CHAPTER V

ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT OF THE PROJECT

This chapter presents the Environmental Impact Assessment for the

proposed High Density Oxo-biodegradable Polyethylene Manufacturing Plant.

This comprises of the social-economic benefits of the chosen design and the

social, political, ethical, and health and safety considerations taken during the

construction and operation of the plant. Also included are the wastes produced

from the construction and operation of the plant and the corresponding mitigation

measures.

A. Social Economic Benefits

The project, High Density Oxo-biodegradable Polyethylene Manufacturing

Plant would help build opportunities for the economic benefit of the community.

Since, Philippines have at its levering economic growth. It would also create

more jobs wherein the residents at the community will be the primary

beneficiaries. Tax base diversification and new capital investments would be one

of the social economic benefits since the project would be one of the highest tax

contributor in the province. These benefits would be from the point of

construction and continually expand through the operating life of the plant.

B. Social, Political and Ethical Considerations

Oxo-biodegradable polyethylene is highly recognized because of its wide

range of usage and advantageous additive in plastic production. The considered

strategic decisions will affect the community and the people. Decisions will be
based on the changing policy of environmental impact assessment, social

movements, and the challenges of risk management.

Decisions must be at its safe zone where it must be legal. The operation

should work in accordance with the laws and regulations. Following the national

government laws must be properly observed.

The common shared values observed in the society will be the basis for

the Ethical decisions particularly on the operation being executed. However, the

strong ethical issues are not implemented to pressure those employees to meet

the said performance quota. Instead, its purpose is to prevent actions that are

prohibited based on the ethical violations. Employees engaging on community

work volunteerism, trainings and mentorship will greatly contribute to social

responsibility.

C. Health and Safety

This section provides basic guidance for health and safety that is

applicable to all industries, including issues such as risk assessment, health and

safety policy statements and involving the workforce. All employers should have

plans in place to manage health and safety.

In your workplace, it is likely that your staff are doing tasks that expose

them to risk like on using equipment, machinery or working at height. As an

worker, you should look at work tasks / activities and consider like who might be

harmed, how they might be harmed, what measures you currently have in place

to prevent this and whether these measures do enough to stop people being

harmed. Worker involvement is an important part of managing health and safety.

Your workers are often the best people to understand the risks and help find

solutions.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Safety is a major issue for day laborers and skilled laborers. Each year,

accidents happen frequently in the construction industry and often times it are

due to the absence of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) or failure to wear the

provided PPE. PPE is equipment that will protect workers against health or safety

risks on the job most especially on the plastic industry. The purpose is to reduce

employee exposure to hazards when engineering and administrative controls are

not feasible or effective to reduce these risks to acceptable levels. These hazard

risks can be anything from wet floors to falling debris and everything in between.

PPE includes items such as protective helmets, eye protection, high-visibility

clothing, safety footwear, safety harnesses and, sometimes, respiratory

protective equipment.

Safety and Health Inspections

Safety and Health Inspections is one of the vital factor on safety, health

and environmental protection programs that will give a critical but reliable method

of identifying the current status and conditions that may be a potential hazard

that can cause accidents in the workplace. A validated inspection is execute

during the construction and operation phase of the polyethylene place. It is the

effective way of inspecting since it does not conform a set of schedule, plan or
checklist. A Joint safety and Health Committee will conduct inspections as part of

their functions.

Machine Safety

Inadequate machine guarding is important in any industry, but perhaps

even more so in plastics processing, where machinery is especially complex. The

combination of high temperatures, high voltage and a multitude of moving parts

can potentially cause serious safety concerns. Just for an example at the

Horizontal Injection Molding Machines. From time to time, operators may need to

remove plastic parts or loosen parts, which is scenario #1 for potential hazards.

To prevent injuries, make sure there’s an operator’s gate. This will keep

operators from accessing moving parts while the machine is in production mode.

While most hazards from thermoforming machines which is scenario #2 occur

when the extra-large and heavy sheets of plastic are being fed into the machine

itself (roll handling). In this case, safety measures are focused on the material

handling equipment.

Fire and Safety

Fire mitigating facility is developed in the manufacturing plant. As plastics

increasingly replace other materials in many plastic manufacturing projects and

plants, the companies are striving to make their products as fire-resistant as

possible, primarily in applications where flame spread needs to be limited, such

as ventilation ducts and wall claddings on escape routes within public buildings.

Firefighting equipment will be frequently tested and check in a span of at least

four months. As well with the employees will undergo training, drills and reviews

or refreshments of the safety drill in case of fire.

D. Environmental Impact Assessment

Pressure on natural resources

Excessive / unmonitored use of water and energy incorporated and

utilized during the process of turning the raw material into the end product. A

system of Minimize facility footprint will serve as resource utilization economic

optimization system for operations and processes to minimize energy and water

usage. The inefficiency for some amount of resource loss or waste will be

minimizing.

Air Pollution

When plastic is produced, it’s made from toxic materials such as benzene

and vinyl hydrochloride. It is destined to be toxic from birth to forever. These

chemicals are known to cause cancer, and the manufacturing byproducts

contaminate our air and soil. The type of plastic that is the major source of dioxin

is PVC.

Solid Waste

This includes the waste production and inappropriate disposal. Hazardous

waste will be collected and stored at specific identified area at site. Separate
authorization has been obtained under Hazardous Waste Management Rules to

handling the hazardous waste generated.

Liquid waste (production and disposal)

This includes discharge of contaminated wastewater, accidental

discharges to storm water (e.g. contaminated firewater), and discharge of hot

water.

Noise

Possible high noise levels from certain plastic a metal processing

operation. Noise management plans includes noise prevention (e.g. through

process changes) or abatement techniques (e.g. soundproofing) will be

implemented on the manufacturing plant.

E. Mitigation

The table comprises of the summary which includes the possible risks

during the construction and production/manufacturing phase of the plant.

Risks Controls/ Mitigation

Pressure on natural resources - Minimize facility footprint -

excessive / unmonitored use of water optimization of operations and

and energy Atmospheric emissions processes to minimize energy and

water usage
 Pollutants (NOX, SOX, CO, CO2,

etc.) Emissions management

 Greenhouse gas production  Use of Best Available Techniques

 Dust and noise  Not Entailing Excessive Costs

(BATNEEC) in emission stack

Solid waste (production and disposal)

– waste production and inappropriate  design, development of emissions

disposal inventory, implement air

Liquid waste (production and  quality monitoring and wastewater

disposal) - discharge of contaminated treatment design

wastewater, accidental discharges to

Greenhouse gas emissions / climate
storm water (e.g. contaminated
change offset programs - phase out
firewater), discharge of hot water
of ozone-depleting substances

Employee Health and Safety - e.g.

Waste management - waste
exposure to hazardous chemicals:
minimization, re-use and recycling;
carcinogens such as asbestos, dust
appropriate waste disposal techniques
and noise; unguarded machinery; fire
and explosion risks; ergonomics issues Transport, storage and handling

plans - implement safe product

shipment, storage and handling

practices

Emergency preparedness and spill

prevention plans – develop and

implement Spill Prevention and

Response Plan including provision of

spill response equipment and trained

personnel