RSK helps develop a safe system of work at closed landfill
Project summary
RSK conducted contamination, slope stability and settlement assessments of a former landfill site to determine its safety and suitability for redevelopment.
READ MORE- 17m Depth of boreholes
- 7.1m Depth where amosite and chrysotile asbestos was found
- 20,000+ Former landfill sites in the UK
The background
The UK is home to over 20,000 former landfill sites. Since the mid-1990s, there has been strict regulation and records have been kept of the contents of current landfill sites, but not much is known about the materials in older locations, which can be an issue when it comes to redevelopment of the sites for other purposes.
Peel Holdings and Island Gas wanted to develop a closed landfill site in Carrington, UK, for coalbed methane extraction. To determine the site’s safety and suitability for development, RSK was brought in to carry out contamination, slope stability and settlement assessments. Specifically, the extent of the asbestos waste needed to be characterised and delineated, so that a safe system of work could be developed to provide the necessary control measures to protect the workers on-site, the users of adjacent land and the local environment during development work.
The challenges
Safety
The site had been previously used for landfill and was likely to contain hazardous materials such as asbestos.
Information
As many closed landfill sites were operational before the UK government’s mandatory regulations were put in place, finding detailed information regarding the contents of these sites is challenging.
The solutions
Firstly, we needed to identify the potential distribution of asbestos waste. To do this, we reviewed the historical records of the local authority and the former site operators and used these data to create a conceptual site model. We then used this information, along with construction details, to create an investigation plan to be submitted to and approved by the Environment Agency and the local authority.
To monitor for asbestos, RSK provided a mobile asbestos laboratory manned by a qualified surveyor. During drilling work, the laboratory undertook real-time air-quality monitoring in accordance with Health and Safety Executive (HSE) guidelines. We collected bulk samples and analysed them for asbestos; subsequently, amosite and chrysotile asbestos were identified to depths of 7.1 m.
We drilled two 17-m-deep exploratory boreholes to prove the depth of the natural soil and collect samples for asbestos and chemical analysis. The soil samples collected were sealed to ensure the safety of personnel and to limit the workers’ exposure to any potential contaminants. To maximise results, one of the boreholes was later used as a monitoring well to collect vital groundwater samples. All the soil and groundwater samples, including geotechnical samples, were analysed at RSK’s in-house UKAS-accredited laboratory.
The impacts
Thanks to a strict ethos of health and safety in working practices, RSK was able to produce a safe-system-of-work document for implementation during all future drilling operations on site. This document included soil classification for off-site disposal and detailed the necessary personal protective equipment for the work.
Additionally, RSK reviewed and updated the slope stability assessment for the site using the site-specific data obtained during the intrusive investigation.
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