Environmental Policy

We at Andres Welding and Machining are conscious of our social responsibilities with regards to helping the environment through our working practices. Our objective is to have a positive impact on the environment through the re-use of aviation components that would otherwise end up in landfills. We believe that through our work we can prevent thousands of aircraft from being retired and replaced while keeping our environmental footprint to an absolute minimum.

Andres Welding and Machining will try to not only meet existing environmental laws and regulations, but will endeavour to go beyond the status quo and implement techniques and approaches that position us ahead of our competition. Following are our specific ideals:

Awareness and Commitment

Our policy towards the environment will be readily available and promoted to our employees. We will endeavour to ensure staff are familiar with and implement our environmental commitment and objectives.

Practical Implementation:

Andres Welding and Machining environmental policy will be available to view on our website.
Andres Welding and Machining environmental policy will be communicated to all employees at least once a year.
Andres Welding and Machining environmental policy will be available in the company policy binder.

Transport

Andres Welding and Machining will endeavour to reduce the impact on the environment wherever possible with respect to transport.

Practical Implementation:

Seek and employ local products and services to reduce transport costs.
Andres Welding and Machining will avoid unnecessary travel and will use energy efficient vehicles and driving styles. We currently operate one fully electric vehicle that is used for general errands that do not require a large cargo space.
Andres Welding and Machining will encourage the use of public transport, cycle or foot with all employees and will provide a safe area to store bikes, skateboards, and other means of green transportation.
Andres Welding and Machining will provide free charging for staff with electric vehicles.

Energy & Water Consumption

Andres Welding and Machining accepts a share of Canada’s commitment to a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions both by attaining greater efficiency in total energy consumption and by continuing to examine the possibility of acquiring electricity from 'green' sources. We are very lucky to operate in the province of British Columbia where 90% of our energy comes from hydro electric dams which produce almost no greenhouse gases.

Practical Implementation:

Andres Welding and Machining will make every effort to use water efficiently and will not allow pollutants to enter the drainage system.
Andres Welding and Machining will use energy efficient products wherever practical and monitor usage to achieve minimum energy consumption.

Waste Generation and Management

Andres Welding and Machining will try to minimize the production of waste and pollution including unnecessary packaging. Andres Welding and Machining will implement measures to reduce the volume of waste generated and to increase the proportion of that waste which is recycled. We will also ensure that all environmentally hazardous chemicals and products are disposed of at waste treatment plants that are set up to dispose of these products safely and effectively.

Practical Implementation:

Andres Welding and Machining has implemented the use of a chemical evaporator model# Encon DE4-A. This evaporator is used to reduce the amount of chemical waste by evaporating out all water and condensing the solution for eventual disposal at a waste treatment facility. This unit can evaporate up to 80 gallons which is more than 10x our current needs. We currently have three sinks that are plumbed to drain into our chemical evaporator and signage has been placed above each one to clearly identify them from other sinks in the building. All employees are trained on this system so that they clearly understand which sinks to use when working with environmentally hazardous products and the ramifications of allowing hazardous materials or products to enter the city drain system.
Andres Welding and Machining has implemented three separated recycle bins for cardboard, refundable beverage containers, and other (tin cans, plastic, etc.)

Materials and Resources

Andres Welding and Machining will try to minimize environmental impact with regard to sourcing materials and resources.

Practical Implementation:

Andres Welding and Machining will avoid using materials which have an undesirable effect on the environment, and wherever possible use locally made recycled goods.
Andres Welding and Machining will try to use contractors who also share a commitment to the environment and take into account lifetime costs of materials when repairing, altering or rebuilding premises.
Andres Welding and Machining will maximize use of electronic communication and information storage as an alternative to paper.

Environmental Protection

Andres Welding and Machining will make every effort to protect the environment from spills that could be environmentally hazardous. We have made every effort to ensure that we limit any potential for environmental spill and will continue to re-evaluate our control measures to ensure that they are sufficient.

Practical Implementation:

Andres Welding and Machining has purchase spill kits that include containment booms, absorb-all, and manhole covers. We have two full kits located in areas with the most risk and have added signage to clearly identify the location of these spill kits.
Andres Welding and Machining has provided all employees with extensive training on spill response including an annual spill drill which requires each employee to act out their response to a simulated spill while being evaluated by the trainer.
Andres Welding and Machining has engineered their new plating tanks with a quadruple containment system and all existing plating tanks have at least three levels of containment.
Andres Welding and Machining have designed their spray booth to exceed all provincial and federal standards and uses a two-stage exhaust filtration system. For more information see our spray painting environmental and safety policy located in our company policy binder as well as posted on the outside of the spray booth.