ASBESTOS: STILL A VERY SIGNIFICANT RISK OF DEATH
Asbestos related diseases are still killing almost three times the number of people who die on Britain’s roads.
The figure has risen from around 500 per year in the 1980s to over 5000 in 2018 in spite of more than twenty years of much better work practices and controls. This is because of the many years that the diseases take to develop. Often, diagnosis is only possible when the disease is at an advanced incurable stage.
In common with many ‘health’ as opposed to ‘safety’ issues, deaths due to asbestos related diseases have a much lower profile. Many who have suffered may have just quietly left the industry years before their premature deaths.
It is important to take working with asbestos seriously.
Asbestos is banned from new building materials
Asbestos was an extremely popular and widely used material in the construction industry, because it was cheap, strong and a good insulator. Chrysotile (white) asbestos was the most commonly used type of asbestos and can be found in many building products from textured coatings like Artex to cement products, floor tiles, roofing and even within the plastic of toilet seats.
Although the links to lung disease were known (Bernie Sims remembers deliberately avoiding specifying it in the ’70s), Asbestos containing materials were only fully banned in the UK construction industry in 1999. With Blue (crocidolite) and Brown (amosite) asbestos banned in 1985, White (chrysotile) asbestos was finally banned in 1999.
The good news is that because Asbestos as a building material was banned from new use in the UK, properties wholly built after this date are generally free from asbestos containing materials (ACM).
However, care should be taken when working on pre 1999 buildings and on brown field sites as there have been instances where previously removed asbestos materials have been buried in the ground rather than correctly disposed of.
Controls
The Control of Asbestos at Regulation 2012 set minimum standards for the protection of employees and the public from risks related to exposure to asbestos. This defines the duties to manage asbestos in non-domestic premises. The duty holder is the person responsible for the maintenance of a property. Duties include:
- Assessment of location and condition of any asbestos containing materials within the premises and periodic reassessment.
- Maintaining details of these items on the building Asbestos register.
- Informing staff and any person working on the fabric of the premises on the location and condition of any and ACMs
- Works which disturb or is liable to disturb ACMs should only be carried out when it is unavoidable. Removal of the ACM should be considered as the first option.
- Where works are likely to disturb ASMs, suitable and sufficient risk assessments must be supplied and reviewed by a competent person before the works begin.
Training
Asbestos training is divided into 3 grades: Asbestos Awareness, Non-licensable work including Notifiable Non Licenced Work (NNLW), and Licensable Removal Work.
Asbestos awareness training should be given to employees whose work could foreseeably disturb the fabric of a building and expose them to asbestos or who supervise or influence the work. This will include electricians, HVAC engineers, plumbers and decorators as well as contractors changing the fabric of the building.
In addition to the ‘asbestos awareness’, those employees whose work will knowingly disturb ACMs, and which is defined as non-licensable work or NNLW, should receive additional task-specific information, instruction and training. This will include safe working practices, correct use of control measures and personal protective equipment.
In addition to the above, those employees employed in the removal of asbestos (Licensed Work) will require additional training as detailed within the Licenced Contractor Guide (HSG247).
Licensed Removal
For a contractor to undertake licensed removal they must be approved and licensed by the Health and Safety Executive.
Notification to the authorities: When undertaking any licensed asbestos work the relevant authority (Local Authority, HSE or Office of Road and Rail) must be notified with details of the proposed works on form ASB5 at least 14 days before the works commences.
Where it is planned to carry out Notifiable Non-Licensed Work (NNLW), an on-line notification ASB NNLW1 must to be submitted through the HSE website. There is no minimum notification period for a NNLW apart from it being submitted before the work begins.
Containment
Where work will disturb ACMs, steps should be taken to prevent fibres becoming airborne or escaping from the work area. Dust suppression techniques should be used to reduce the release of fibres whether by pre-wetting or shadow vacuuming at the point of works.
Licensable works will be conducted within an enclosure, with suitable filtered exhaust units in place to create a negative pressure environment. Air flow rates will require calculation and be included within the safe system of works.
On completion of these works, a thorough decontamination and clean up to remove any residual waste or loose fibres. Where licensable removal has taken place, a four stage clearance procedure should be carried out and a certificate of reoccupation issued.
Disposal of Asbestos
Asbestos containing materials are classified as hazardous waste under The Hazardous Waste (England & Wales) Regulation 2005 / The special Waste Amendment (Scotland) Regulations 2004.
They must be sealed and labelled as detailed within the applicable legislation and only transported and disposed of by licensed waste companies.
For further help with your obligations
Call BSA on 01483 467270 or email on bsims@bsims.co.uk