This environmental guidance is for businesses that cut, shape, cast, join or assemble raw materials to manufacture metal products, including:
- machined parts and fasteners, eg threaded fasteners, such as bolts, screws or nuts, and non-threaded fasteners, such as nails, pins, washers and rivets
- metal containers, eg tanks and reservoirs
- metal packaging, eg drums, cans, casks, boxes or other metal packaging
- metal tools, eg cutlery, hand tools, knives and cutting blades
- steam or vapour generators, boilers and radiators, eg central heating boilers and condensers, economisers and accumulators
- structural metal products for use in construction and metal buildings, eg bent metal sections, metal doors, metal window frames, shutters and gates.
If your business carries out other metal activities, see our related metals guidance.
Metals production and processing
Surface treatment of metals
Machinery, electrical equipment and electronics
Environmental impacts of fabricated metal products businesses
Businesses that fabricate metal products can have a number of impacts on the environment, including:
- air emissions from grit blasting, organic solvent cleaning, welding, adhesive use, painting and coating
- land contamination from spilling solvents or oils and past uses of the site
- noise pollution from moving and cutting materials, preparing surfaces and welding
- waste disposal of off-cuts, spent welding rods, swarf, cutting oils, greases, paint containers and obsolete materials
- water discharges from grit blasting, equipment cooling and surface preparation.
How can NetRegs help you?
Our guidance could help you to:
- avoid prosecution and receive fewer visits from environmental regulators
- increase efficiency and productivity
- reduce your operating costs
- be more likely to obtain business from government bodies and large businesses that require their business partners to manage their environmental impacts effectively
- improve your reputation amongst staff, customers and the public
- increase the chance of securing funding to expand your business by demonstrating that your environmental impacts are well managed.
