Environmental Management in Boral Concrete Redbank Plains

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Environmental Management
Name
Institution

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ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
Boral Concrete Redbank Plains
Background
Boral Concrete Redbank Plains offers a good site for production of concrete product
range including standard, advanced and decorative products. Under the “Standard range”,
Boral Concrete supplies a range of Standard concretes suitable for general purpose
application like pathways and driveways, residences alongside low to mid-rise buildings.
Under ‘advanced’ products, the industry provides Envisia, Aspire, Envirocrete, post
tensioned concrete, lightweight, pilling/diaphragm wall, precast, no fines concrete and high
durability (marine, acidic) brands. Under “decorative” product, the industry offers coloured
concrete, exposed concrete, illuminated concrete and polished concrete.
Possible Environmental or Health Problems in Industry
The production of the above product range have immense environmental effects being
that the manufacture and application remain complex. The noted effects are harmful while
others are positive depending on circumstances. The primary component of concrete is
cement that comes with social and environmental impacts hence greatly to concrete’s
impacts. This is because industry produce carbon dioxide in the process which is an
intoxicating greenhouse gas. The concrete products cause damage to topsoil. Concrete leads
to surface runoff as it is used to create hard surfaces thus can lead to soil erosion, flooding
and water pollution. However, concrete has also been used as a means of damming,
deflection or diversion of flood waters, and mud flows to control floods. Light-coloured
concrete has been used to decrease urban heat island effects as a result of its higher albedo.
Concrete has also been a dangerous air pollution through its dust released by natural disaster
and building demolition. Concrete contain such substances like unwanted and useful
additives which create health concerns because of radioactivity and toxicity. Moreover, wet

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concrete remains extremely alkaline and without being handled with proper protective
equipment can cause health risk.
Management
The management of the above impacts and concerns are achieved through
environmental policy/Acts and Regulation, QA, ERA's and EIA. For example, concrete
recycling policy is being used to respond to the improved environmental awareness,
legislation as well as economic considerations. The design improvement has focused on
reducing carbon emissions associated with concrete with the consideration of implementing
carbon tax. Another policy is to create centers for emission absorbing concrete for fighting air
pollution by breaking down pollutants in contact with concrete. This has extended to the
absorption of CO2 in curing process using admixture which absorbs carbon dioxide while
curing takes place (Epstein, 2018).
Concrete has also led to urban heat also known as urban heat island effect. This health
concern is being solved by the use of light-coloured concrete to reflect up to fifty percent of
additional light than asphalt and decreasing ambient temperature. The policy discourages the
use of a low albedo value which features in black asphalt that only absorbs a hug solar heat
percentage thus contributing to cities’ warming. The policy insist on paving with light
colored concrete apart from substituting asphalt with light-coloured concrete which helps
indigenous communities to bring down their average temperature. The toxic and radioactive
contamination are also being managed by the incorporation of some compounds like metals
in hydration process of cement to immobilize these useful and unwanted additives to
harmless state thereby barring their release freely elsewhere. The contact with wet concrete
which cause skin chemical burns as a result of caustic nature of mixture of water and cement
is being solved through protective equipment.