Land contamination risk assessment tools: evaluation of commonly used methods
A survey of the extent of use of risk assessment packages in the UK and an indication of the level (or lack) of training which practitioners currently have.
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This project provides a survey of the extent of use of risk assessment packages in the UK and an indication of the level (or lack) of training which practitioners currently have. It is plain from the survey responses that several packages are in common use by environmental consultants, industry and even local authorities. However, whereas best practice overseas is for high levels of training (e.g. US EPA require 1 or 3 week dedicated course attendance before staff may interpret REBECCA data) few respondents had received formal training courses in the UK. It highlights the need that regulators such as the Agency will increasingly face for sound training of staff to provide regulatory decisions based on interpretation of such risk assessment data. It also provides a valuable insight into the level of expertise present in risk assessments carried out on behalf of ind ustry.