Site assessment Environmental management

This book is the third in a series of published conference proceedings. Contents cover site assessment, environmental fate, remediation, risk assessment, risk management, and regulatory issues. 

Over 80 per cent of member sites now operate health, safety and environmental management systems. Self assessment against the Association s systems is now something all of our members carry out. A small number of sites also have these systems verified by external organisations our aim is to increase the level of external verification.34... 

Deciding whether a company has carried out an audit will in turn depend to some degree on the company s own definition. A number of different types of audit have been identified. An environmental review is an initial analysis of the environmental issues, impact and performance related to activities at a site and should be seen as the first step in the audit programme. Following the review, a system audit will assess the effectiveness of the company s environmental management system. Other audits will cover particular sites, acquisition or divestment and the production impacts of making a specific product. 

The purpose of individual site assessment4 is to decide whether or not a site poses actual or potential risks to human health or the environment . A phased approach is recommended in accordance with recent guidance on environmental risk assessment and management.5... 

The major technical problem was the inability to define subsurface geohydrologic conditions with the initial data. Expertise in the area of geohydrology was clearly needed. A lack of specific analytical techniques precluded meaningful environmental and risk assessments. Cleanup efforts were complicated because poltiners are not regulated under RCRA but are regulated under state law. In the middle of the cleanup effort, the site became involved in Superfund activities, and to date this involvement has not been clarified. Project management has become very difficult because of the many players and laws involved. As a result, public confidence has been affected. 

Many policies and practices have been adopted by European countries for the management of contaminated sites. Information about the various national polices, the technical approaches for risk assessment, and the progress of rehabilitation activities in Europe has been compiled in the framework of two European networks—CARACS (Concerted Action for Risk Assessment for Contaminated Sites) and CLARINET (Contaminated Land Rehabilitation Network for Environmental Technologies)—which were funded by the European Commission. A detailed description of European national policies can be found in relevant publications2 3 and in the CLARINET website (http //www.clarinet.at). 

If levels of radiation above natural background are discovered, a plant manager should consult a health physicist. At levels greater than 2 mrem/hour, aU industrial site activities should cease until the site has been assessed by an industrial health scientist or licenced environmental engineers. 

Environmental Protection Agency. 2000. EPA Region IX, letter to James Bacon, Program Manager for Chemical Demilitarization, Febmary 22. Re Comments on the Conceptual Site Model for JACADS Closure Risk Assessment. EPA ID TTO-570-090-001. San Francisco, Calif. Environmental Protection Agency. 

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