Asbestos Management
Up to 500,000 commercial, industrial and public buildings in the UK are likely to contain asbestos materials. Unless this material is properly managed then workers, especially maintenance workers and contractors, may breathe in the deadly fibres whilst carrying out their routine jobs.
Legislation
In the UK Regulation 4 of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006 (CAR) and in Northern Ireland, the Control of Asbestos Regulations (NI) 2007 places a legal duty on those parties responsible for maintaining and repairing the premises, (owners, managing agents, employers, self-employed), to manage the risk from asbestos.
In particular the duty holder must:
- Take reasonable steps to find materials in premises likely to contain asbestos and check their condition.
- Presume that materials contain asbestos unless there is strong evidence to the contrary.
- Make a written record of the location and condition of asbestos and presumed asbestos containing materials (ACMs). Keep this record up to date.
- Assess the risk of anyone being exposed to these materials.
- Prepare a plan to manage that risk and put it into effect.
Asbestos: The Survey Guide (HSG264)
In 2010, the Health & Safety Executive launched a new asbestos guidance document which includes important regulatory changes for the way asbestos surveys are planned and delivered. The guide replaces and expands on the surveying industry standard- ‘MDHS100: Surveying, sampling and the assessment of asbestos containing materials’.
The new guidance assists asbestos surveyors, as well as providing advice for those who are required to implement and manage asbestos under Regulation 4 of the Control of Asbestos Regulations (CAR 2006) in non-domestic premises.
There are now two types of survey: the ‘Management Survey’ and the ‘Refurbishment and Demolition Survey’. The new surveys are more self-explanatory and promote better liaison between surveyor and duty holder pre-survey to ensure accurate and useable survey information.
The importance of a Management Plan
A written plan must be prepared to ensure that as far as reasonably practicable no one can come to harm from asbestos on the premises. The plan can be a paper copy or in a version accessible from a computer database. In particular the plan must include the following elements:
- An organization structure with clear lines of responsibility.
- A survey of the premises to locate and assess ACMs. The results of the survey must be recorded in an easily retrievable form, which can then be used to make a risk assessment. In turn this can be used to draw up the remedial part of the management plan.
- A procedure for ensuring that asbestos containing materials are inspected on a regular basis to ensure that they are kept in a good state of repair.
- If necessary repair or remove any asbestos containing material due to its condition or location.
- Provide information on the location and condition of asbestos containing materials to anyone potentially at risk.
- Label or colour code ACMs.
- Define and use safe systems of work. This may include a permit to work system.
- Review the management plan at least every 6 months.
HBE Asbestos Management Services
HBE will develop a personalised Asbestos Management Plan for your organisation consisting of;
- An Asbestos policy and a procedures document for each site.
- 24/7 online access to your records through our secure online records system.
- Regular surveying and bulk sampling:
- Risk Assessment Survey – Location & assessment survey (presumptive survey)
- Management Survey - Standard sampling, identification and assessment survey
- Refurbishment and Demolition Survey – Full access sampling and identification survey (pre-demolition)
- Condition reports
Risk management programmes
Management Surveys
The management survey is the standard survey. Its purpose is to locate, as far as reasonably practicable, the presence and extent of any suspect ACMs in the building which could be damaged or disturbed during normal occupancy, including foreseeable maintenance and installation, and to assess their condition.
The survey will often involve minor intrusive work and some disturbance. The extent of intrusion will vary between premises and depend on what is reasonably practicable for individual properties, and will include an assessment of the condition of the various ACMs and their ability to release fibres into the air if they are disturbed in some way. This ‘material assessment’ will give a good initial guide to the priority for managing ACMs as it will identify the materials, which will most readily release airborne fibres if they are disturbed. The survey will usually involve sampling and analysis to confirm the presence or absence of ACMs. Although it can also involve presuming the presence or absence of asbestos.
Refurbishment and Demolition Survey
The refurbishment and demolition survey is needed before any refurbishment or demolition work is carried out. This type of survey is used to locate and describe, as far as reasonably practicable, all ACMs in the area where the refurbishment work will take place or in the whole building if demolition is planned. The survey will be fully intrusive and involve destructive inspection, as necessary, to gain access to all areas, including those that may be difficult to reach. A refurbishment and demolition survey may also be required in other circumstances, e.g. when more intrusive maintenance and repair work will be carried out or for plant removal or dismantling.
Data at your fingertips
We understand how important it is to have access to your risk assessments, so with our online MBR Risk Management System you will have secure, realtime access to your data, as well as delivering you an audit trail for your health and safety compliance.
For more information about Asbestos Management services, call HBE Risk Management or email sales@hberm.com
