What is a
Why is it important?
What is risk management?
of risk assessment
What are RA tiers?
The ANZECC Guidelines for the Assessment and Management of Contaminated Sites (1992)
defines a contaminated site as:
|"A site at which hazardous substances occur at
concentrations above background levels and where assessment indicates it poses, or is
likely to pose an immediate or long-term hazard to human health or the
For an area of land to meet this definition of a contaminated site it must:
- Be an identified delineated area of land (a site) such as a landfill or a
- Have an identified contaminant (a hazardous substance) at a known
concentration present in soils on the site, or discharging from the site;
- Have the identified contaminant in concentrations that are higher than
what would “normally” be expected for a non-contaminated site; and
- Because of the contaminant’s location and concentration, pose a threat
to people and/or the environment.
This definition, while useful is very broad, and can cover a range of
situations and a range of risks and some care needs to be taken in the use of
Hazardous substances could pose a threat to people or the environment through
various physical and chemical properties such as:
It can be seen that the contamination of land and its surrounding
areas, can be vary in both its nature and degree of severity. However,
in many instances, land contamination can be related to site usage.
Establishing a site’s current and historic land use is a worthwhile
starting point in any risk assessment as it can provide important clues
to the nature of the contamination and the types of contaminants that
could be present.
Click here to see a list of sites that, because of their
past or current uses, might possibly be contaminated and landuses and associated
Click here to see a description of the responsibilities and
roles that individuals, organisations and the government have in respect
of contaminated sites.