1. ENVIRONME
SGS ENVIRONMENTAL
SERVICES
CAPABILITY STATEMENT

2. THE SGS DIFFERENCE
MORE THAN 130 YEARS AGO, SGS WAS FOUNDED IN ROUEN, FRANCE, AS A GRAIN INSPECTION COMPANY. SINCE THAT
MOMENT, WE HAVE GROWN THROUGH DIVERSIFICATION AND ACQUISITION INTO THE WORLD’S LEADING INSPECTION,
VERIFICATION, TESTING AND CERTIFICATION COMPANY.
Throughout the early and mid 20th By the start of the new millennium, a CONTACT
century, we expanded beyond our core wide-ranging corporate restructuring led
SGS Australia Pty Ltd
offering in agricultural inspection to activi- to the formation of the ten businesses
ties in minerals, oil, gas, chemicals, con- that are now found at SGS. From our 10 Reid Rd
sumer goods and industrial services. By beginnings in 1878 as a grain inspection Newburn Western Australia WA 6105
1980, half of our revenue was generated house, we have steadily grown into our
P: 61 8 9373 3500
from services that had not even existed role as the industry leader. We have
in 1970, adding expertise in automotive, done this through continual improvement F: 61 8 9373 3556
environmental, certification, governmen- and innovation and by reducing risk and E: AU.SGS@SGS.com
tal and life science services. improving the productivity and effi-
www.au.sgs.com/environmental
In 1981, SGS became a publicly traded ciency of our customers’ operations. We
company on the Swiss Stock Exchange. continue to look beyond customers’ and
The 1990s opened up tremendous op- society’s expectations in order to deliver
portunity for us as trade barriers fell and market leading services wherever they
new markets emerged. are needed.

3. OUR NETWORK DELIVERS THE SERVICE
YOU NEED
Through our network SGS Environmental
Environmental Laboratory
is able to ensure that you have the local
support needed for your project to run Dedicated Environmental Staff
smoothly. Using dedicated local
environmental personnel SGS can react
quickly to your needs.

4. ROUTINE ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS ACID ROCKS
The environment is a highly topical affair. Companies are constantly confronted with SOILS
new laws and regulations and spend a lot of effort to meet environmental require-
With Acid Sulphate Soils occuring
ments, such as; adaptation of production processes, investments in emission-reducing
throughout large areas of Australia it is
techniques, and others. The best solution is to acquire the services of a laboratory that
important that decisions are based on
is independent of industrial or sectoral organisations, authorities, and pressure groups.
the best data available. SGS, through
SGS is a laboratory, group or network without commercial ties except those with its the Cairns and Perth laboratories, has
clients. We have been working on the analysis of raw materials and the testing of prod- been involved with Acid Sulphate Soils
ucts with care and integrity for more than a century. Today, we also apply this philoso- since 1995 and has closely followed the
phy for our environmental measurements and analyses. development of analytical techniques
The accuracy and integrity of our people gives our measurement reports a high value as they have progressed. As the action
and a wide degree of acceptance aside from the numerous accreditations of our labo- criteria was developed SGS has focused
ratories and their technological infrastructure. Our measurement reports are more than on ensuring our analysis not only meets
valuable, it is a tool to demonstrate that you are operating in a correct and responsible the criteria but exceeds it, allowing con-
manner. sultants the flexibility to determine when
soils were approaching the action limit
and not only when they were exceeded.
The location of the Cairns and Perth
laboratories places SGS in the centre of
the Acid Sulphate Soil landscape and has
allowed SGS to acquire vast knowledge
of the analysis and types of matrices that
are present.
Acid Rock Drainage (ARD), also referred
to as Acid Mine Drainage (AMD), is the
outflow of acidic water from mining
operations including waste rock, tailings,
and exposed surfaces in open pits and
underground workings. SGS is a global
technical leader in the field of ARD with
years of experience helping mining
companies worldwide. Our laboratories
offer complete ARD testing services that
help predict acidic effluents. We have the
technical expertise to provide mitigating
strategies and innovative, yet practical
solutions to reduce the environmental
impact of your operation.
SGS has worked closely with freight
suppliers over the years to ensure that
samples can reach our laboratories as
quickly as possible from all locations na-
tionwide. Once at the laboratory results
can be turned around as quickly as 24hrs
providing consultants with timely and
accurate data to make informed
decisions.

5. DIOXINS HYDROCARBON FINGERPRINTING
Dioxins are persistent organic toxic SGS is able to provide detailed information on petroleum hydrocarbons including;
components that nowadays are forming Ageing, Weathering, Product Specification, Hydrocarbon Distribution, Biomarkers, PAH
a group of popular environmental pol- Distribution and unknown Chemicals of Potential Concern. Extensive State-of-the-Art
lutants. The carcinogenic characteristics techniques used are various and allow flexibility based on matrix and product composi-
of these compounds and the attention tion, resulting in a report as detailed as a forensic-type analysis or a simple product
they get by the public through crises and identification. The fingerprint measures the entire range of petroleum products, their
accidents, brings awareness around the additives and derived hydrocarbons as well as the weathering effect by environment
globe in terms of health concern and ac- when they are released. A mixture of contamination sources can be quantitatively
tions to be taken to prevent their release separated by identifying unique chemical markers. The resulting array of data provides
in the environment. detailed information about petroleum products which are present in the sample. De-
pending on the matrix and complexities of the sample, a combination of a number of
Dioxins consist of 210 components, analytical techniques may be utilised. The results obtained will provide highly accurate,
including the PolyChlorinated Dibenzo- reliable information.
Dioxins (PCDD’s) and the PolyChlorinated
DibenzoFurans (PCDF’s) of which 17
are considered as being toxic. Dioxins
are not intentionally manufactured but
are formed as a by product in chemical
processes and in uncontrolled combus-
tions. As dioxins are unintentionally
formed, they have to be differentiated
from other very similar components at a
very low level, parts per trillion or parts
per quadrilion. These are levels which are
about 1 000 000 times lower in concen-
tration compared to the normal level
other environmental components have to
be determined.
SGS offers clinical certainty that there
are no dioxin risks in your production
processes. With a team of highly skilled
scientists, our Institute for Applied
Chromatography (I.A.C.) analyses traces
of dioxin contamination in a wide range
of samples by means of innovative and
advanced techniques such as HRGC /
HRMS. The results of our dioxin analyses
are accurate and reliable. We can prove
that you are safe!

6. ASBESTOS & HYGIENE MINING
In the past, asbestos was used for thousands of products from automotive brakes, SGS has a long tradition as a leading sup-
friction products, textiles, insulation and many building materials. Now considered plier of testing and certification services
carcinogenic, the use of asbestos is strongly regulated or altogether banned. SGS test to the mining industry. Services include;
for the presence of asbestos in suspect building materials and measures the air quality the preparation and analyses of a vast
in locations where asbestos-containing materials have been used. Throughout our net- array of commodities, financial and tech-
work SGS conducts Asbestos identification in-house by using our accredited identifiers. nical risk reduction, quality and quantity
This enables us to provide an efficient and cost effective service to you. inspections, pilot-plant programs, on-site
laboratories, process improvements and
geometallurgical services.Environmental
DRINKING WATER QUALITY samples that originate from mine sites
need to be handled by the laboratory
More than 70% of our earth’s surface consists of water. Water is of vital importance to with trust and integrity. The differing
all life on earth. But water is not only of biological importance, it is also essential to our matrices that are present around mine
social, societal and economic existence. We analyse your samples with the greatest of sites can cause analytical issues and it
care and accuracy for their chemical, biochemical or microbiological quality. The results is imperative that the testing facility has
of our analyses are checked against the requirements set by your organisation or the experience and robust methods in place.
authorities. Over the course of 30 years SGS has built up an unparalleled reputation
in the determining of the quality of water. We have monitored the quality of drinking
water in capital cities throughout Australia and are able to meet the stringent limits of Our environmental laboratories ensure
the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines. the mining industry receives dependable
analytical data enabling them to make
Our expertise includes:
the right decisions, at the right time.
• Analysis of inorganic parameters (anions, metals, nutrients)
• Analysis of organic parameters (solvents, mineral oil, PAH’s, pesticides)
• Sampling of groundwater from deep and shallow monitoring
• Sampling of drinking water
• COD, BOD, pH and conductivity
• Microbiological analyses
• Various analysis packages (drinking and groundwater packages)
MARINE SEDIMENTS
To ensure a healthy marine environment for Australia both today and for the future it is
essential that all dredging and sea dumping is performed to regulatory guidelines. SGS
is able to partner with you in this process by providing quality analytical data allowing
you to make timely and accurate decisions. SGS can ensure the analytical component
of your project is performed to the highest standards. By supporting your project
onshore SGS allows you to concentrate on the primary project goal. The concerns of
sample transport, holding times and sample analysis are all supervised by SGS. By
bringing together field support, quality data and industry leading procedures

7. AIR TOXICS SPECIALIST SERVICES
Are the measures you have taken to pre- A specialist “Industrial & Analytical Services” team, within SGS Environmental Servic-
vent exposure to hazardous substances es, handles non-routine analytical works. The analytical laboratory, equipped with state
effective enough? Only periodic checks of the art analytical equipment, advanced technologies and expertise, has become a
can give you insight into the quality of leader in many areas including air, land, and water. The successes come not only from
working conditions. This work has now technologies, expertise, experience and innovation but the ability in dealing with real
been entrusted to SGS for more than world analytical problems and meeting commercial needs. Some of the studies under-
100 years. With SGS, you know you taken for various industries:
are in good hands. Air Toxics include a • Fingerprinting of petroleum and solvents in contaminated soil and water
wide range of air pollutants that can be
found in ambient air. The most com- • Speciation of mercury in soil and the stability studies of mercury leachates for
mon include volatile and semi-volatile landfill disposal
organic compounds and heavy metals. • Measurement of air dispersion using tracer SF6 – direct measurements at parts
Major sources of air toxics pollutants per trillionth level
include emissions from industrial plants • Sampling and characterisation of accumulated wastes.
and motor vehicles. It has been found
that even at low levels air toxics can be • Measurements of climate change fluorinated parameters-SF6, hydrofluorocarbons
hazardous to the environment and hu- (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (CF4, C2F6, C3F8), N2O, CH4 etc.
man health. In addition to the analyses of • Sampling and analysis of PAHs, aldehydes in ambient air.
heavy metals and a range of inorganics, • Investigation of odour from industrial effluent discharge.
SGS Environmental is able to analyse for
volatile organic compounds by USEPA • Ambient air measurements of VOCs by NATA USEPA AirToxics TO14 and TO15.
TO-15 method. In fact, the Sydney facility • Investigation of waste material illegally discarded on land or in aquifers.
was the first to gain NATA accreditation • Validation of on-line stack FTIR VOC analyzer by laboratory sampling and analysis.
for this method of air toxic analyses in
Australia. SGS Environmental can also • Investigation of unknown warehouse odor that caused evacuation.
provides SUMMA canisters for sample • Resolving high reported sulfide in complex industrial trade waste.
collection. A Summa canister is a stain- • Suitability of use of various underground pipes in contaminated land for transport-
less steel vessel in which the internal ing contaminated water.
surfaces have been specially passivated
using a “Summa” process. This process • Investigation of chemical contamination in bulk chemicals.
uses an electro-polishing step followed • Investigation of unknown deposits in industrial processes.
by chemical deactivation to produce a • Method development for a wide range of non-routine environmental analysis in
surface that is chemically inert. SGS Envi- solid, aqueous and air matrices.
ronmental also performs analysis of air,
gas and emission samples in applications
such as;
• Landfill and Fugitive Hases MULTITRACE ANALYSIS
• Ambient air monitoring MultiTrace® is a quick, multi-component analytical screening method that allows a
• Workplace exposure to volatile/ broad analysis of contaminants contained in soil and ground water samples. The 350
semi-volatile and inorganic com- target compounds are carefully selected and continuously reviewed, updated and
pounds extended to address the present and expected environmental legislation, locally and
internationally. In contrast to the conventional approach which is based on sequenced
• Process & Vent gas monitoring and
compound specific testing procedures, this methodology incorporates an extensive list
analysis for impurity gases
of substances mainly micro-pollutants and POPs via an integrated sample processing
• Site boundary monitoring flow.
• Stack gas analysis MultiTrace® is a real risk assessment tool. All QA/QC method characteristics like validi-
• Vehicle exhausts emissions ty, accuracy and precision have been investigated thoroughly and successfully validated
via an EN-ISO 17025 accreditation scheme. This integrated laboratory testing concept
• Metals in Dust
allows a commitment to a short turnaround time of a maximum of 7 working days from
• Soil Vapour laboratory receipt date.MultiTrace® is the SGS smart tool for all your fast, qualitative,
quantitative and in depth environmental investigation and research purposes.

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