

construction activities can carry on without interference as there will be minimized

environmental disaster occurrences.

ix. Management and Training

Management and training reflect the effectiveness of environmental management.

Employees should be provided with training, which later allows the construction industry to

measure their performance. Organizations such as the Hong Kong Quality Assurance Agency

(HKQAA) and the Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) have established training courses

on the environmental conditions to create the employees' environmental awareness (Zhan et al.,

2018, p.569). The training for the top management staff should focus on the environmental

management of the construction process. In large construction industries, routine 'tool-box'

training is necessary to enable them to use practical tools for environmental control. They should

also be trained on the basic information on the environmental issues and be up-to-date on the

developments on environmental issues.

x. Sustainable Concepts and Innovative Ideas

Sustainable concepts and innovative ideas are achieved with technological innovations

and the many ways the construction industry in Hong Kong has implemented in curbing

environmental disasters. Innovative measures have aided in improved environmental

performance. Sustainability aims at protecting the natural and built environment, ensuring the

continuity of human beings and natural resources. Through innovations, environmental

protection will be guaranteed to lead to the sustainability of the construction industry.

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Conclusion

In conclusion, it is clear that achieving sustainable working conditions while working on

minimizing environmental task is not easy but possible. Hong Kong construction industry has

greatly invested in the many ways of ensuring that environmental protection and performance are

put into much consideration. Through government regulations, sustainable building, innovative

ideas, environmental site planning, and auditing, ensuring sustainability in the construction

industry can be achieved. These techniques have positively impacted on environmental

sustainability. I recommend that the Hong Kong construction industry invest more in techniques

that minimize the occurrence of environmental disasters and manage to get rid of the disasters

entirely. With this, sustainability will be achieved in both the construction industry and the

environment.
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References

Hazarika, N., and Zhang, X., 2019. Factors that drive and sustain eco-innovation in the

construction industry: The case of Hong Kong. Journal of Cleaner Production, 238,

p.117816.

Tam, G.C.K., 2018. Managing Project Sustainability: A Study of the Construction Industry in

Hong Kong (Doctoral dissertation, London South Bank University).

Sing, M.C., Tam, V.W., Fung, I.W., and Liu, H.J., 2017, June. Critical analysis of construction

workforce sustainability in a developed economy–a case study in Hong Kong. In

Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers-Engineering Sustainability (Vol. 171,

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Chen, Y. and Ng, S.T., 2016. Factoring in embodied GHG emissions when assessing the

environmental performance of buildings. Sustainable cities and society, 27, pp.244-252.

Yiu, N.S., Sze, N.N. and Chan, D.W., 2018. Implementation of safety management systems in Hong

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pp.1-9.

Zhan, W., Pan, W., Javed, A.A. and Chau, K.W., 2018. Correlation analysis of key influencing factors

to the total factor productivity of the Hong Kong construction industry. In Proceedings of the

21st International Symposium on Advancement of Construction Management and Real

Estate (pp. 565-575). Springer, Singapore.

Javed, A.A., Zhan, W. and Pan, W., 2018. A system dynamics framework of drivers and constraints to

enhancing productivity of the Hong Kong construction industry. In Proceedings of the 21st

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