Towards the creation of a decision support system tool for the preliminary risk assessment of brownfield sites

Brownfield sites always raise concern for the health and safety of site workers involved in site renovations and developments and, subsequently, for the residents or occupants of the sites. As a minimum, a preliminary risk assessment is necessary to determine whether a brownfield site is contaminated and, if so, ensuring any redevelopment is safe and suitable for its proposed use. Despite growing interest in the progression of risk assessment tools, there are limited instruments available for brownfield site assessors to consult when conducting investigations at the preliminary risk assessment stage. This study presents a conceptual framework that ultimately aims to create a web-based decision support system (DSS) for the preliminary risk assessment of brownfield sites. This is based on a pollutant linkage model (Source–Pathway–Receptor). The proposed framework aids the identification of health and safety hazards and, in doing so, it addresses the challenges facing those persons dealing with the decision-making on brownfield site developments. Moreover, the framework enables them to determine the most appropriate remediation strategy(ies) to halt pollutant linkages, promote safer developments and minimise the risks to future occupants of brownfield sites and neighbouring lands.