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Meet the Staff – Environmental consultants

In the last issue we met the staff of the analytical lab, who run the detailed lab tests and gather the results for reporting. After the results are collated, they go to the consultants, who use them to prepare their recommendations for you. This week we meet the environmental consultants, who deal with risk assessment and analysis of environmentally sensitive matters.

Daniel Saunders

Daniel graduated from Newcastle University with a bachelor’s degree in environmental science. Before joining SESL in 2004, Daniel had worked as a field engineer in the Australian Army (including operating eathmoving equipment and managing a quarry); brokered the supply of quarried materials at a construction materials firm; and managed the redevelopment of a caravan park, including road construction, riverbank stabilisation, water supply and effluent treatment. Daniel’s experience in all of these previous jobs with meeting DECC (previously EPA) and local government requirements and his skills in project management make him the ideal person to lead our Environmental Consultancy team.

Daniel advises clients on waste classification, contaminated site evaluation and reporting, and environmental analysis, including waste, water, acid sulphate soils, corrosion and scaling, and salinity.

Daniel holds a current green card from WorkCover for OHS General Induction for Construction Work in NSW.

Ryan Jacka

Ryan holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental science from the University of Western Sydney. He joined SESL in 2007, bringing impressive skills in sampling, testing, monitoring and the evaluation of results.

Ryan manages the needs of numerous clients, including monitoring of green waste products, acid sulphate soil risk assessments (preliminary, detailed and management plans), contaminated site assessments (stage 1, stage 2, remediation and validation), effluent disposal (single-dwelling and subdivision), drinking and environmental water assessments, and corrosion test results.

He is responsible for environmental site surveys and soil and water sampling. His reports are clear, concise and easily digested by non-scientific clients, and meet the reporting criteria of the regulatory authorities.

Ryan holds a current green card from WorkCover for OHS General Induction for Construction Work in NSW and an Elevated Work Platform Ticket.

Meredith Bormann

Meredith gained a bachelor’s degree in environmental science with honours from La Trobe University. She joined SESL in 2008 as an environmental consultant, and is an integral part of our team.

Meredith began her career with an environmental consultancy, assessing soil contamination, investigating acid sulphate soils, conducting asbestos and other hazardous materials surveys, and assessing sites for remediation and validation, covering site investigation, sample collection, data analysis and report writing.

She then joined Hornsby Shire Council, which happens to be SESL’s local council, where she developed an excellent reputation for resolving customer complaints about pollution. She also assessed DAs and on-site sewage management systems, and can therefore understand these issues from all points of view. As an OHS representative she developed practical experience in risk evaluation and environmental hazard evaluation.

At SESL, Meredith manages the needs of a number of clients, particularly in the areas of waste classification, DECC resource recovery exemptions, contamination assessments, water monitoring, and data analysis and reporting.

Meredith holds a current green card from WorkCover for OHS General Induction for Construction Work in NSW.