Any colour so long as it’s green, says HMP
Case study - Hunter Maintenance Painting (HMP)
As governments, councils, heavy industry and the building
industry look to improve environmental practices, Hunter
Maintenance Painting (HMP) is becoming known as a
leader in providing sustainable solutions within the painting
industry.
Company:
Peter Sutcliffe, Managing Director of HMP, says
“sustainability is one of our core strategies and we aim to
be the sustainable solutions provider in the Hunter area.”
HMP is a commercial painting service
“In the Hunter Valley, coal mining is a prominent
industry and the necessity for the industry to meet strict
environmental standards has been an impetus for us to
choose the ‘green’ route”. In fact, Peter is a stickler for
reusing and recycling. He’s also a stickler for educating his
employees on the value of green practices and counts on
the team to run a clean, organised job site.
“Sustainable operations have a positive impact on the
environment and will help us stay competitive. The
implementation has cost us money but we see the longterm benefits of greener business practices,” he says.
The company recently set up a spin-off business called
Enviro Blast Solutions for customers who are more
focused on environmentally friendly solutions or who have
to meet stringent environmental guidelines.
The primary focus of Enviro Blast Solutions is soda
blasting, a process where sodium bicarbonate is applied
against a surface using compressed air.
It is very similar to sand blasting, yet has the advantage
of cleaning the surface without causing any harm to the
substrate or the environment. Soda blasting can be used
in depainting, cleaning monuments, lead removal, paint
stripping of car parts and machinery, and graffiti removal.
Hunter Maintenance Painting (HMP)
Business:
Workforce:
20 – 25
Address:
Lambton NSW 2299
Phone:
02 4967 7855
Web:
http://www.hmpgroup.com.au
“Our company traditionally carries out a lot of sand blasting
works. We saw the addition of the soda blaster to be one
way we could implement more environmentally sensitive
work in commercial environments and populated areas,”
says Peter.
Last year, HMP won the Master Painters Award for
Environmental Management for its innovative removal of
lead paint from timber beams in an inner city warehouse
refurbishment using the relatively new process of soda
blasting.
Peter says HMP day-to-day operations are carried out in
the most environmentally friendly way possible. “We focus on assessing the environmental conditions of
each job as an integral part of our organisational planning
process.”
The company has implemented procedures for waste
disposal, washing up of equipment and clean up of any
spills / incidents. “We believe our focus on sustainable business practices
is of great benefit to a lot of our customers who are also
looking at ways to be more environmentally aware.”
Peter thinks that in the past not much was know about the
effects the industry had on the environment and the safety
of employees. Now he thinks the spotlight is on issues
such as waste water minimisation and the proper disposal
of waste paints and solvents.
The soda blaster at work on paint removal
For further information contact:
State Training Services
Department of Education and Communities
Level 12, 1 Oxford Street, Sydney NSW 2010
T: 02 9244 5535
F: 02 9244 5623
E: [email protected]
www.training.nsw.gov.au
“the better trained your
staff,
HMP at work on domestic housing
Peter aims to be at the forefront of best practice in safety
and the environment by keeping his staff up to date with
training such as lead paint hazard management courses
and the handling of painting and decorating materials.
At the moment, all staff are trained in-house on the
safe use and disposal of industry products including
the safe removal of lead paints, the disposal of waste
“We’re dedicated to sustainability and environmental
issues and will continue to invest in new technology
and training where it offers us a long-term
opportunity to enter new markets while at the same
time benefiting the environment.
“I think the painting industry in general is supporting
the development of sustainable technologies.”
“Sustainable operations
have a positive impact on the
environment”
products and wash up procedures
to eliminate ground and storm water contamination.
In the future, Peter is keen to pursue accredited
training for
new apprentices.
STORY LINKS
Hunter Maintenance Painting
http://www.hmpgroup.com.au
:
Master Painters Australia
http://www.masterpainters.com.au
Updated 5 April 2012