A site specific bioaerosols risk assessment (SSBRA) is required where a composting facility is within 250 metres of a sensitive receptor; defined by the Environment Agency (EA) as “a place where people live or work for more than 6 hours at a time.”
The SSBRA risk assessment provides waste operators with the opportunity to identify operational controls that take place on their sites, and subsequently target controls where exposures to significant hazards are considered to be of greatest concern. Moreover, the SSBRA should serve to reassure the EA and communities working and living in the local area, that facilities are being operated in a safe and responsible fashion, and without undue risk to operational staff, to public health or the environment.
When contacted by an operator and commissioned to write an SSBRA, WRM ensure that the SSBRA is written in accordance with the EA’s Guidance on the evaluation of bioaerosol risk assessments for composting facilities. The SSBRA’s written by WRM typically contain the following sections:
- A brief introduction to bioaerosols monitoring and the rationale for a SSBRA;
- The SSBRA within the context of wider industry regulation;
- The aforementioned risk assessment methodology that the SSBRA is produced in accordance with;
- A description of the site (including site specific sensitive receptors) and site operations;
- A site-specific risk assessment detailing the operations conducted on site, and their respective levels of risk;
- A conclusion consolidating report findings, and
- Additional measures that the operator could implement to further mitigate the aerosolisation of bioaerosols.
WRM have over a decade of experience in providing complete bespoke bioaerosol monitoring solutions for sites across the entirety of the United Kingdom, including the production of the SSBRA. If you are an operator and require bioaerosol monitoring at your site, and/or an SSBRA, then please contact our friendly team.
