Managing a hidden killer
October 1st 2009 Managing asbestos in buildings effectively and efficiently is essential to prevent more people being exposed to this hidden killer, says Richard Edwards
It is estimated that there is six million tonnes of asbestos in schools, hospitals, shops, offices, factories and even our homes. Recent figures issued by the Health and Safety Executive reveal that every week 20 tradesmen die from asbestos-related diseases through past exposure to asbestos fibres. This amounts to approximately 4,000 asbestos-related deaths every year and academic research shows that this figure could increase to around 10,000 asbestos-related deaths a year by 2015.
These are shocking statistics and emphasise the need to manage asbestos in buildings effectively and efficiently to prevent more people being exposed to this hidden killer and running the risk of dying in the future.
Under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006, if you are responsible for managing the maintenance and repair of a building, or you are the owner, then as the 'duty holder' you have a legal duty to manage asbestos and protect employees. The regulations require the 'duty holder' to:
Find out whether asbestos is present in their buildings, where it is located and what condition it is in Assume that materials contain asbestos unless they can be sure they do not Record their findings Assess the risks from these materials Prepare and implement plans to manage the risks from such asbestos Provide information to anyone liable to come into contact with asbestos There are three main types of asbestos that can be found in premises, which are commonly called blue asbestos (crocidolite), brown asbestos (amosite) and white asbestos (chrysolite) – all of them are potentially hazardous. However, as long as asbestos is in good condition and not disturbed or damaged, there is no risk.
If building maintenance work is going to be carried out, then anyone involved in the process could be at risk. Workers carrying out maintenance and repair jobs such as cutting or drilling into walls, ceilings or partitions, repairing boilers, laying cables etc. are particularly at risk.
It is impossible to tell whether a material contains asbestos just by looking at it, as this can only be confirmed by laboratory analysis. However, there are many parts of a building where you are most likely to come across ACMs as follows: Boards around radiators, windows, fireplaces, building columns, pillars etc Sprayed coating on ducts, pipes and some ceilings External cement products such as roof sheets and down pipes Textured coatings on ceilings, walls and stairwells Some ceiling tiles Some water ranks When in doubt, it is better to presume that a material contains asbestos as it can be present in buildings built or refurbished up to the year 2000, although usage began to decline in the 1970s.
In order to protect your employees and other people from exposure to asbestos fibres, if you suspect that asbestos could be present in a building, there is a standard approach which involves three types of asbestos surveys:
Type 1 – Presumptive 'walkthrough' survey 'Walk-through' asbestos surveys are a visual assessment of any suspected areas where asbestos may be present e.g.
insulation board, ceiling tiles etc. The survey technique relies on the ability of the surveyor to visually identify all materials that may contain asbestos and does not include the taking of samples to confirm the presence of asbestos.
Therefore, the surveyor has presumed the presence of asbestos using previous knowledge and experience of asbestos in buildings. Moreover, all installations and all inaccessible areas shall be assumed to contain asbestos, until it can be proven otherwise by a Type 2 or Type 3 survey.
Type 2 – Standard sampling asbestos survey Standard sampling asbestos surveys are the most common form of asbestos survey undertaken and require the surveyor to again identify any installations that may contain asbestos. These installations are then sampled (this may require several samples depending on size and complexity of the suspect installation) and analysis carried out at an UKAS-accredited laboratory.
This type of survey provides a much more accurate result than just a survey on its own, as it confirms where asbestos is present. It will also give additional information on types of asbestos and concentrations on which to base an assessment of risk.
Type 3 – Full access intrusive asbestos survey Full access intrusive asbestos surveys extend the Type 2 survey to include investigations into reasonably accessible sealed voids and the fabric of the building. This will include breaking through partition walls, ceilings etc. to confirm the presence or absence of asbestos and normally, this is carried out prior to demolition or major refurbishment works, where significant damage to the building will not be a problem.
If you need to have any asbestos remedial work carried out, this must be done by trained professionals using proper precautions and if working with 'high risk' materials, such as sprayed asbestos, then a licensed contractor must be used. Even work on materials such as asbestos cement, textured coatings or vinyl tiles has to be undertaken by a fully trained contractor.
Finally, it is advised that where asbestos materials have been found in the past, then an appropriate monitoring regime be implemented. In addition, where changes have occurred it is suggested that the Building Asbestos Register, Management Plan and Location Plans are updated.
It is worth remembering that whilst exposure to asbestos containing materials can prove to be a killer, if it is in good condition and unlikely to be disturbed or damaged, it is usually safer to leave it where it is and manage it effectively.
Richard Edwards is a director at Safety Management & Monitoring Services (SM&MS) | 
