What a whirlwind start to the AHCA!

With the First General Meeting kicking off on 16 July 2019 with special Guest Jason Wall, SafeWork NSW presenting a keynote speech about SafeWork’s stance on asbestos in soil, the AHCA continued the conversation on 23 September 2019 by delivering the second part of the ‘Asbestos in Soils’ forum with Special Guest speakers from the EPA; Jill Gallagher (Manager Asbestos Coordination), Hamish Campbell (Senior Operations Officer, Contaminated Land Management) and Alan Ly (Senior Project Officer – Waste Strategy & Innovation) all delivering presentations covering EPA’s stance on ‘Asbestos in Soils’.

The Second General Meeting attracted over 100 attendees which again, is a testament to the need for such an association within our industry. Attendees included; consultancies, government agencies, local councils, laboratories, civil, construction and demolition contractors.

EPA Presenter Overview:

Jill Gallagher – presented on the complexities of working with multiple stakeholders from a National and State context and concluded with the following areas of interest to the EPA on a national and state stage:

• Community outcomes;
• State Asbestos Plans;
• Behaviour change campaign; and
• Aboriginal communities make-safe program.

Hamish Campbell – presented on the expectations the NSW EPA have for consultants reporting on ‘Asbestos in Soils’ under the Contaminated Land Management framework. Key points highlighted by Hamish are as follows:

• Utilise the experience of both Licenced Asbestos Assessors and Environmental Land Contamination Engineers;
• Understand the source;
• Develop a conceptual site model;
• Develop a sampling analysis and quality plan; and
• Interpretation of results.

Alan Ly – presented on the expectations of the NSW EPA in relation to ‘Asbestos in Soils’ under the waste framework. Key points highlighted by Alan are as follows:

• Consultants must clarify if the activity to be undertaken is considered onsite (contaminated land) or offsite (waste) remediation. Which will then inform which legislative framework must be utilised; and
• Understand when segregation of asbestos waste is applicable and the framework that must be followed.

A big thank you from the Executive Committee of the AHCA to NSW EPA and the special guest speaker; Jill Gallagher, Hamish Campbell and Alan Ly for presenting and providing an informative look at what the NSW EPA expect in relation to ‘Asbestos in Soils’ in NSW. Please refer to the PowerPoint presentations which the NSW EPA presented on the night for additional information.

Expression of Interest: Asbestos in Soils Driving Committee.

The AHCA Executive Committee is looking for expressions of interest for the ‘Asbestos in Soils’ driving committee. If you feel that you would like to be a part of this committee and help drive ‘Asbestos in Soils’ management in the industry please apply.

Click here to fill out your Expression of Interest.

AHCA – Members Survey

The AHCA Executive Committee requests that you take 5 minutes to complete the online survey and allow the AHCA to focus on and further assist in our members professional development.

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