The appointed Contractor(s) for each of the Designated and Potentially Designated Projects shall appoint an Environmental Team (ET) to conduct the monitoring and auditing works and to provide specialist advice to the Contractor(s) on the undertaking and implementation of his environmental responsibilities.
The ET shall have previous relevant experience with managing similarly sized EM&A programmes and the Environmental Team Leader (ET Leader) shall be a recognised environmental professional, preferably with a minimum of seven years relevant experience in impact assessments and impact monitoring programmes.
To maintain strict control of the EM&A process, the Engineer shall appoint independent environmental consultants to act as an " Independent Environmental Checker" (IEC) to verify and validate the environmental performance of the Contractor and his Environmental Team.
The roles and responsibilities of the various parties involved in the EM&A process outlined above are further expanded in the following sections.
For the purpose of this Manual, the “Engineer” shall refer to the role undertaken by the “Engineer” and the “Engineer’s Representative” (ER) as defined in the Contract. The ET Leader shall be responsible for and in charge of the Environmental Team (ET), and shall be the person responsible for executing the environmental monitoring and audit requirements.
3.2.1 Contractor
Reporting to the Engineer, the Contractor shall:
· work within the scope of the construction contract and other tender conditions;
· employ an ET (as necessary) to undertake the monitoring, laboratory analysis and reporting of the environmental monitoring and audit requirements outlined in this Manual;
· provide assistance to the ET in conducting the required environmental monitoring;
· participate in the site inspections undertaken by the ET and the IEC, as required, and undertake any corrective actions instructed by the Engineer;
· provide information/advice to the ET or IEC regarding works activities which may contribute, or be contributing to the generation of adverse environmental conditions;
· implement measures to reduce impact where Action and Limit levels are exceeded; and
· take responsibility and strictly adhere to the guidelines of the EM&A programme and complementary protocols developed by their project staff.
3.2.2 Engineer or Engineer’s Representative
The Engineer or Engineer’s Representative (ER) shall:
· monitor the Contractor's compliance with contract specifications, including the effective implementation and operation of environmental mitigation measures and other aspects of the EM&A programme;
· comply with the agreed Event and Action Plan in the event of any exceedance;
· employ an Independent Environmental Checker (IEC) to audit the results of the EM&A works carried out by the ET; and
· instruct the Contractor to follow the agreed protocols or those in the Contract Specifications in the event of exceedances or complaints.
3.2.3 Environmental Team
The duties of the Environmental Team (ET) and Environmental Team Leader (ET Leader) are:
· to monitor the various environmental parameters as required by this or subsequent revisions to the EM&A Manual;
· assess the EM&A data and review the success of the EM&A programme determining the adequacy of the mitigation measures implemented and the validity of the EIA predictions as well as identify any adverse environmental impacts before they arise;
· to conduct weekly site inspections and to investigate and inspect the Contractor's equipment and work methodologies with respect to pollution control and environmental mitigation, and to anticipate environmental issues that may require mitigation before the problem arises;
· to audit the environmental monitoring data and report the status of the general site environmental conditions and the implementation of mitigation measures resulting from site inspections;
· to report on the environmental monitoring and audit results and the wider environmental issues and conditions to the IEC, Contractor, Engineer and the EPD; and
· adhere to the agreed protocols or those in the Contract Specifications in the event of exceedances or complaints.
3.2.4 Independent Environmental Checker
An Independent Environmental Checker (IEC) shall be appointed to independently audit and verify the overall environmental performance of the works and to assess the effectiveness of the ET in their duties. The main objectives will be to:
· monitor the implementation of the EM&A programme and the overall level of environmental performance being achieved;
· arrange and conduct monthly 'independent' site inspections/audits of the works;
· provide specialist advice to the Engineer and/or the Client on environmental matters;
· check that the necessary mitigation measures recommended in the EIA and Contract documents, or as subsequently required, are effectively implemented, and
· report the findings of site inspections / audits and other environmental performance reviews to the Engineer and the EPD.
3.2.5 Construction Programme
The construction works are assumed to be carried out in two DSD works packages, as outlined below and in Table 1.3a:
· 1A-1T Kam Tin Trunk Sewerage Phase 1 from August 2003 to February 2006;
· 1B-1T Kam Tin Trunk Sewerage Phase 2 from June 2004 to November 2006;
The works on the designated and potentially designated elements are expected to be completed by November 2006.