News and Articles from Helia EHS

Identifying Asbestos Locations One of Helia EHS’ projects involved undertaking asbestos audits for a local council in the Melbourne suburbs.  The audit included offices, depots, libraries, day care centres, kindergartens, and public toilets to name a few of the assets typical to most councils.   Risks and Safe Handling Practices Today one of our auditors was undertaking a visual inspection at one of the community halls when he came across one of the more interesting

Leveraging Contamination Liability Assessment Helia EHS specialises in assisting developers maximise potential use of historically contaminated sites.  Our client was considering the purchase of a contaminated site – the conditions of an Environmental Audit required soil vapour mitigation and management controls on any future buildings to protect residents. Helia EHS conducted a liability assessment which involved a review of the assessment and audit reports to identify what controls were required and how these could be

Cost-Efficient Renovation Strategies Whether it be on an industrial, commercial or residential scale, certain precautions typically need to be assessed prior to building modifications. Unexpected finds such as asbestos or other hazardous can be detrimental to the project’s budget and can delay progress instantly. In this article, we follow on from our previous discussion in regard to management of asbestos in the workplace and examine pre-project planning strategies to ensure your property renovations are delivered on time

Ever had to dispose of industrial waste, and found it was a bottomless pit of problems? Soil Contamination Investigation – Collection of soil samples to assess the quality of the soil and to characterise the soil prior to off-site disposal in accordance with Victorian EPA Regulations (IWRG). 

Evaluating Workplace Asbestos Safety Melbourne and Canberra police investigate suspicious packages received at embassies and consulates. A few questions to ask yourself or your employer in regard to asbestos risks in your workplace: Do you own or manage a property that its primary use is a workplace? Has your workplace been constructed prior to 31 December 2003? (The date of the total ban on asbestos that came into effect in Australia) Does your workplace have

Groundwater Remediation (pump and disposal) The objective of this project is to intercept groundwater flow prior to the site boundary and re-direct leachate impacted groundwater away from residential areas. This pumping method effectively draws down the water level along the boundary of the landfill and remediates the water for safe disposal.

An Innovative Approach to Containing Contaminated Groundwater Helia EHS is managing the environmental issues associated with a former quarry which was subsequently utilised as a municipal landfill. Historically, unlined landfills receiving mixed household and industrial waste can lead to the uncontrolled release of contamination via various media (soil, air, water). A key challenge of these legacy landfills is the management of leachate, a contaminated liquid that is generated as the waste degrades. Leachate management is

The potential airborne dust risks that could be within your workplace As we look back on the year that was; Australia has yet another Prime Minister, the newest reality TV star has found another love, and China has set up a ‘ban’ on the importing of recycled wastes under the Blue Sky/National Sword program.   But what does this mean for us? It means, import restrictions imposed have excluded almost 99% of the recyclables that Australia previously sold