Concrete plant provides an education in environmental management

Building materials supplier Hanson recently hosted a site tour at its Lytton concrete plant for students from Queensland University of Technology (QUT). There, the students witnessed a combination of complex production processes and sound environmental management in practice.

The visit was coordinated by Paul Timmins, sustainability manager for Hanson, and Belinda Davies, course coordinator for Environmental Studies at QUT, who sought an opportunity for the students to experience how sustainability can translate from theory to reality. The plant also hosted a tour for the course’s international students from Saudi Arabia, Zambia, China, Japan, Philippines, Malaysia, Nigeria and Pakistan.

Surrounded by bushland and close to protected wetland areas, the Lytton site is described as a good example of industry best practice in South-East Queensland. Developed at a cost of $8 million, the facility demonstrates high standards in environmental protection protocols and throughput processing productivity.

Hanson managers provided the tour groups with information about the concrete-making process: from international logistics to how the national network of Hanson plants connect, create and deliver thousands of cubic metres of concrete for some of the biggest projects across Australia every year. The site tour also reviewed the company’s on-site processes and raw materials, potential environmental and safety risks, and community outreach.

International student Martha, from Kitwe in Zambia, works for a local council in her home country and was sponsored to study Australian environmental issues management to enable her to apply new thinking in her workplace. She said the practical elements of the QUT course, such as the Hanson site visit, were critical to learning to develop training and procedures for practical use at home.

Davies said the tour was invaluable for enabling students to gain insights into industry practices and the chance to ask questions and engage with plant managers, staff and Hanson’s national manager of sustainability. She said, “During the tour we discuss a range of course linkages and we had several spirited discussions about potential pollutants, their implications and mitigations, including dust, noise, water, land contamination, waste management and recycling.”