• I am never informed about the soil quality;
• Sometimes, we see or smell something suspicious, but still continue to work.

When working in contaminated soil, it is important that everyone working on the job, knows the risks. You also need to know which control measures you must take if the soil is contaminated. Before you start digging into the ground, you must always know what the quality of the soil is like. If this is not known, a soil investigation must be carried out. Within Heijmans, the department of ‘Bodemspecialismen’ (ground specialisms) can help and advise you on this. In this toolbox we will discuss the risks and, evidently, the control measures.

Be exposed to hazardous substances by working in/with contaminated soil

How do know if the ground you are working in is contaminated?

By analysing the soil or having it analysed:

• The customer must provide information on the soil quality;
• Als die informatie er niet is dan moet de kwaliteit van de grond worden onderzocht
• This analysis can also be done by Heijmans (Bodemspecialismen)
• The risks can be established based on the results of the analysis.

The soil quality is classified in three contamination grades:

• Clean area;
• Basic grade;
• T- and F-grades.

A T- or F-grade means the nature of the contamination is of such a serious nature, work must be carried out by Bodemspecialism.

Basic rules for working in/with (contaminated) soil:

• Always wash your hands straight after working with (contaminated) ground;
• NEVER enter the site cabin with dirty shoes and dirty clothing;
• NEVER sit down in a vehicle with dirty shoes and dirty clothing;
• You many NOT eat, drink and smoke in the work place;
• Always wash your hand before eating.

The image below shows how you should use your personal protective equipment and what to do with them afterwards. This depends on the soil contamination grade.

Instruction film: https://www.inspectieszw.nl/publicaties/videos/Gezond_uit_de_grond.aspx