If an asbestos removal project is poorly handled or waste is not correctly disposed of, the asbestos may contaminate your soil. However, this may also occur simply due to weathering and damage to non-friable products (asbestos containing material in solid form). Such asbestos soil contamination must be properly handled to curb the potential health risks.
Requirements in Handling Contaminated Soil
Preliminary Site Investigation provides a detailed guidelines on properly handling contaminated soil. Firstly, an independent licensed asbestos assessor should conduct a comprehensive risk assessment to determine appropriate control measures and removal strategies.
Unlike removal projects within buildings, soil contamination cases would require assessment by several agencies, including the Environment Protection Authority (EPA), local governments, and Public Health. It would help if you also referred to the National Environmental Protection Measure (NEPM) for proper guidance on appropriate assessment and remediation strategies in contaminated sites.
Who Is Qualified To Handle the Removal Project?
The qualifications for handling soil contamination are similar to those required in removal projects within buildings. The least amount of contamination, which involves a maximum of 10 m2 of non-friable asbestos, may be handled by someone who doesn't have a license. However, if you're not sure whether the contamination is more or less than 10 m2, you should get a removalist with a class A or B license.
Class A or B licenses would be required to remove non-friable products (asbestos-containing material in powder form) and amounts of non-friable products more significant than 10 m2. A class B license applies in the case of large amounts of non-friable products, while a class A license applies in cases of brittle products.
How To Handle Soil Contamination
If you have managerial control at the workplace, you must cease work immediately once you suspect the soil contains asbestos. You should then engage the services of a competent person to take samples for analysis so that your suspicions may be confirmed or refuted.
Once contamination has been confirmed, the appropriate control measures must be implemented to minimize the risks of airborne asbestos. The first step to take will be preparing an appropriate management plan and setting appropriate boundaries based on the evaluation of an independent licensed assessor. It would help if you also avoided any disturbance of the soil to prevent the dispersal of asbestos into the air.
Before commencing removal work, the site should be isolated and secured using barriers and signs. It will prevent unwarranted intrusion, which could put intruders at risk of asbestos exposure. To further prevent airborne asbestos, dust suppression techniques using water or other wetting agents should be used.
All workers must be supplied with personal protective equipment (PPE) during the removal process. Moreover, the appropriate air monitoring and sampling procedures should use. A removal project should involve effective decontamination procedures to safeguard workers' health further. Even after the removal project, personnel within the workplace should be made aware of potential hazards related to airborne asbestos exposure and how to apply safe work practices.