How we helped Lendlease and Delta Group play it safe at the SFS

When Lendlease were ready to kick off a major redevelopment at the Sydney Football Stadium, they needed a plan to identify hazardous materials to ensure a safe and healthy site with mitigated risk.

  • Risk management part of the Lendlease approach to major redevelopment
  • Hazardous Building Materials Survey to determine risk
  • PRA provided Delta Group with advice on asbestos soil contamination and remediation options.

Challenge

It is common for developers to start redevelopment work with limited survey information of the site. The older the buildings, the tougher it is to know what legacy hazardous building materials might be unearthed during demolition — like asbestos, lead paint, lead dust, synthetic mineral fibres (SMF) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).

When Lendlease was ready to start work on a major redevelopment of the Sydney Football Stadium (SFS) and surrounding buildings, they needed to identify any hazardous materials prior to work commencing to mitigate unnecessary exposures to hazardous substances and protentional budget blowouts and time constraints challenges.

For a Tier 1 construction company like Lendlease, there is no room for unexpected costs and no appetite for risks that could compromise site productivity and Workplace Health and Safety for the workforce. With a range of buildings to be demolished for new construction, Lendlease were stepping into years of building materials history. A good guess wasn’t enough — they needed a professional assessment (Destructive Hazardous Materials Assessment) to build their budget, timeframe and risk management plan. Lendlease engaged PRA for their specialised expertise across hazardous materials in major demolition and construction projects.

How we helped

PRA conducted a Hazardous Building Materials Survey across the entire SFS and surrounding buildings. A PRA NSW Safe Work Licensed Asbestos Assessor (LAA) physically inspected the site (taking samples and documenting extents) to ultimately record a risk assessment and hazardous materials register. The thorough survey included both intrusive and destructive methods — cutting, drilling and prying at surfaces — to check for legacy materials that could lead to unexpected costs, lost productivity, and safety concerns.

The good news? The survey produced no unexpected issues and the project started on time and budget. Site workers and management had the peace of mind of a healthy working environment, and one that’s far less likely to experience downtime from unexpected site issues.

After demolition, PRA stayed on the team to support Delta Group to manage asbestos in soil assessments and remediation works during the bulk earthworks phase — including recommendations for hazardous materials strategies and conducting air monitoring clearance inspections.

There are no second chances with hazardous materials. Put your people and their safety first with PRA’s unmatched expertise and service delivery.

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