Standards Development

Scope

This British Standard gives recommendations for, and guidance on, the investigation of land potentially affected by contamination and land with naturally elevated concentrations of potentially harmful substances, to determine or manage any risks. In order to obtain scientifically robust data on soil, groundwater, surface water and ground gas contamination it covers:

a)    setting the objectives of an investigation;

b)    developing a strategy for the investigation;

c)     designing the different phases of the investigation;

d)    sampling and field testing;

e)    laboratory analysis; and

f)       reporting.The relevant recommendations and guidance within this standard are intended to ensure that the objectives of an investigation are achieved and that appropriate data for the risk assessment are obtained. However, it is not feasible to provide detailed guidance for every possible investigation scenario.

This British Standard does not give:

a)    guidance on certain constraints or problems that can affect a site, such as geotechnical aspects (which are covered by BS 5930:2015+A1);

b)    detailed guidance for the investigation and assessment of radioactively contaminated sites (see Note 1);

        NOTE 1 Guidance on the investigation and assessment of radioactivity in soils is given in the BS ISO 18589 series. The appropriate methodology for such works will be dependent on the nature of the contamination and the site conditions and ought to be discussed with the regulator in advance.

c)     procedures for the formal assessment of the potential risks posed by land potentially affected by contamination (see Note 2);

        NOTE 2  See the guidance published for England by Defra and the Environment Agency in LCRM [1] and by the respective ministries and environment agencies for the other UK jurisdictions.

d)    guidance on sampling from stockpiles (see Note 3); and

       NOTE 3 Guidance on sampling stockpiles is given in BS ISO 18400-102 and BS ISO 18400-104.

e)    detailed guidance on investigations for ground gases, i.e. VOCs and permanent gases such as methane and carbon dioxide (these are dealt with in BS 8576).

NOTE 4 Guidance on the investigation of uncontaminated natural, near-natural and agricultural sites, for example to determine factors relevant to assessment of potential productivity, is provided in BS ISO 18400-205.

NOTE 5 Further guidance on assessment of soil quality in relation to particular purposes can also be found in BS EN ISO 11504, BS EN ISO 15175, BS ISO 15176, BS EN ISO 15799, ISO 15800 and BS EN ISO 19258. Guidance is also available on the assessment of soil quality in relation to climate change, e.g. BS ISO 23400. This last standard can be useful whenever the bulk properties are to be determined over an extended area of land.