Asbestos Management

Any property built before 1999 could potentially contain asbestos containing materials (ACMs). There are a number of steps that need to be taken to firstly identify materials that contain asbestos fibres and then to ensure that they are managed in such a way as to minimise their risk.

The asbestos management stages are as follows;

• Assess whether asbestos containing materials are likely tobe present in your property
• Identify asbestos containing materials (asbestos testing, asbestos survey)
• Assess the risk (material risks, priority assessment)
• Manage the risk (asbestos registers, training)
• Remedial works
• Maintain the materials and registers

Are asbestos materials likely to be present?

If your building was constructed before the 80's then there is a likelihood that Asbestos Containing Materials (ACMs) will have been used at some point. That said, if any major refurbishments have recently been carried out then the chances are that these products have been replaced or protected (i.e painted). The next thing to consider is that most of these materials (such as floor tiles, sink pads, cement sheets) will be  low risk.

The hish risk materials tend to be thermal insulation products such as pipe lagging, asbestos insulation board (AIB) and sprayed coatings. Although these products were occasionally used in the home  they are more commonly found in the workplace (especially around heat sources such as boilers). 

There are more details on asbestos materials and their associated risks in the asbestos materials page.

ASBESTOS AT HOME

If your house was built or refurbished between 1930 and 1990 there is every likelihood that asbestos materials were used at some point. The chances are that most of these will have been removed since or be low risk. However, if you find any of the following materials in your dwelling (and they are more than 20 years old) then you should consider getting them tested by a specialised asbestos surveying company;

• Ceiling tiles made from a fibrous material
• Soffit boards
• Lagging or plasterboard cladding around a heat-source such as a boiler or a hot water pipe.
• Ceiling or floor insulation
• Board infill panels (often found around doors and windows)

ASBESTOS AT WORK

Asbestos materials were used in the commercial premises from 1930 to 1990. It had many uses which include;

• Fireproof ceiling and partitions
• Fire door lining
• Gaskets and seals
• Brake linings
• Millboard
• Resins & mastics
• Thermal insulation in boiler rooms (including lagging, cladding and sprayed asbestos)
• Roof sheeting
• PVC tiles
• Suspended ceiling tiles

Under  The Control Of Asbestos Regulations all Biritish non-domestic must have a register of all products identified or suspected of containing asbestos. 

ASBESTOS ANALYSIS

Even trained asbestos surveyors find it difficult to identify asbestos containing materials visually. The safest way to do this is to get a sample taken and analysed at a specialised laboratory. There are several hundred UKAS accredited laboratories that provide this service and many will come and take the sample for you to ensure that you minimise your own exposure to asbestos fibres.

ASBESTOS SURVEY

If you suspect that you have a number of asbestos materials present in your building it is better to arrange for a specialiased organisation to prepare an asbestos survey report. The asbestos surveyor(s) will attend your premises and take samples and make visual assessments and prepare a report which will typically include management recommendations. It should be stressed that even if ACMs are discovered in your property they will often be low risk and simple to manage.

Asbestos Risk Assessment

Once asbestos containing materials have been identified within your property it is important to establish whether they are a risk to those living or working in the premises. There are essentially four things that contribute to the risk posed by an ACM, these being

• Asbestos type (chrysotile, amosite or crocidolite)
• Material type (insulation, cement, composite, etc)
• Condition
• surface treatment

These factors determine the Material Risk but it is also important to calculate the priority assessment for each material. The priority dictates the order in which repairs and removals should be carried out.

MATERIAL RISK

Th most common way to calculate material risk is to use the use the algorithm in paragraph 59 of MDHS100. Essentially you assign numerical values of 0-3 to the four aforementioned factors (material type, damage, surface treatment, asbestos type and add these values to form a score from 0 - 12 where 12 is a very high risk.

The condition and surface treatment scoes are significant here because a badly damaged low risk material like a cement drain pipe can be more hazardous than asbestos lagging that is totally enclosed by a meshing material.

If you have already established the asbestos type (either through analysis or by using our guide to asbestos materials ) you can use this free online asbestos risk assessment calculator to calculate your score.

PRIORITY ASSESSMENT

There are several ways to assess the priority that should be given to the management of asbestos materials. Many organisations will simply use the material risk score and prioirtise this way. While this method is not very scientific it does simplify what can be a very complex calculation. At the other end of the scale there is the HSE risk assessment algorithm which assigns values toa number of factors such as accessibility and size.  We suggest that the best way to assess the priority is simply to use commons sense. For example, it is clear that a small piece of asbestos insulation board that is in good condition and painted does not pose as much risk as a broekn piece of cement board in a hallway. Logic dictates, therefore, the recommended action for the latter be prioiritised over that for the former.  

Asbestos Management

TRAINING

By training your operatives you are showing them how to work with or around asbestos, safely. Where staff are working with materials such as thermal insulation products they should be trained on what equipment to use and wear to protect them from exposure to asbestos fibres.

There are many companies offering Asbestos Awareness Training (see our sponsors below).

ASBESTOS REGISTERS

It is essential to establish a register of all asbestos materials and how you have managed them. See Asbestos Registers.

Remedial works

All asbestos materials are potentially dangerous and need to be managed to prevent exposure to asbestos fibres.  It is not necessary to take any remedial action if an ACM is good condition but you should inspect it regularly to ensure that no damage has occurred. Damaged high-risk ACMs need to be repaired, painted, enclosed or removed.

There are a number of factors that determine the best action but it is essential to note that it is often safer (and cheaper) to repair a materal than to remove it (especially if to do so may contimainate an area). All work on high-risk ACMs must be carried out by a licensed asbestos removal contractor. This work will normally be carried out under controlled conditions and must be notified to the local council at least 2 weeks before commencement (this is done by the removalcontractor).

We recommend that you always consult two or three contractors because quotes can vary enormously.