ECV offers an advanced emissions identification solution to create greener construction sites

The current Public Health Emergency that is poor air quality is now a top priority for local authorities across the UK.

Pollution from road traffic had been an immediate focus and Clean Air Zones and green taxis and busses are achieving good early results. Following this success the sights of planners and environmental teams is shifting to where else impacts can be made quickly and easily.

The construction sector has a vital role in economic growth, but also provides challenges in respect of pollution as construction projects, with the associated plant required to complete them are a major contributor to air pollution, both for nitrogen dioxide and fine particulates. In London alone data has shown that on average around 34% of PM10 particulates and 15% of PM2.5s can be attributed to construction machinery, and levels can be much higher in specific high traffic locations.

Construction machinery, or ‘non-road mobile machinery’ (NRMM) is almost all diesel driven and subject to EU type approval standards, or stages, in the same way as car engines are classified by their Euro standard. For a local authority, policing car emissions through Clean Air Zones can be achieved through automatic numberplate recognition. For NRMM, with no ‘number’ plate or data held by the DVLA the challenge is far more complex. And whilst NRMM engines carry emissions data, it is encoded on an engine plate and requires specialist knowledge to decode it.

CESAR ECV is the latest initiative by the Construction Equipment Association (CEA) which means the managing of NRMM emissions is now far easier and can be done at a glance! The combination of manufacturer provided electronic emissions data, a secure database synced to a free portal and colour coded visible registration labels mean that CESAR ECV has created a DVLA for NRMM. Now, for the first time, reading, understanding and managing emissions from construction machinery is as simple as managing emissions from road vehicles.

ECV is ¬fitted as standard by 80% of NRMM manufacturers for the UK market. Most of the remaining 20% offer ECV as a customer specified option. Around 2,000 pieces of ECV enabled NRMM are entering the UK construction fleet every month.

Most importantly, ECV and all of its functionality is free of charge to the end user. ECV labels are now ubiquitous across most major UK construction projects meaning that it has never been simpler to understand and record the engine emission levels of NRMM working on a site.

To find out more about CESAR ECV visit the CESAR Datatag stand: B-DB1 at Plantworx where the team can further explain its many benefits in detail.

The ECV labels provides three levels of emissions verification:

1. Visual inspection of the colour coded label; different engine Stages are represented by different coloured labels. The emissions Stage of a machine can be checked visually even before the machine is unloaded at site.

2. QR code – semi-deep dive; by scanning the QR code on the ECV label, the machine details can be displayed, including engine Type Approval number and machine/engine identification numbers.

3. Full deep dive via desk based Clearing Portal; the ECV Clearing Portal enabled registered users to conduct a full ‘deep dive’ of the machine emissions data and unique identifiers and generate reports.

4. The Clearing Portal enables plant suppliers to pre-register machines using the ECV number alone. Plant manifests can be quickly and easily created and sent electronically to site management teams, with full details of the machine, its TAN and its emissions Stage.