Proven On Site
Industry Sector
Cleared personnel and NATA-accredited partner laboratories, working across Defence and government estate.
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Mobilise within 48 hours
NATA-accredited partner laboratories
ISO 9001, 14001 and 45001 certified
National coverage
The Challenge
Defence and government works happen inside operating bases, occupied buildings and public assets with long histories. Security protocols, training schedules and public scrutiny leave no room for late discoveries. We identify hazards early, work within the access rules and document everything to a standard that stands up to audit.
Key Risks
Legacy buildings
Barracks, depots and public buildings from the 1930s to the 1980s carry asbestos cement, lagging, vinyl tiles and lead paint that must be surveyed before refurbishment or demolition.
PFAS
Training areas, fire stations and drainage lines can hold PFAS that moves through soil, groundwater and sediment. Early assessment shapes disposal, design and program.
Commonwealth land
Material leaving Commonwealth land needs defensible classification and chain of custody. Accurate results avoid over classification and costly disposal.
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Asbestos, lead paint, SMF and PCB surveys before refurbishment, demolition or maintenance.
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Control, boundary and clearance monitoring beside occupied buildings and operational areas.
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Personal exposure, boundary and surface dust clearance during paint removal.
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Site investigations, targeted PFAS sampling and conceptual site models.
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Characterisation and classification for soil leaving Commonwealth and public land.
Proven On Site
In Depth
Scoping works on a site like this?
Send us the site and the scope. We will tell you which surveys you need and when to have them done.
Talk to our team →Defence and government infrastructure projects operate in some of the most complex environmental settings in Australia. Ageing buildings, legacy contamination, PFAS, asbestos, lead paint and strict site access requirements all demand consultants who understand both technical risk and project delivery pressure.
For Defence and government project managers, prime consultants, facilities managers and civil contractors, early Defence environmental consulting prevents delays, reduces cost exposure and supports safe, compliant works across active Defence estates and public assets.
Defence bases, depots, research facilities and training areas often have long operational histories. Vehicle maintenance, fuel storage, firefighting training, weapons storage, refurbishment, demolition and industrial operations have all left their mark. Common risks include:
Unlike standard commercial projects, Defence works often occur within active operational environments. Environmental management must be practical, controlled and aligned with access, security, safety and program requirements.
Many Defence buildings were constructed or modified when asbestos-containing materials were widely used. Asbestos may be present in wall and ceiling linings, vinyl floor tiles, pipe lagging, electrical backing boards, roof sheeting, fire doors, service ducts, buried demolition fill and soil around former buildings. When it is disturbed, airborne fibre risks must be controlled through proper survey, removal supervision, air monitoring and clearance inspection.
Older buildings, depots and workshops may contain lead-based paint systems. Sanding, grinding, abrasive blasting, paint stripping and demolition all create lead risk. Works may require personal exposure monitoring, boundary monitoring, surface dust sampling and clearance assessment before areas return to service.
PFAS is one of the most significant environmental issues on Defence and aviation-related sites. It may be associated with firefighting training areas, former foam storage, fire stations, washdown areas, drainage lines and sediment basins, and it moves through soil, groundwater, surface water and sediments.
The scale of the issue is significant. The Commonwealth has spent more than A$1.3 billion investigating and managing PFAS impacts across its estate, including treatment or removal of more than 200,000 tonnes of contaminated soil, and is pursuing Federal Court proceedings seeking over A$2 billion in damages tied to contamination across 28 Defence bases. With the PFAS NEMP now at version 3.1 and drinking-water guideline values lowered in 2025, sites previously assessed as compliant may warrant re-evaluation.
Excavation on Defence land can encounter contaminated soil from historical operations, imported fill, demolition waste, fuel storage or former training activities. Before soil leaves site it may need classification to determine whether it can be reused, which licensed facility can receive it and what documentation the audit trail requires. Accurate classification also prevents unnecessary over-classification, reducing disposal costs and delays.
Site history review, identification of potentially contaminating activities, desktop contamination assessment, hazardous materials risk review and sampling strategies that feed tender planning and scope development.
Hazardous materials surveys to identify asbestos, lead paint, synthetic mineral fibres, PCB-containing materials and other hazardous substances, so removal can be planned and priced properly.
Asbestos air monitoring, clearance inspections, lead exposure monitoring, boundary monitoring, soil sampling, waste classification, unexpected finds advice and contractor compliance support.
Final clearance documentation, validation reports, monitoring records and technical evidence demonstrating that work areas are safe and suitable for use.
Defence sites are not ordinary workplaces, and consultants who treat them as such create risk for their head contractor. BBN teams routinely operate under Defence access control, including Defence Common Access Card and authorised contractor clearances, pre-cleared personnel lists, escorted access and specified visiting hours. Our teams also work with vehicle searches at base entry, dashboard identification requirements and no-camera, no-recording-device zones, with monitoring methodologies adapted accordingly.
Survey and monitoring activities are scheduled around training programs, restricted movement zones and continuously occupied facilities in liaison with Defence Estate management. For our teams, these protocols are business as usual, not an obstacle.
The same risks sit across state and local government portfolios. Schools, hospitals, depots, council buildings, public housing and road and water infrastructure were largely built or upgraded during the asbestos era, and many sit on land with a long history of fill, fuel storage and industrial use.
Government asset owners carry duties that go beyond a single project. Asbestos registers and management plans must stay current across whole building portfolios. Capital works programs need hazard information early enough to scope and price tenders properly. Public works are open to scrutiny, so every survey, classification and clearance needs to stand up to audit.
BBN supports government clients with portfolio asbestos registers and re-surveys, hazardous materials surveys ahead of refurbishment and demolition, contaminated land assessment and waste classification for civil works, and air monitoring and clearances during live works. On a council flood restoration program, targeted soil sampling and in situ waste classification helped the council avoid around $500,000 in landfill disposal fees.
Surveys that identify asbestos, lead paint and other hazardous materials before refurbishment, demolition or maintenance, with material location, condition, risk rating, recommended actions, photographs and drawings. We also establish and maintain asbestos registers and management plans for ongoing compliance.
Asbestos air monitoring and clearance inspections provide independent evidence that controls are effective, which matters most where works sit beside occupied buildings, operational areas or sensitive assets.
Personal breathing zone monitoring, static boundary monitoring, surface dust sampling, visual inspections and clearance reporting during lead paint removal.
PFAS and contaminated land investigations, from preliminary and detailed site investigations to targeted PFAS sampling, conceptual site models, risk assessment, remediation planning and validation.
Soil characterisation and waste classification for compliant excavation, reuse, transport and disposal, with a defensible audit trail for material leaving Commonwealth land.
Environmental monitoring during construction, remediation or demolition, covering air, dust, surface water, groundwater, soil validation, noise and vibration.
We combine field capability, technical reporting and practical project advice to help contractors, consultants and asset managers identify risks early and manage them properly. Targeted investigations mobilise within 48 hours of instruction, and compliance samples are analysed through NATA-accredited partner laboratories with chain of custody managed from site to lab. Every airborne fibre and lead monitoring program we have delivered on Defence sites has returned results below the applicable workplace exposure standard.
FAQs
Cannot see your question? Call 0410 170 853 and talk to a consultant directly.
Yes. Before intrusive works, Defence buildings should have a hazardous materials survey to identify asbestos, lead paint, synthetic mineral fibres and other hazardous substances. Doing this early lets teams plan removal, price risk correctly and avoid unexpected discoveries mid-construction.
Asbestos in buildings and soil, lead-based paint, PFAS from firefighting activities, hydrocarbon impacts from fuels and oils, heavy metals, buried demolition waste and contaminated soil requiring classification before disposal.
PFAS is linked to firefighting training areas, former foam storage, fire stations and washdown areas. It can migrate through soil, groundwater, surface water and sediments, so early assessment is important to understand risk and manage disposal and regulatory obligations.
Yes. BBN delivers environmental and occupational hygiene services within active operational environments, coordinating around access, security, safety and program requirements so works can proceed without unnecessary disruption.
Yes. We support councils and state agencies with asbestos registers, hazardous materials surveys, contaminated land assessment, waste classification and air monitoring across building portfolios and civil works programs.
Generally yes. Soil leaving Commonwealth land must be classified, documented and managed correctly. Accurate classification supports compliant transport and disposal, prevents costly over-classification and creates a defensible audit trail.
Targeted investigations commence within 48 hours of instruction, with national coverage and rapid turnaround on results.
Targeted investigations mobilise within 48 hours of instruction, anywhere in Australia.
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