Title: Reading: Risk-Based Corrective Action (RBCA)
Course: BLD 159 Intro to Brownfield Remediation, Land Re-use, and Public Health > Section: BLD 159 Intro to Brownfield Remediation, Land Re-use, and Public Health

Reading: Risk-Based Corrective Action (RBCA)

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Risk-Based Corrective Action (RBCA)

Brownfields assessment and cleanup are based on risk based corrective action. Corrective action is how responsible parties address releases of contamination into environmental media.

WHAT IS RBCA?
Risk-based corrective action (RBCA) is a generic term for corrective action strategies that categorize sites according to risk and move all sites toward completion using appropriate levels of action and oversight. The ASTM standard is a good example of a framework for implementing a RBCA strategy. With this process, regulators can make sound, quick, consistent management decisions for a variety of sites using a three-tiered approach to data collection and site review contained in ASTM's E1739 standard guide for "Risk-Based Corrective Action applied at Petroleum Release Sites."
HOW CAN RBCA HELP YOU?
RBCA helps you to:
- Categorize sites according to risk
- Allocate resources for maximum protection of human health and the environment
- Provide appropriate level of oversight
- Move all sites forward quickly

You can use RBCA to:
- Identify exposure pathways and receptors at a site
- Determine the level and urgency of response required at a site
- Determine the level of oversight appropriate for a site
- Incorporate risk analysis into all phases of the corrective action process
- Select appropriate and cost-effective corrective action measures

RBCA is not a substitute for corrective action, but a tool for determining the amount and urgency of action necessary. RBCA should never be used solely to justify inaction at a site or to save money.