Friday 12 April 2019

Key Role Played by Contamination Assessment before Buying a Property


Recent statistics suggest that more cement is being sold globally than during any other point in time in history. This is not surprising given the kind of construction boom that is being witnessed around the world. Almost in every part of the world people are moving in large numbers towards cities. 

Populations too are increasing in most parts of the world. What this has meant is there is tremendous demand for residential township projects. Large scale residential townships have sprung up in various cities. The developers are making an effort to make these cities as self-sufficient as possible. Whether it is a small property or a large property, what is important is that Contamination Assessment is done before a project takes shape on it. This is where the role played by Environment Consultancies assumes importance. Contamination assessment is one of the important services that these environmental professionals offer.
As someone who is investing in a property, people do need to check for contamination. There are detailed studies that need to be done in order to ascertain whether there are any potential environmental problems that could arise due to the construction activity on the property. Known as sepp-55 assessments, they enable the buyers to evaluate the property before they make any purchase decision. These assessments are not something that anyone can do, for it requires professional expertise. Typically, environmental professionals start the assessment with an initial phase 1 assessment. There are times when there could be signs of contamination on a property could be visible to the naked eye. For example, stain or oil marks could be there. Similarly, if there is an existing structure on the property, the walls and floors are checked for any signs of contamination. The consultants would then gradually move onto the phase 2 assessment and do further studies.

With the advances in technology there are many tools and devices available to environmental consultants to check for contamination in a property. They would typically collect samples if they find any signs, which are then studied in specialized laboratories to find out the type of contaminant. There are times when a much more detailed study may be required. The soil for example on a particular location may need to be studied in detail. These are often complex study processes, because soil as such contains several types of ingredients. Each of these ingredients need to be studied in order to suggest the right measures that are to be taken before construction takes place on a particular property.

Another important part of the service is that after the detailed studies are over the consultants are then required to provide a detailed report. It is based on these reports that the buyer has to make a decision about buying a particular property or not. These reports would contain detailed analysis of samples and statistics. Along with the report the Environmental Consultants are also supposed to offer their solutions to any problems that they may have found on a particular property. They would typically give a detailed plan with suggestions about the steps that are needed to be taken to rectify the situation on a particular property.