TEAMS LTD - Asbestos Surveys

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Our water treatment consultants can design and implement a water treatment programme which could increase the efficiency of your plant and water system.

Asbestos - What Is It?

Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral fibre used as a binder to provide rigidity for other materials such as cement. It is also fire resistant and was therefore added to a variety of products to strengthen them and to provide heat insulation and fire resistance.

Asbestos comes in several different types some of which are more dangerous than others however all types of asbestos are considered dangerous if the fibres are inhaled, as they can cause lung cancers. The risk of cancer increases with the number of fibres inhaled. The symptoms of these diseases do not usually appear until about 20 to 30 years after the first exposure to asbestos.

Most people exposed to small amounts of asbestos, as we all are in our daily lives, do not develop these health problems. However, if disturbed, asbestos-containing material may release asbestos fibres, which can be inhaled into the lungs. Asbestos material that would crumble easily if handled, or that has been sawed, scraped, or sanded into a powder, is more likely to create a health hazard. Fibre release is therefore most likely if for example, asbestos-containing material is drilled into or sanded inadvertently releasing the fibres into the atmosphere.

The Duty to Manage

If you own, occupy, manage or have responsibilities for non-domestic premises, which may contain asbestos, you will either have:

A legal duty to manage the risk from this material: or
A duty to co-operate with whoever manages that risk.

The person responsible for a building (The Duty Holder) is required to manage the risk from asbestos by:

Taking reasonable steps to find asbestos on their premises and assess the condition of these materials;
Presuming that materials do contain asbestos unless there is strong evidence that they do not;
Preparing a record of the location and condition of asbestos, or presumed asbestos, materials and assess the risks from them;
Preparing and implementing a plan to manage those risks; and

Providing information on the location and condition of the materials to anyone who is liable to disturb them.

How Do You Comply?

The new legislation introduces a 'DUTY TO MANAGE' asbestos within premises. Surveying is widely regarded as the recognised method of identifying any asbestos containing materials, and to manage the asbestos you need to identify it.

There are three types of survey referred to in MDHS 100, which is the guidance note issued by the HSE.

Type 1 : Location and assessment Survey (presumptive survey)

Type 2 : Standard sampling, identification and assessment survey (sampling survey)

Type 3 : Full access sampling and identification survey (pre-demolition / major refurbishment surveys)

Removal of ACMs already in place, and in good condition is not required by the regulations but buildings should be surveyed, asbestos labelled and its position and condition recorded to allow any asbestos to be 'managed' safely. The type of asbestos in the material, the condition of the material, its fibre release potential and its location in the building are among the factors that determine if it will be removed or repaired.

At TEAMS Limited, Our consultants have many years experience within the field of 'Asbestos Identification' and are trained to the minimum standard of BOHS Proficiency Module P402 - Building surveys and bulk asbestos sampling. Some of our consultants have recently attained the BOHS Specialist Module S301 - Asbestos and other fibres, which is the principal professional recognition of competence in asbestos testing and sampling.

Our objective is to work in partnership with our clients and together we will ensure that you fully comply with the new regulations.

The New Asbestos Regulations Regulation 4 of The Control of Asbestos at Work Regulation (2002) came into force on the 21 st May 2004. The Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2002 (CAWR) has introduced an explicit duty to manage asbestos in non-domestic premises. This important legislation tackles the biggest occupational health killer in the UK - asbestos-related disease.