o`connor associates

O’CONNOR ASSOCIATES
Consulting environmental engineers and geoscientists
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Who We Are
O'Connor Associates is a privately-owned, multi-disciplinary, Canadian
environmental consulting firm established in 1979. Working with an array of
Canadian and international Clients, our professional staff provides comprehensive
environmental services throughout Canada from offices in Vancouver, Calgary (our
head office), Edmonton, Winnipeg, Toronto and other locations. Joint venture
partnerships have been established in international markets.
The Secrets of Our Success
We listen to our Clients and customize our service for each job. We have
incorporated our award-winning Health and Safety program and behaviour-based
safety culture into all aspects of our work to ensure a safe working environment for
all of our employees and contractors. We consistently meet budgets and deadlines.
We develop practical solutions to problems. We aim to exceed our Client's
expectations by consistently providing the best value in services, taking into
consideration the social, economic and environmental aspects of each project.
Our Clients
At O'Connor Associates, we take pride in providing services to a wide variety of
industries (manufacturing, chemical, petroleum, transportation, utilities, etc.),
governments, financial institutions, developers and the legal profession. Our staff of
highly dedicated, well-trained individuals ensures that the goals of our Clients are
exceeded. We have a 24-hour paging service to provide immediate response to our
Clients in the event of environmental emergencies.
Our Experience
O’Connor Associates is enriched with knowledgeable engineers (civil, geological,
environmental and chemical) and scientists (hydrogeologists, geologists, biologists,
chemists, toxicologists, geographers and agrologists) who are dedicated to
environmental projects. Our company has more than 30 years of relevant experience.
We have provided environmental services at more than 9,000 sites across Canada and
75 sites internationally.
Our reputation as a “problem solver” is based on our demonstrated ability to resolve
complex environmental challenges that require strong technical leadership. Our
ability results from our utilization of high quality project management skills,
application of unique approaches, use of specialized equipment and implementation
of state-of-the-art environmental tools.
We have an in-house risk assessment group who can quantify ecological, human
health and financial risks associated with contamination or other environmental
impacts. We also maintain a dedicated research and development team, active in the
areas of monitoring methods, remediation techniques and numerical modelling. This
experience enables us to bring state-of-the-art technology and innovation to our
projects, placing us in a respected and leading position in the environmental field.
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Indoor & Outdoor Air Quality
O’Connor Associates has conducted indoor
and outdoor air quality assessments as
part of site investigations, during
remediation/abatement activities and for
risk management purposes. O’Connor
Associates can assist Clients with:
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Indoor and outdoor air quality monitoring
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Indoor air quality management programs
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Mould and asbestos investigation and
remediation/abatement
sampling and vapour transport
modelling
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Air emission monitoring and sampling
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Air dispersion modelling and permitting
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Soil gas
Site Assessments
O’Connor Associates has carried out
environmental assessments at thousands of sites
across Canada. Our fields of expertise include:
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Environmental impact assessments
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Phase I, Phase II, and Phase III site assessments
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Hazardous materials surveys
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Property condition surveys
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Geophysics, down-hole logging and surficial
mapping
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Contaminant characterization
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Environmental forensics
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Contaminant transport in fractured bedrock
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Contaminant transport modelling
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Remediation alternatives and costs
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Soil gas sampling and analysis
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Noise impact studies
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Legally defensible sampling plans
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At O'Connor Associates, our GIS
and data management group
continually evaluates existing
GIS and environmental software
and develops specific
engineering and business
software. O'Connor Associates
utilizes a central database and
GIS for internal data
management, data analysis and
presentation, as well as for
delivery of data to Clients. Our
system is dynamic and enables
each data delivery system to be
unique and customized to meet
Client requirements.
Project Management
O’Connor Associates has provided project management
services to a wide range of Clients and can assist with the
following:
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Life cycle management of projects
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Management of project deliverables
and budgets for large
portfolios of projects
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Investigation and excavation management
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Health and safety auditing and implementation
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Brownfield redevelopment
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Innovative solutions to data management
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Geographical Information Systems (GIS)
& Data Management
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O’Connor Associates is experienced
with the practical issues of industrial
and hazardous waste management
and can assist with:
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Asbestos,
mould, lead, PCB and
mercury investigation and
remediation/abatement
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Waste minimization and
management
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Disposal and treatability options
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Siting of waste disposal and
treatment facilities
Immediate Response &
Investigation
O’Connor Associates has offered
comprehensive emergency response
services for more than two decades
and can assist with the following:
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Spill response and clean-up
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Damage and impact mitigation
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Emergency preparedness, including
preparation and evaluation of
Environmental Emergency (E2) plans
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Public forum presentations
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Insurance claims investigation
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Hazardous Materials & Hazardous Waste Management
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O’Connor Associates has developed a
unified social, economic and
environmental (SEE) rating matrix to
incorporate a broad range of quantitative
and qualitative data relevant to a given
facility. The rating matrix is used to
normalize data for a series of social,
economic and environmental parameters
to facilitate science-based assessments
and to support decision-making based on
appropriate social, economic and
environmental factors. The rating matrix is
dynamic and can be customized to ensure
that the assessment accounts for the
appropriate social, economic and
environmental factors critical to a given
facility. The SEE rating matrix is the ideal
tool to compare and rank many similar
sites with dis-similar conditions and
constraints.
Risk Assessment & Risk
Management
In 1994, O’Connor Associates developed
the first risk-based remediation criteria in
Canada. The principles of risk assessment
have since been routinely applied by
O’Connor Associates to develop sitespecific remediation objectives, risk
management plans and regulatory
standards. We have performed hundreds of
risk assessments, including:
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Human
health and ecological risk
assessment
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Failure mode and effects analyses
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Exposure assessment and toxicology
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Environmental liability evaluation
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Environmental risk management
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Contaminant and vapour transport
modelling
www.oconnor-associates.com
Social, Economic & Environmental Impact
Assessments
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Compliance Assessments
Operators of industrial and commercial
facilities have relied on O’Connor Associates to
conduct compliance assessments.
Our expertise includes the fields of:
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Due diligence
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Health and safety
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Environmental management systems
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Financial liability assessments
Site Remediation & Closure
O’Connor Associates specializes in the design, installation, and operation of
remediation systems for soil, groundwater and surface water. Our many
projects have included:
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Soil excavation and disposal
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Insitu and exsitu soil biotreatment
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Vapour extraction and bio-venting
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Airsparging, multi-phase
extraction and groundwater
pump-and-treat
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Containment and immobilization
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Natural attenuation and enhanced
bioremediation
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Insitu chemical oxidation
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Thermal enhanced insitu
remediation
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Permeable reactive barriers
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Numerical modellers at O'Connor Associates routinely
use commercially available software to estimate
expected contaminant transport, geochemical conditions
and remediation rates. We have developed particular
expertise in assessing and modelling contaminant fate
and transport in unsaturated soils.
Hydrogeology
O’Connor Associates has designed, installed, and
operated wells for water supply and the recovery or
treatment of contaminated groundwater. Our
expertise includes:
Groundwater investigation and evaluation
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Groundwater and contaminant flow modelling
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Groundwater flow modification
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Water supply development
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Wellhead protection
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Aquifer protection
Litigation Support
O'Connor Associates' professionals
have served as expert witnesses and
provided litigation support for a wide
range of Clients dealing with legal
issues associated with contaminated
sites. With the support of over 30
years of consulting experience,
O'Connor Associates can provide
litigation support throughout all
stages of the legal process.
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Numerical Modelling
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The health and safety of our employees and
contractors on all of our Clients' work sites, as
well as within our offices, is paramount. It is well
understood by O'Connor Associates personnel
that no job is so urgent that it cannot be
performed safely. We believe that healthy
employees working safely will result in fewer
losses, thereby reducing costs. We believe that
employees own our safety program and are
obliged to provide input to improve the quality of
the safety program. We ask that every individual
take the initiative to personally ensure a
successful and productive work environment.
www.oconnor-associates.com
Health and Safety
INC.
Z O’CONNOR ASSOCIATES30ENVIRONMENTAL
years of great science
1-800-661-8141
info@oconnor-associates.com
www.oconnor-associates.com
Vancouver
(604) 513-1000
Calgary
(403) 294-4200
Edmonton
(780) 669-4380
Winnipeg
(204) 489-2964
Toronto
(905) 820-1210