Soil, Subsoil & Subterranean Water

Pursuant to legislative requirements, in July 2004, Saras launched a system for monitoring the state of the terrain and the layers of water beneath the refinery, with the aim of meeting its objectives relating to environmental protection and safeguarding public health.
 
Using surveys of the terrain, core samples from different depths are extracted to establish the subsoil stratigraphy, check for the presence of any contaminants and measure their concentration, and to check the condition of the water in the subsoil by monitoring surface ground water (piezometry readings).

The range of periodic checks on the quality of the terrain also includes gas surveys, a technique to verify the presence of hydrocarbon gas in the soil interstices. 490 surveys, 109 piezometric readings and 500 gas survey check points were carried out, which revealed that the situation complied substantially with the limits set out in regulations for industrial sites. As part of the plan to implement the most effective environmental protection systems, combined systems comprising a dynamic barrier along three axes and a physical barrier along the refinery’s boundary on the sea side to the south have been built or are at the building stage.

Waste management

Waste management focuses primarily on minimising waste production, and thus on a process of collection that recovers and then properly disposes of waste.

The first step involves the selection of waste products, the quantity and type of which are recorded. Procedures to recover or dispose of it are then followed, according to the characteristics of the waste, as determined by analyses carried out by specialist external laboratories in accordance with legal provisions. There is a specific internal procedure to deliver waste from different phases of the production cycle to specialist waste treatment companies. For some time, Saras has undertaken separated waste collection of glass, aluminium, paper and plastics from the plant’s office and catering facilities.

Noise monitoring

In 1999, Saras planned and implemented regular periodic controls of sound levels into the surrounding environment, by means of phonometric investigations to establish the acoustic characteristics of the surrounding environment.
In addition to the measurements taken outside the Sarroch plant, as part of the measures to provide protection from physical agents, the company launched its phonometric measurement programme, enabling the whole area around the plant to be mapped, in order to:

• precisely define the noise levels to which workers are exposed
• identify higher-risk areas and outline appropriate preventive measures
• select appropriate ear protectors and identify measures to reduce loud noises at source.

An analysis of the phonometric data enabled the company to quantify the potential acoustic effects of the noise in the working environment under normal operational conditions.