Hazard Recognition

In addition to the risk of exposure to dangerous chemicals, the potential hazards at a brownfields site may resemble those found on a construction site and could include heat stress; falls from elevated work surfaces; slips, falls, or cave-ins in excavations or trenches; mechanical and impact hazards associated with heavy equipment and hand-held tools; electrical hazards; and noise exposure. The following references aid in recognizing hazards at a brownfield site.

• Brownfields Health & Safety: For Sites Evaluated & Remediated under Federal Brownfields Initiatives or State Voluntary Clean-up Programs. OSHA Question and Answer Sheet. Provides compliance information about site assessment and clean-up activities on brownfields.
  • Who determines that a brownfield site needs to be cleaned up?
  • Who pays for assessment and clean-up of a brownfields site? Is there a potentially responsible party?
  • What are the hazards at brownfield sites?
  • What clean-up methods are used on brownfield sites?
  • What safety and health hazards are associated with brownfield site assessment activities and what OSHA standards apply?
  • What safety and health hazards are associated with brownfield clean-up activities and what OSHA standards apply?
  • How does HAZWOPER compliance at a brownfield site differ from compliance at a Superfund site?
• Envirofacts Data Warehouse. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Provides links to several EPA databases (i.e. RCRIS and CERCLIS) listing sites that may be considered government-identified uncontrolled hazardous waste sites.
• The Brownfields and Land Revitalization Technology Support Center. Provided by the Environmental Protections Agency (EPA), Argonne National Laboratory and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
  • Brownfields Road Map to Understanding Options for Site Investigation and Cleanup, Fifth Edition. Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response Publication No. EPA 542-R-12-001. Helps identify resources and assist in the selection of innovative technologies. "Site Assessment" describes the Phase I process and identifies useful resources. Several resources help to determine when a brownfields site is also considered a government identified uncontrolled hazardous waste site. "Site Investigation" (Phase II) describes site sampling activities and identifies appropriate resources. 
• Field Analytic Technologies. Clean-Up Information (CLU-IN) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Contains field-based site characterization technology summaries and training modules. 
• Environmental site assessments (ESAs). Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR). Identifies Phase I Site Assessment activities (generally off-site and non-intrusive), as well as Phase II Site Assessment activities (on site and generally intrusive).