Glossary of Terms

‘A’ Weighting	The human ear does not respond uniformly to different frequencies. The ‘A’ weighting is commonly used to simulate the frequency responses of the human ear.
Appropriate Assessment	An assessment of likely impacts associated with a development on a European Protected Site. An Appropriate Assessment is required by law under Regulation 48 of the Habitats Regulations (1994), implementing Article 6(3) of the Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC).
Attenuation	Reduction in intensity.
Baseline	The existing conditions which form the basis or start point of the environmental assessment.
Best Practicable Means	A feasible approach having due regard for means/resources/conditions. Defined in the Control of Pollution Act 1974 and Environmental Protection Act 1990 as measures which are ‘reasonably practicable having regard among other things to local conditions and circumstances, to the current state of technical knowledge and to financial implications’.
Bill	For the purposes of this CoCP references to the Bill are references to the Forth Crossing Bill.
Biodiversity	Biological diversity or species richness of living organisms present in representative communities and populations.
Blasting works	Construction activities involving use of explosives.
Bund	An embankment, wall or dam that can be used to reduce noise effects, provide screening or alternatively when built around an oil tank to contain the contents in the event of spillage.
CDM Co-ordinator	The person appointed under Regulation 14(1) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007 to perform the duties specified in Regulations 20 and 21 of the 2007 Regulation.
Cetacean	Refers to a group of marine mammals that includes whales, dolphins and porpoises.
Competent Authority	In relation to Appropriate Assessments has the same meaning as in the Conservation (Natural Habitats &c) Regulations 1994 and for the Forth Replacement Crossing is the Scottish Ministers.
Construction Phase Health and Safety Plan	A strategic tool for safeguarding health and safety on a construction site prepared in accordance with the Construction (Design & Management) Regulations 2007.
Contractor	The organisation(s) directly engaged by the Employer (the Scottish Ministers) for the construction of the Project.
Crichel Down Rules	Non-statutory guidance covering the disposal of surplus government owned land.
Culvert	A metal, wooden, plastic, or concrete conduit through which surface water can flow under or across roads.
dB_ht	A measurement of sound that provides a metric for estimating the behavioural effects of noise on marine species.
Decibel (dB)	The range of audible sound pressures is approximately 0.00002Pa to 200Pa. Using decibel notation presents this range in a more manageable form. A decibel is not an absolute unit of measurement but is a logarithmic ratio of the variation in pressure. It should be noted that because the decibel scale is a logarithmic ratio, the arithmetic sum of more than one decibel does not equate to the corresponding noise level. For example, the combined noise level generated by adding two equal noise levels together is approximately 3dB higher than the individual noise levels ie 50dB + 50dB = 53dB.
Effect	The result of change or changes on specific environmental resources or receptors.
Emergency services	The police, fire, ambulance and coastguard services.
Employer’s Representative	The person named by the Employer (the Scottish Ministers) in the contract who acts on behalf of the Employer.
Energy Saving Trust	An organisation which provides energy saving advice.
Environmental Impact Assessment	The process by which information about the environmental effects of a project is evaluated and mitigation measures are identified.
Environmental Management Plan	Document which describes the processes to be followed to ensure compliance with environmental legislation and policy and minimise harm to the environment.
Environmental Management System	Part of an organisation’s management system used to develop and implement its environmental policy and manage its interaction(s) with the environment.
Environmental Statement	Document provided by the Developer to the Competent Authority, containing environmental information required under Article 5 of Directive 85/337/EEC as amended.
Fauna	Referring to animals of a particular region or habitat.
Flora	Referring to plants of a particular region or habitat.
Groundwater	Water below the surface of the ground in the saturation zone and in direct contact with the ground or subsoil.
Grouting works	Construction activities to stabilise abandoned mine workings involving drilling and injecting grouts to fill the cavities in the mine workings.
Habitat	Term most accurately meaning the place in which a species lives, but also used to describe plant communities or agglomerations of plant communities.
Haul route	A route used to transport materials through a construction site.
Heavy metals	Any metal with a specific gravity of 5.0 or greater, especially one that is toxic to organisms.
Highest Astronomical Tide	The highest level that can be expected to occur under average meteorological conditions and under any combination of astronomical conditions
Hydrogeology	The branch of geology that deals with the occurrence, distribution, and effect of ground water.
In situ	In the original or natural place or site.
Intelligent Transport System	Technology based system to manage traffic flow including, for example, information systems, traffic signal control systems, variable message signs, camera and CCTV systems.
Intermediate Bulk Container	A container used for the transport and storage of fluids and bulk materials.
Invasive and Alien Species	Non-indigenous species that heavily colonise and adversely affect the habitats they invade.
L_{Aeq, T}	The equivalent continuous sound pressure level measured using the A-weighting which is most sensitive to speech intelligibility frequencies of the human ear having the same energy as a fluctuating sound over a specified time period T.
Listed building	Building included on the list of buildings of special architectural or historic interest and afforded statutory protection under the ‘Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997’ and other planning legislation. Classified as categories A – C(s).
Main roads	Term used to include ‘A’ and ‘B’ class local roads.
Method Statement	A document which sets out specific procedures and instructions on how to undertake a work related task.
Mitigation	Term used to indicate avoidance, remediation or alleviation of adverse impacts.
Mitigation measure	Measure implemented to avoid, remedy or alleviate an adverse impact.
Native	A species occurring naturally, in its normal geographic range.
Non-motorised users	Pedestrians, cyclists and equestrians.
Non-reciprocating constructional plant	Construction plant or parts of machinery which do not operate by moving alternately forward and backward.
Oil Interceptor	A device designed to separate oil and suspended solids from waste water effluents including surface water run-off.
Outfall	The place of discharge e.g. where a sewage pipe discharges into a river.
Peak Particle Velocity	The maximum speed of movement of a point in the ground during the passage of a vibration. It is normally expressed in the units millimetres per second.
Pile	A heavy stake or post made out of timber, steel, reinforced concrete or pre-tensioned concrete, bored or driven into the ground.
Piling works	The act of installing piles. Construction associated with piled foundations.
Private vehicles	Vehicles not being used for construction purposes. This includes vehicles used by construction staff to travel to the site but excludes those being used during construction works to transport staff to working areas or around the site, such vehicles being used for construction purposes.
the Project	The Forth Replacement Crossing project.
Report to Inform an Appropriate Assessment	An environmental report prepared to provide information to enable an Appropriate Assessment to be undertaken.
Residual Environmental Impact	The impact that would remain following implementation of mitigation measures to reduce an environmental impact.
Road Safety Audit	An evaluation of road schemes to identify potential road safety problems that may affect any road users and to suggest measures to eliminate or reduce those problems.
Run-off	Water that flows over the ground surface to the drainage system. This occurs if the ground is impermeable or if permeable ground is saturated.
Scheduled Ancient Monument	A monument which has been scheduled by the Scottish Ministers as being of national importance under the terms of the ‘Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979’.
Sediment	Material carried in particles by water or wind and deposited on the land surface or seabed.
Site Investigation	Survey, including intrusive survey, to obtain information on the physical properties of soil and rock.
Soakaway	A deep hole used for drainage, where rainwater and other waste water drains directly into the ground, without connection to any mains drainage or sewerage pipes.
Statutory Nuisance	Those matters covered by Section 79 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
Statutory Undertaker	Defined in legislation, the term generally refers to supplier of utilities such as water, sewerage, electricity, gas and communications.
Sustainable Drainage System	A sequence of management practices and control structures designed to drain surface water in a more sustainable fashion than some conventional techniques.
Trunk road	A road which is the responsibility of the Scottish Ministers.
Vibration Dose Value	A measure of impulsive vibration related to the frequency, acceleration and duration of the vibration.