Queensland contractor cleans up at environmental excellence awards
November 15, 2013
Queensland-based civil construction firm Hall Contracting has been recognised once again for setting the bar in environmental excellence, having received a Merit Award for best practise in erosion and sediment control at the IECA Australasia 2013 Environmental Excellence Awards held on the Gold Coast recently.
Hall Contracting Managing Director Cameron Hall said he was thrilled to receive the award for works on stages five to seven of a residential aged-care development in Queens Road, Nudgee, and attributed the project’s success to the commitment of the team of highly-qualified workers to achieving the best possible environmental outcomes on-site.
“When we first took on the job earlier this year, it became apparent that valuable vegetation would need to be cleared from an area where two sediment basins were to be constructed,” Mr Hall said.
“Our team developed revised plans in conjunction with the client, which enabled greater retention of this vegetation.”
“The revised plans involved constructing three smaller basins within the development site, which not only enabled early backfill of basins, but also preserved much of the vegetation, providing a flourishing habitat for native animals.”
Mr Hall said progressive stabilisation of the environment was Hall Contracting’s highest priority throughout the duration of the project, with the project team developing an innovative stabilisation technique to protect against erosion.
“Our team engineered a piece of equipment that could be attached to an everyday Skidsteer loader, and used to efficiently loosen 50mm of topsoil. Once the soil was loosened, we were able to plant grass seeds and then use our invention once again to quickly cover the seeded area,” Mr Hall said.
“This reduced the loss of seeds to birds, ensured the grass had the best chance of growing quickly and protected against erosion.”
Mr Hall said the team had also focused on implementing erosion and sediment control measures to increase productivity after wet weather, and were constantly monitoring the water quality in the sediment basins.
“The project site was home to some very sensitive environmental habitats and we worked closely with Brisbane City Council in both the planning and operational works phases of the project,” Mr Hall said.
The company’s recent award is just one of a string of environmental accolades earned within the past year, with Hall Contracting having been named as a finalist in the 2013 Healthy Waterways Awards for works at Brightwater Lake on the Sunshine Coast, and also becoming a Queensland state finalist in the Civil Contractors Federation’s Earth Awards.
“Our commitment to environmentally-responsible contracting is at the forefront of everything we do,” Mr Hall said.
“We are proud to operate an internationally-accredited Environmental Management System and make every effort to carry out civil construction projects in a sustainable manner.”
For more information regarding Hall Contracting, please visit www.hallcontracting.com.au or call (07) 5445 5977.
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Media contact: Kristen Roder – Fresh PR & Marketing
P: 0406 546 461 E: kristen@freshprm.com.au
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