Risk Assessment
Risk assessment is sometimes included in Phase I and Phase II site evaluations and in the implementation of Voluntary Action Programs (VAPs). The level of such assessments are determined by the objectives of the client, the regulatory framework, the complexity of the site and other relevant factors.
 
Risk assessment is an area in which The Payne Firm is uniquely positioned to provide expert consultation. Our staff boasts a variety of experts, including those in toxicology and biology, who are specifically trained to provide risk assessment. We have drawn on that impressive expert base to perform numerous risk assessments, from those requiring little, if any, site specific information to complex projects that included ground water and air dispersion modeling.

 
Chemical Manufacturing and Warehousing, Cincinnati, Ohio
A risk assessment was performed in accordance with CERCLA protocols and guidance. The site specific risk assessment included evaluating potential current and future risks for a hydrogeologically complex site with numerous (i.e., >50) contaminants, which were divided into five major groups. The site was divided to six areas based on the site geology and the contaminant distribution. Transport of contaminants via air and ground water was evaluated using site specific information. The in-depth assessment indicated that potential risks resulted from exposure to one of the contaminant groups (VOCs) and that there was limited potential for risk from two of the six areas. The assessment also indicated that the contaminants at the site do not have the potential to impact the regional aquifer beneath the site. This information was used to focus the remediation efforts and to limit the number of contaminants to be monitored, thereby preventing unnecessary expenditure.


Confidential Clients - Lawn Care Manufacturing, Marysville, Ohio
In addition to traditional human health-based risk assessment, risk is present when chemicals (gas, liquid or solid) are present in containers at the project site. The Payne Firm, through computer modeling, can evaluate the offsite-consequences of a catastrophic event related to a chemical release.

Under the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments, by June of 1999, any facility that has above a threshold for 140 chemicals must prepare a Risk Management Plan for the offsite consequences of a catastrophic release of the chemical. The Payne Firm prepared offsite consequence analysis for firms at facilities in central and southwest Ohio. These analysis not only considered threshold levels of the chemical, but also planning levels, which were significantly less than the threshold level. Using this same approach, the Payne Firm can develop offsite consequences for chemicals used in the project and assist in evaluating risk associated with these chemicals to the neighborhood.


Southern States Cooperative - Agricultural and Farm Retail, Kentucky
The Payne Firm is conducting a risk assessment of a site in Kentucky. The site has ground water contamination that has the potential to impact both the Ohio River and an active municipal well field. Contamination present at the site has impacted both a shallow and the regional aquifer in the area. Project personnel knowledgeable about remediation consulted with the risk assessor during the investigation. The contaminants and pathways most likely to result in unacceptable potential risks were identified during these consultations, allowing remedial strategies to be developed and evaluated and data gathering activities to be focused. The evaluation of potential remedial strategies resulted in the decision to purchase the adjoining property as a measure to limit remedial expenses. The formal assessment will determine residual contaminant levels protective of the off-property ground water quality in the regional aquifer. This determination will be made using site specific data and ground water transport modeling.


Shopping Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
Risk assessment of subsurface soil and ground water conditions at a shopping center complex in Cincinnati was performed in accordance with the State of Ohio’s Voluntary Action Program to successfully attain a Covenant Not-to-Sue for the property. Commercial land use restrictions and existing engineering controls consisting of site buildings, pavement, and landscaping were used to evaluate potential exposure scenarios for the existing development of the property above former ravines used for historical disposal of spent foundry sand. Risk assessment chemicals of concern were determined through soil and ground water sampling and included metals, semi-volatile organic compounds, and volatile organic compounds. The primary potential exposure pathway was identified to be a construction worker scenario for exposed soil work, which would be mitigated by appropriate work clothing including gloves and cleanliness practices (such as washing hands). The risk assessment formed the basis for an Operation and Maintenance Agreement with the State of Ohio to enable attainment of the Covenant Not-to-Sue.