Contaminated land
Brownfield sites represent an important national resource but heavily contaminated soil and water can hamper redevelopment. Toxic chemicals, including coal tars, metals and asbestos and biohazards, such as aspergillus, leptospirosis and legionella, may all be present. Attention is usually focussed on potential hazards for future users following re-development but there is real potential for workers to come into contact with contaminants during site investigation and remediation. Good working practices are essential for keeping your workforce healthy and safe. IOM’s team of occupational hygiene and health professionals can help you develop safe working systems and monitor their effectiveness.
We have a long and varied experience of helping our clients undertake safe work in contaminated sites. Recent examples include health and safety management during the demolition and ground preparation of a major electronics plant, exposure monitoring and management of worker exposure during demolition and site remediation on former petrochemical sites, review, COSHH assessment and monitoring during work on waste disposal sites, management and monitoring of asbestos exposure during remediation of docklands and interpretation of both air monitoring results and soil contamination analysis COSHH assessments, exposure management and health surveillance of workers on the Olympics site in Stratford. During these contracts, we have come across heavy metals, petrochemicals, landfill gases, chlorinated hydrocarbons, acids, bases, dusts, asbestos and pesticides.
Our teams of professional occupational hygienists, nurses and occupational physicians, backed up by our specialist laboratory, provide and facilitate safe, practical and cost effective solutions that help our clients keep their workforce healthy, meet health and safety legislation and meet their contractual obligations.
We advise on working practice, PPE, staff training, health surveillance, hygiene facilities and monitoring, including using alarms. We assess and monitor exposure by inhalation ingestion and skin contact, undertake COSHH assessments, analyse air and soil samples and interpret information provided by ourselves and others. Our clinical team undertakes health surveillance, examinations and advises on occupational health strategies and other issues.