Why do you need it?
What is contamination?
Contamination of land or water or air is where any chemical substance or waste has the potential to affect the environmental or people’s health (including the community) in a negative way.
Due to the real potential for harm from contamination, the risks must be well understood and appropriately managed.
Where does it occur?
Contamination is a human activity and arises largely from an error in the management of chemical substances. Rarely, it is a deliberate act, with the sole aim of causing harm. Contaminated sites can occur anywhere, though they are typically found in areas which have been used for heavy industry or chemically intensive agriculture. It can also include residential properties.
Is there a risk to human health?
There are a number of potential health hazards that you need to be aware of and control properly, to help reduce the risk of ill health to your neighbors and the community, employees and visitors. Resile has the medical expertise with our Occupational and Environmental Physicians to assist organisations to manage the risk and communicate the risk.
How does it work?
How do I know the health effects of the contamination?
We are often contacted by our clients to provide expert medical advice on the health effects that a hazardous substance poses to the public, individuals or workers. At Resile we are unique, as we have Occupational Hygienists as part of our expert team, and we start with them, if no testing has yet been conducted. As experts in testing and management, our Occupatioal Hygienists determine the best sampling strategy to determine the exact location of the chemicals in question, and what the level at those sites is.
When these levels are known, our Occupational Physicians apply the evidence base to determine the likely health effects. We also advise on the best health surveillance assessments for those exposed.
Chemicals can have a complex effect on the body, and it is important that the right advice is sought to ensure that the individuals don’t undergo testing that is unnecessary or won’t accurately determine if any health effect has occurred. This can lead to people who are exposed feeling falsely safe.
Let us guide you
We understand that employers find this a complex area of health management and we often see the advice they have previously been provided has no scientific basis. At Resile we are experts at designing the right surveillance regime for ensuring the health and safety of your workforce, as we are Occupational and Environmental physicians, who are the Specialist Physicians within the Royal Australasian College of Physicians. The advice you receive from us is expertise that provides you legally defensible advice that a Generalist Practitioner or Allied Health Provider cannot.
How can we assist?
We can help your organisation navigate through the complexities of health management. We do this by:
- ensuring that you are meeting your statutory obligations (legal compliance)
- appropriately managing potential risks to your employee’s and the public’s health
- reducing reputational and financial risks (the right advice first time)
- minimising liabilities relating to exposure.
