Sustainability & Environment

McPhillips (Wellington) Limited is compliant with all environmental legislation relevant to its activities and is committed to reducing the impact of its operations through the integration of environmental best practice across the organisation. As a highly responsible business, McPhillips embraces the ethos of corporate social responsibility and works hard to have a positive influence on the communities in which it operates.

The company operates an environmental management system (EMS) certified to ISO14001:2015 which forms a key component of the integrated safety, health, environmental, and quality management system. This is fully supported by the board and implemented and developed by McPhillips’ SHEQ manager in consultation with operational employees.  McPhillips’ policy of direct employment makes this strategy more effective and has enabled the company to provide all personnel with environmental awareness training.  The EMS is designed to provide effective assessment of aspects and impacts and imposes control measures and working methods to mitigate these while also detailing the response to any near misses and incidents.

All projects operate under site specific environmental management plans which are the responsibility of McPhillips’ contracts managers and are operated by site agents. These bespoke plans are created during the contract pre-start process and are designed to address individual issues relevant to each project.

McPhillips is cognisant of its duty of care in managing waste and operates a site waste management policy.  Site waste management plans (SWMP) provide the mechanism through which this strategy is implemented and each site specific environmental management plan contains an SWMP which considers the whole lifecycle of our projects in order to minimise impact throughout.

The EMS includes a comprehensive compliance section verifying that all necessary evaluations and inspections have been completed and that appropriate permits and approvals are obtained.  Audit schedules detail visits from an independent external auditor and the registration body to verify that the EMS is being operated in accordance with the ISO14001:2015 standard.

The environmental performance of supply chain partners is monitored through initial evaluation and continual project assessments. Supply chain partners are encouraged to contribute towards McPhillips’ environmental performance and participate in the management of waste.

McPhillips’ SHEQ Manager is responsible for our environmental policy and for ensuring performance meets annual targets. Key performance indicators enable the monitoring of waste production, carbon footprint, environmental toolbox talks and near miss and incident rates. Improvements are achieved through initiatives in the following key areas:

  • Energy – Reductions in energy use by planning activities, educating employees and ensuring plant, vehicles and buildings are operating efficiently.
  • Pollution – Careful storage, handling and use of materials especially when they are potentially damaging. Emissions and noise output are minimised through selecting and operating efficient machinery, vehicles and buildings. Vehicle mileages are measured and journeys are in order to minimise fuel usage.
  • Materials – Wherever possible materials and products which are either recycled or produced with good environmental credentials are used. Materials are obtained from sustainable and local sources. Water usage is monitored and used careful.
  • Waste – Site waste management plans are used on all sites and offices to maximise material recycling and reduce off-site disposal. Quantities of materials are accurately calculated to prevent over-ordering. Construction methods are selected to maximise efficiency.