Waste and hazardous waste management – containment, remediation and removal

Waste and Hazardous Waste Management is the end-to-end assessment, containment, remediation and where required, safe removal (or recycling) of materials which are known to cause harm to human health and/or the environment.

It’s about safely managing the process, problem solving and protecting our client’s interests. The hazardous waste we manage is typically solids, liquids, sludges or contained gases used by industrial, manufacturing, chemical or agricultural operations.

Assessing waste and hazardous waste management risks

Prior to works commencing, we conduct a comprehensive onsite risk assessment as standard procedure. Risk assessments provide us with the information required to develop the appropriate Safety and Environmental Management Plans and detailed Safe Work Method Statements.

These assessments become more detailed and comprehensive when highly hazardous materials are present (or found) or when a job has the potential to impact people onsite, the surrounding community and/or existing infrastructure.

Environmental risk assessments determine the location of known and unknown contaminants. We advocate completing risk assessments throughout a project, particularly when they’re highly complex or the scope expands.

Containment

Throughout the life of any project, hazardous waste needs to be stabilised, immobilised, and contained. The objective is to safely minimise the risk of contaminants spreading beyond the current location (and project scope).

We deploy a variety of containment methods for both soil and water. Our approach is influenced by the site, contaminants, legislation, disposal site requirements and commercial benefit. We plan for bund or tank failures so there are no failures. Safety is at the forefront of everything we do.

Remediation

Key areas to consider for contaminated soil and water remediation:

• Risk assessment – determine the extent of contamination, impacts to human health and the environment in addition to clean up plan and methodologies;
• Containment – preventing the movement of contaminants beyond the treatment areas;
• Active remediation – treating and removing the contaminants at the source.
• Removal – disposal, destruction, recycle