Protect your investments

Reduce Environmental Risk. Ensure Financial Responsibility.

Environmental risks are often overlooked until a pollution incident occurs, severely impacting project schedules and financing. As a project owner, you bear the ultimate responsibility for any contamination on your site. Hiring a Certified Environmentally Responsible Contractor (CERC) is a proactive step to protect your assets and streamline your procurement process.

Environmental Is Strict Liability: Why Standard Practices Fail.

You Are Responsible

Even if a contractor causes the problem, the project owner is ultimately responsible for waste and environmental tort liability from generation through final disposal.

Standard Insurance is Inadequate

Many jobs require evidence of pollution liability, but standard insurance certificates often fail to demonstrate actual financial responsibility for pollution events.

The Solution

Protect your project, your reputation, and yourself by requiring CERC certification. CERC is a third-party certification that confirms a contractor is environmentally trained and environmentally insured.

1. Disturbing Existing Pollutants
2. Damage to Underground Utilities
3. Illicit Abandonment
4. Waste Management & Disposal
5. Pollutants Introduced by Contractors
Projects can disturb pre-existing conditions like asbestos, mold, lead-based paint, or abandoned underground tanks.
The CERC Difference
‍Certified contractors know how to isolate construction areas, use negative-pressure machines during abatement, and manage particulates to prevent contamination from migrating off-site or spreading through HVAC systems.
Striking an unmarked utility line is dangerous to workers and the community and can cause service interruptions.
The CERC Difference
Responsible contractors ensure lines are marked, call 811 at least 72 hours prior to digging, and use potholing methods such as hydro excavation or air knifing if drilling operations are planned to confirm locations are safe to proceed.
If a site is not secured, unknown parties may illegally dump waste ("midnight dumping"), leaving the owner to bear cleanup costs.
The CERC Difference
CERC protocols include securing the site perimeter, providing adequate lighting, and posting "No Dumping" signs to deter illegal activity.
Improper storage or handling of waste creates liability that follows the owner from generation at the jobsite to disposal at the final destination facility.
The CERC Difference
Certified contractors track material usage, characterize waste streams, and prioritize recycling and the use of non-hazardous products to minimize risk.
Subcontractors can bring contaminants onto your property. If they lack adequate insurance, you may be liable for any lawsuit.
The CERC Difference
CERC contractors are trained to vet subcontractors thoroughly, reviewing their safety history, insurance limits, and reputation to avoid introducing risks to your site.

Why Public and Private Owners Prefer CERC

Streamlined Procurement
CERC certification serves as a pre-qualification tool, ensuring you hire contractors who understand environmental best practices.
Elevated Performance
Promoting environmental responsibility raises quality and safety standards across the entire industry.

I wish more owners of public works projects would require CERC as part of the contractor pre-qualification process. The public would be better served if all public works projects had high standards for quality, safety, and environmental responsibility.

President/Owner

Chico, CA

Best-In-Class Expertise

Don't leave your project open to environmental liabilities.
Ensure a CERC builds your next project.

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