Our Policies

Commissioning and Handover

  • Commissioning will be undertaken of estate & housing service infrastructure especially where alternative technologies have been designed and installed e.g. storm water and greywater systems, solar street lighting,
  • Commissioning requirements will be included in the construction documents, covering planning, verifying installation and performance of systems, training operators and the development of system design manuals and operation & maintenance manuals
  • As part of the commissioning process HFA in conjunction with the engineers, contractor and sub-contractors responsible for the design & installation of estate infrastructure and housing servicing elements will be responsible for training through the development of technical guidelines and operational and maintenance manuals. Social and environmental management issues and monitoring requirements will be incorporated into these manuals and are likely to include:
    • System Design Technical manuals, Operation & Maintenance (O&M) manuals on sewage treatment, sludge treatment, wastewater and sludge quality standards disposal and use, routine inspection & maintenance regimes for sewerage infrastructure, emergency preparedness and response plan.
    • System Design Technical manuals, O&M manuals on greywater treatment, quality standards and use, routine inspection & maintenance regimes of infrastructure
    • O&M manuals for water treatment facilities and distribution network – manage potential sources of contamination arising from water system leaks, loss of pressure and contamination of distribution systems. Manage potentially contaminated water discharges from flushing of distribution system. 
    • Monitoring and reporting requirements for drinking water quality, wastewaters and solid wastes from water treatment and sewerage treatment facilities.
    • Handling, storage and use of hazardous materials for water treatment, sewerage treatment, on site energy generation and estate landscaping and maintenance – refer to IFC General EHS Guidelines pp 36 – 45 and IFC EHS Sector Guideline Water and Sanitation (2007) p 4, 10 and 15
    • Estate emergency preparedness and response procedures for identified hazards e.g. treatment chemical leak into water treatment facility; spill from sewerage treatment facility; fire/explosion at sewerage treatment facility
    • Estate landscaping, habitat conservation plans, invasive alien species control, minimizing pesticide and fertilizer use, pesticide use and management1 Occupational Health & Safety measures with reference to internationally accepted standards, particularly concerning accident and injury prevention;  chemical exposure and hazardous atmospheres; exposure to pathogens and vectors and noise. The following guidelines & international standards can be referred to where appropriate: IFC General EHS Guidelines pp 60 – 76; IFC Sector EHS Guidelines for Water and Sanitation pp 4, 10 – 14; US EPA Regulations CFR 40 Par 503 on Control of Pathogens and Vector Attraction in Sewerage Sludge;
  • Home user guides will be developed including information on social and environmental issues relevant to the development
    • Grease trap maintenance
    • Waste recycling facilities
    • Refrigerant gases for air conditioning units,
    • Use of energy efficient light bulbs and appliances
    • Handling and disposal of hazardous wastes e.g. compact fluorescent light bulbs
    • Control of invasive species

Post Handover Monitoring and Reporting

Monitoring and reporting guidelines will be developed for use by the Housing Association

1 Information provided should ensure that the outcomes of IFC’s Performance Standard 3 on Pollution Prevention and Abatement on pesticide use and management are met.  Where pesticides are used pesticides that are low in human toxicity and effective against the target species with minimal effect on non-target species and the environment should be selected; they should be manufactured by a entity licensed by regulatory authority and be clearly labeled with instructions for safe and proper use; pesticides will be handled stored, applied and disposed in accordance with the Food and Agricultural Organisation’s International Code of Conduct on the Distribution and Use of Pesticides or any other good international industry practice; products that fall in the World Health Organisation Recommended Classification of Pesticides by Hazard Classes 1a (extremely hazardous) and 1b (highly hazardous) or Class II (moderately hazardous) will not be used, if the project host country lacks restriction on distribution and use of these chemicals or if they are likely to be accessible to personnel without proper training, equipment and facilities to handle, store, apply and dispose of these products properly www.who.int/ipcs/publications/pesticides_hazard/en/ .