Sectors

Extractive industries

Birley HIA has advised a number of oil and gas companies about the direct and cumulative health impacts of new developments and major refurbishments. This work is frequently in the context of an integrated environmental, social and health impact assessment (ESHIA, ESIA). It is frequently required because of an internal business case as well as external requirements of lending banks, under the IFC and associated Performance Standards.

These projects often take place in remote locations with extreme inequality and they are often accompanied by social investment or community development programmes. Typical, and perhaps unexpected, issues include HIV, malaria, TB, traffic injury, malnutrition, well-being and perception of risk. The Terms of Reference often require additional information about community health needs and health systems and training for local consultants.

Many multinational corporations are acquiring competence to manage HIAs. They require training courses and modifications to their HSE management systems. They need to understand the competences required and the budget implications. Martin Birley had an excellent opportunity to observe and influence corporate processes during a two year spell as Senior Health Adviser on Health Impact Assessment at Shell.

Housing and spatial planning

The issues include overweight/obesity, social exclusion, green space, access to services and food stores, active transport, mental health,  fear of crime, climate change, excess hot and cold weather mortalities, safety and air pollution.

Birley HIA has assessed the health impacts of large mixed residential developments in order to assist developers to apply for outline planning permission. We have also assisted social landlords to assess the impacts of large housing refurbishment projects.

Birley HIA has assisted the UK Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) to produce published guidance entitled Delivering Healthy Communities. We are also in the UK Public Health Programme Development Group for the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidance on Spatial Planning.

Birley HIA has also published a book on the Health impacts of peri-urban natural resource development in support of a DFID programme for tropical cities.

Water

Water resource development include storage reservoirs, hydroelectric power and irrigated agriculture. In warm climates these are associated with communicable disease impacts. The impacts may be positive or negative. The diseases include:
- Vector-borne such as malaria, dengue, schistosomiasis, and onchocerciasis
- Water-borne such as cholera and other gastro-intestinal infections
- Water washed.

HIA work during the 1980's by Martin Birley was carried out with PEEM - the WHO/FAO/UNEP Panel of Experts on Environmental Management. This led to various publications, including "Guidelines for Forecasting the Vector-Borne Disease Implications of Water Resources Development" (WHO 1991) and  "Health Opportunities in water resource development" (WHO 2003). Other work included inputs to the World Commission on Dams and various support to the irrigated agricultural sector. The work built on research by the Tropical Medicine community that had monitored changes in prevalence rates of certain diseases associated with dams, irrigated agriculture, water supply and sanitation. Other work, with WHO and DFID, has focussed on wetlands, RAMSAR sites, and wetland restoration. One of the general issues was the promotion of environmental methods, in preference to chemical methods, for vector control.

Reuse of waste water is another important issue, and our input has been on the health impacts of peri-urban natural resource development.