What can businesses do?

Businesses have a responsibility to their local community to consider sustailable resourcing, transport and supply opportunities. If you're a business, you can improve air quality by making changes to the vehicles you use, decreasing your energy use and making your buildings more efficient.

To improve air quality businesses can:

• use zero/low emission vehicles for deliveries and business travel, such as the electric cargo bike scheme.

• encourage staff and visitors to walk, cycle or use public transport

• ensure premises are run in an energy efficient manner

• choose green energy suppliers

• dispose of waste in a sustainable way.

Advice for construction sites

Emissions of dust to air can occur during demolition, earth moving, and during construction. Emissions can vary substantially from day to day, depending on the level of activity, the type of work being undertaken, and the weather conditions. 

A large proportion of the emissions from construction  sites result from site plant and road vehicles moving over temporary roads and open ground. 

If mud is allowed to onto local roads, dust emissions can occur at some distance from the originating site as vehicles track the mud away on their wheels.  The mud dries and vehicle movements on roads then stir this up and small particle become airborne.

Local planning authorities require the air quality impacts of new developments to be assessed as part of the decision making process. This includes the demolition and construction works. This can include a risk assessment and control measure to reduce dust emissions.

What can construction sites do

• Use dust suppression and other mitigation measures
• Use toolbox talks to make sure workers understand the need for making sure mud is not tracked off site
• Vehicles, in particular wheels and the underbody should be washed and inspected before leaving the site.
• Do not have bonfires on site