Childcare and kindergarten projects often involve soil disturbance, even when the works are relatively small.
A new playground, shade sail, garden bed, service trench, building extension or outdoor learning area may all disturb soil. Where young children may come into contact with that soil, it is important to know whether it is suitable for the proposed use.
A soil hygienist report is different from a geotechnical report. A geotechnical report considers ground conditions for design and construction. A soil hygienist report considers contamination risk and whether soil conditions are acceptable from a human health and environmental perspective.
A typical assessment may include:
review of site history;
inspection of the work area;
soil sampling;
laboratory analysis;
advice on whether management measures are needed.
Finding contamination does not automatically stop a project. Many issues can be managed through targeted soil removal, capping, clean imported material, disposal controls or a Soil Management Plan.
Atma Environmental prepares soil hygienist reports for childcare, kindergarten and early learning projects, including in support of VSBA Building Block Grants.
