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Management
The Department of Defence acknowledges the importance of the environment. They recognise their responsibility to preserve the natural and ecological value within the Randwick Defence Site, as well as their duty to ensure the land is returned to a clean and safe state similar to that which existed before their occupation of the Site. Defence has made the management of the environment and the safety of workers, occupants, visitors and residents the highest priority in undertaking the works at the Randwick Site.
Environmental Investigations
The Department of Defence have occupied the Randwick Defence Site for more than 100 years. During this time, it has served many purposes and provided many supporting functions to all kinds of community, social and government groups. Thus, before any development could be planned, it was necessary to learn more about the actual existing Site and explore any potential affects the various uses and occupations has had upon the land.
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| Some environmental investigations being undertaken at the Randwick Defence Site. |
Over recent years, thorough and extensive investigations have been undertaken on the Randwick Defence Site. The investigations undertaken included:
- researching the environmental conditions present on the Site,
- ground investigations, used to determine the local ground and water conditions,
- flora and fauna surveys, which have recorded all species of plant and animal observed within the Site,
- ecological studies, to assess the impact of potential development solutions on the local and surrounding environment , and
- contamination assessments that identified all areas containing contaminants and the extent and type of contamination found.
These studies have provided Defence with a comprehensive understanding of the land of the Randwick Defence Site, the issues relating to the local environment and the impacts any work would have on it.
As part of the Development Control for the Randwick Defence Site, the landform of the Development Precinct will be returned to match those that existed before Defence occupation of the Site. It was also agreed that the land would be remediated of the contamination present to the standards appropriate for its permissible uses.
Site Contamination
The contamination within the Development Precinct of the Randwick Defence Site stems mainly from the 24 Navy Store Sheds constructed during the Second World War. The sheds were clad with asbestos cement sheeting, which was a commonly used building material at the time. The material has been identified as 'bonded' asbestos. No 'friable' asbestos material has been found on Site. As the requirement for the sheds was scaled down after the war, some of them became redundant and were demolished. During the demolition of a number of these sheds, fragments of the cladding were buried in the soil verges in between the sheds.
An Asbestos Management Policy has been developed by the Department of Defence, in conjunction with occupational health consultants and the Project Managers to provide strict guidelines for the handling of all asbestos-contaminated materials on the Randwick Defence Site. The policy includes the mandatory regulatory requirements, plus the additional Department of Defence requirements that help to ensure maximum effort has been made to safeguard the health and well being of the neighbours, site occupants, site workers and visitors and future users.
Other localised contamination issues include structures covered with paint containing lead and local areas of soil impacted with metals, petroleum or hydrocarbons resulting from the industrial uses of the sheds
To view a diagram showing the approximate extent of contamination on the site before the disposal works commenced Click Here (397kbs).
Remediation and Validation
After the investigations have been conducted for an area, a Remedial Action Plan (RAP) is developed by the environmental consultant. The RAP includes such things as:
- The identification of all contaminants present for remediation and their extent
- The proposed methodology for removal of the contaminated soil
- A contingency plan for the discovery of unexpected contamination
- The recommendation for disposal off site at an appropriate waste management centre, or the stockpiling on site for future treatment and remediation for possible re-use
- The methodology for the remediation process of any stockpiled soil to be re-used.
The RAP is reviewed by the independent Department of Environment and Climate Change (DECC) appointed Site Auditor for approval of the methodology for validation. The works are undertaken in strict accordance with the RAP under the direction of an appointed environmental consultant. A specialist asbestos contractor is used for any remediation works in an area containing asbestos cement fragments. Upon completion of the removal of the impacted area, the remaining soil is tested again for any traces of contamination. All results and reports are forwarded to the Site Auditor for approval before an area will be "signed off" as validated for use for its intended purpose.
To view the status of the approximate extent of expected contamination remaining on site and the progress of the remediation works, please go to the Current Site Works section of this website.
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| Air Monitors are used during the Site Works. |
Air Monitoring
Monitoring of the air within and around the Randwick Defence Site for asbestos fibres is maintained by an independent occupational health consultant at all times on a 24-hour basis whilst site works are being undertaken. Air monitors are placed around the work areas and on the Site boundary fences.
To date, all measurements for airborne asbestos fibres conducted on Site have been less than the detection limit of the analytical method, of less than 0.01 fibres / millilitre of air. The Occupational Exposure Standard (OES) for asbestos, prepared by the National Occupational Health and Safety Commission (NOHSC) and which has been largely adopted by that State regulatory authorities such as the NSW WorkCover Authority ranges from 0.1 to 0.5 fibres / millilitre of air, depending on the type of asbestos. The concentration of airborne fibres also greatly reduces with increasing distance.
All results of daily air monitoring are provided to Randwick City Council, the Randwick Community Centre and SOS Preschool.
Environmental Management of Site Works
As part of the environmental sensitive approach to the development works of the Randwick Defence Site, strict environmental management and protection controls are enforced for all site works. These include aspects such as:
- dust and odour control
- noise and vibration management
- contamination prevention measures
- sediment and erosion control
- flora and fauna protection
- traffic management
An Environmental Management Plan (EMP) was developed by environmental consultants and was assessed by Environment Australia as part of the Notice of Intention submitted in July 2000 for demolition and earthworks. This template EMP identifies the environmental concerns which are to be monitored during any site works, and their respective minimum performance levels performance and indicators. It also sets out the immediate actions required to be undertaken by the contractors if the performance levels are not met.
All contractors undertaking any of these works at the Randwick Defence Site must prepare a job specific EMP in accordance with this template plan, and address each of these environmental concerns and the management strategies for their control and compliance. These concerns are monitored daily for the duration of the works and measures are put in place to ensure conformance with the requirements. |
