Best Practice Data Collection for Contaminated Land Investigations: Land Condition Early Careers Network webinar

This webinar is the first in a new series being launched by the IES Land Condition Early Careers Network on data.

Obtaining high‑quality data is crucial for any land condition professional, but collecting it reliably in the field can be challenging. This webinar will explore the core principles of good practice data collection during contaminated land site investigations, providing practical guidance that early career professionals can apply to their roles.

We’ll cover key topics including:

• Effective sampling techniques and selecting appropriate methods for different site conditions.
• Quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) measures that minimise uncertainty and improve confidence in results.
• Use of digital data collection tools for clear record keeping and to enhance efficiency and accuracy.

Designed with early‑career professionals in mind, this session will build confidence in fieldwork, highlight common pitfalls, and reinforce best practice habits. Whether you're new to site investigations or looking to refresh your approach, you’ll leave with practical insights to strengthen the quality, reliability and value of your field data.

Our speakers

Rohan Gardner is a Senior Consultant in Arup’s Land Quality and Contamination team. He completed a master’s degree in chemistry at the University of Bath before joining Arup in 2019. He joined the IES Land Condition Early Careers Network Steering Group last year where he looks forward to collaborating with his industry peers and supporting early career professionals in the Land Condition space.

Rohan has worked on various multi-disciplinary projects in the UK and Europe and has expertise in assessing sites for due diligence purposes and for potential redevelopment. His experience has spanned across various stages of contamination assessment, including desk-based studies, site investigation, detailed risk assessment, and verification. Rohan also has experience in materials management and environmental and health and safety due diligence.

He enjoys the challenge of integrating contaminated land assessment with other disciplines to support sustainable solutions. More recently Rohan has been developing his skills in PFAS risk assessment and undertook a detailed PFAS profiling exercise at a site with contaminated groundwater and surface water to inform the remediation options appraisal.

Rohan has experience in the supervision and delivery of complex ground investigations and the importance of high-quality data collection.

Christopher Arkwright is an Environmental Scientist at Arup, specialising in contaminated land, ground investigation delivery and monitoring. He holds an MSci in Geoscience from Royal Holloway, University of London, and is a Member of the Institution of Environmental Sciences and a Fellow of the Geological Society.

Christopher’s career has been built around site delivery and data quality. He started at Geolabs, supporting geotechnical and geo‑environmental testing with a strong focus on quality assurance and chain‑of‑custody. He then worked at 4‑Rail Services as an environmental and occupational health technician, supporting field data collection and risk assessment on large-scale infrastructure projects. From 2019 to 2024 he was an Environmental Consultant at AECOM, progressing from delivery support to managing ground investigations and site operations across the UK. During this period, he developed practical methods, scopes and specifications to ensure high‑quality data collection that was workable on site and produced reliable information to support assessment. He joined Arup in September 2024 and continues to work across the full project lifecycle, with a particular focus on intrusive fieldworks, monitoring programmes and the integrity of datasets.

A core part of Christopher’s work is site‑based delivery: scoping and supervising intrusive investigations and monitoring campaigns; reviewing data collection methodologies and data handling; coordinating contractors and logistics; and ensuring safe, compliant working and high‑quality data capture. He has overseen data collection across a wide range of methodologies. He also supports the use of dashboards and data visualisation to improve field reporting and data visibility, helping teams act quickly on emerging issues while maintaining a clear audit trail.

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