Environmental Monitoring – Indoors, Outdoors and Occupational

HBI can provide our experience in environmental monitoring for your project. Services include both indoor and external monitoring services for a range of environmental pollutants.

• External monitoring includes the range of usual culprits - noise, dust, odour, other contaminated emissions, and water discharges. Examples of work completed by key staff include:

· development and implementation of a three year occupational health and safety, and environmental monitoring package for the remediation of the former Union Carbide (Lednez) site, and sediments of Homebush Bay, Rhodes, NSW for Thiess Services. These services were provided to ensure that the project was compliant with regulatory and operational systems and targets. Of key importance was the safety of site workers, public safety and the protection of the environment. Accordingly early warning systems were built into the project environmental management systems to flag early exceedences and promote first response actions.

· indoor air quality monitoring plan for the monitoring of contaminant levels in indoor air in relation to a former gasworks site located at Forbes, NSW.

· groundwater monitoring program for two former gasworks sites, one located in Forbes, the other in a high profile Sydney location – including installation of “nested” and single monitoring wells through 30 metres of rock.

• Internal monitoring includes:

· surface and airborne bacterial and fungal counts with species identification and risk assessment;

· airborne particulate matter (including aerosols);

· measurement of indoor air quality indicators such as temperature, humidity, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide;

· miscellaneous gas screening including hydrocarbons, sulphur dioxide, oxides of nitrogen, ozone, ammonia, hydrogen sulphide and formaldehyde;

· volatile organic compound (VOC) assessments;

· odour detection;

· noise evaluations;

· lighting level assessments; and

· legionella risk assessment surveys.

We can also assist with measurement of environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) and the provision of advice on how these can be minimised.

Monitoring experience includes in excess of eighteen years of national and international proactive and reactive indoor air quality monitoring in a diverse range of premises including public and private commercial offices, universities, libraries, airports, rail and bus interchange stations, hospitals, social and sporting clubs, retirement homes, TAFE colleges, private and public schools and day care centres.

We have encouraged the use of state of the art ventilation system designs aided by computation fluid dynamics (CFD) where appropriate, the maximisation of ventilation levels within sound energy efficient guidelines, the more effective use of air filtration and the regular auditing of air handling units and their associated duct work, in the interests of system hygiene.

• Occupational monitoring ties in closely with both internal and external pollutants. It is essential for organisations to monitor to ensure that the potential to expose staff and public is negligible. We offer guidance on dealing with dust levels in both commercial and industrial workplaces, and project management and air monitoring for asbestos removal programs.

Some interesting projects successfully completed by HBI include:

• Tracing the pathway and concentration levels of fumigants released from Containers when opened for inspection. HBI was grateful for the assistance of ANSTO on that project for AQIS.

• Assessing indoor pollutants levels on off-shore oil rigs in both the North West of Australia and Malaysia

• Sourcing and confirming that odours found in an international hotel reception area emanated from an adjacent commercial business.

• Sourcing and confirming that odours found in the office premises of an International Charitable Organisation, were from a subterranean source

• Conducting the first ever indoor air quality investigations in a major Asian Hospital Complex embracing an area of 300,000 m2

• Assessing air quality in both the Australian and New Zealand Parliament buildings

• Conducting Proactive IAQ monitoring programmes for such leading organisations as AMP, Qantas, CSIRO, Sydney University, Burswood Entertainment Complex, State Rail, and TAFE.

HBI is currently running indoor air quality tests in the new Regional headquarters of the USA EPA nearing final construction in Arlington Virginia, required as part of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification by the US Council of Green Buildings.