An environmental assessment of timber treatment plants in Australia

IRG/WP 99-50124

J Norton, K Riley

Australian Standard AS 2843 Timber Preservation Plant Safety Code, sets the specifications for the design and operation of timber treatment plants in Australia. The Timber Preservers' Association of Australia has carried out an environmental survey of timber treatment plants throughout Australia using the operational checklist provided in Appendix C of Part 2 of the Standard. Third party auditors carried out assessments on 121 plants throughout the country. Data was collected and then collated on a State and National basis. As a number of the questions in the survey deal with other than environmental issues, and because some specifications are 'more environmentally important' than others, collected data was also weighted according to potential impact on the environment and the level of 'compliance' was calculated accordingly. The gathered information is being used to develop strategies concerned with improving the environmental credentials of timber treating operations in Australia. The aim is to minimise the risk of chemical contamination of the environment by preservative treatment solution, as opposed to the risk from treated wood is not considered to be a hazard. The paper presents a summary of the responses and indicates that there is a range of compliance with the Standard. The relevance of various specifications is also discussed.


Keywords: AS 2843; OPERATIONAL CHECKLIST; ENVIRONMENT;

Conference: 99-06-06/11 Rosenheim, Germany


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