Environmentally Sustainability The environment is the place we live and work in and making sure that it is not damaged or unduly changed for the worse should be the responsibility of everyone. The secondary benefit of being environmentally sustainable is cost; by being aware of the material that you are using you can reduce waste and recycle any scrap material.

Planning Before you start a job you should plan what you are going to do, this makes sure the job will go smooth and you have the materials that you need. When planning you should try to foresee any problems that might arise and how you are going to deal with them.

Stock Control You should always have the material that you need for the job. If you keep too much stock the material is tying up the companies money, this can lead to cash flow problems. Some stock that is standard e.g. pipe and fitting if they can be bought in bulk at a discount then as long as you have the space to store them it is often worth buying. If stock is not stored correctly then it can become damaged making it worthless.

Material Wastage Every effort should be made to minimise wastage. Waste is money straight down the drain. Waste can take many forms! What types of waste can you think of in the plumbing industry?

Material Wastage Material can be wasted by; –Measuring mistakes –Cutting mistakes –Bending mistakes –Poor storage leading to damage –Ordering the wrong part –Not planning a cutting list

Recycling Most of the materials used in the plumbing industry can and should be recycled. Some of the materials have a value and are often recycled such as copper, lead, steel, etc.

Recycling Other materials whilst they have little or no monetary value in recycling terms they can be recycled, this good for the environment as it saves landfill and the materials can be reprocessed at a fraction of the cost of making them from raw materials. These materials include; –Cardboard –Plastics –Oil

Recycling New European law covers the disposal of electrical equipment and batteries. This is because there are materials contained with in batteries and electrical equipment that are both damaging to the environment and are costly so recycling is the best option for these products.

Timekeeping Time is a very big waste as far as companies are concerned. Any time that a person is not working is non productive time. What do you think would be considered as not productive time?

Timekeeping Examples of non-productive time include; –Travelling –Work stopped due to wrong parts –Lateness –Work stopped due people not knowing what they need to do