Asbestos in buildings – a brief for senior premises portfolio managers
Asbestos kills at least 3,000 people every year in the UK, and the numbers are rising. But there is a real change in the picture that this paints – because what was once a threat to workers in manufacturing (and overseas in mining as well), has become a real risk to health for people engaged in building maintenance. Already a quarter of those dying worked in the building trades – as plumbers, electricians, carpenters, joiners, shop fitters. Blue and brown asbestos are now banned substances, they cannot be imported or used, but along with white asbestos there still remains tonnes of this killer in buildings erected before 1980.
Unless in the future we adopt working practices which assume that exposure to asbestos in these buildings is likely, we shall all be at risk of inhaling fibres that can cause mesothelioma. It is this danger of cancer, and an inoperable and invariably fatal cancer at that, which demands the attention of every professional premises manager.
Gathering, Keeping and Passing on Information
The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006 and HSG 264 “Asbestos: The survey guide outline the chronological steps to be taken to prevent exposure to airborne asbestos in buildings:
Step 1 – Compile a Building Asbestos Register
It is necessary to identify the presence of asbestos in every workplace building constructed before 1980. This may be done by looking at plans and previously commissioned and drafted survey reports. However, if there is any doubt as to the validity of the information, any suggestion that it may not be comprehensive, it would be wise to conduct or commission a fresh asbestos survey. Much can be learned by simply looking, but ultimately asbestos materials can only be confirmed by submitting samples for laboratory analysis. Samples should only be taken by trained staff with a proper safe system of work – even looking for asbestos can disturb it and create a health hazard. The samples should be analysed by UKAS accredited laboratories so that you may have confidence in the quality of the data.
Step 2 – Assess the Condition
Asbestos is not a risk when it is in place, in undamaged materials. The health effects arise when fibres are breathed in, so the risks are all associated with airborne asbestos dust. The second consideration is the nature of the asbestos, as without doubt all types are dangerous, but blue and brown (crocidolite and amosite) are more potent at causing cancer. So this step requires a risk assessment:
- is the asbestos damaged and liberating fibres?
- is the asbestos likely to be damaged?
- what sort of asbestos is it?
The worse the condition, the more likely that efforts will be required to make it safe by removal of the asbestos or sealing it effectively to lock in the fibres and protect it from further damage.
Step 3 – Take Action
This is the key to the asbestos management programme. There is a series of actions which should be taken to ensure safety:
- where required asbestos can be removed, in a carefully controlled way (see below)
- asbestos materials can often be maintained in good condition, by applying one or more of a range of proprietary sealants which range from paints to metal wrapping
- if left in situ it is preferable for it to be labelled to minimise inadvertent damage, but this may be inappropriate in public areas and elsewhere where the labelling may invite vandalism
- the asbestos identified, its condition and method of sealing should be recorded in a premises asbestos register, which is then used to advise and inform both in-house staff and external contractors
Step 4 – Monitor
Whether for individual asbestos installations the option selected is removal or safe maintenance, a programme of monitoring whichever actions are taken is needed to ensure that exposure to airborne fibres is minimised. This means checking that the asbestos left in place is in good condition, that during removal appropriate precautions are taken and that maintenance staff – in-house or contractors – are informed as to the locations of asbestos materials.
Step 5 – Information
As with all other aspects of health and safety, there is a duty to consult, inform, instruct and train staff so that everyone who needs to know is well-informed and trained to be “competent”. This requirement is in separate parts:
- all staff should be warned to respect labels, report damage etc.
- maintenance staff should be advised of the register and the need to refer to it when planning any works
- procurement staff need to build the information into the contractor appointment process, and for projects which are substantial enough to fall under the CDM rules to advise the Planning Supervisor and in turn request that s/he updates the register as part of the Health and Safety File compilation
- everyone should understand that if asbestos has been identified within the premises, whether it is removed or maintained, it remains a possibility that other unidentified asbestos material is present and may be uncovered at a later date – so caution is required
Summary
Modern buildings contain, in many cases, a toxic hazard which has been imported in such large quantities that it continues to take a heavy toll of building maintenance staff. The modern Facilities Manager is therefore faced with the task of ensuring that, wherever practicable, asbestos is identified and drawn to the attention of relevant people. Most exposures to airborne fibres in the past took place in ignorance of the consequences. Now we are in a position to protect our building maintenance staff from breathing in more asbestos dust, and running the risks of developing mesothelioma. In some ways, asbestos represents a special case, a microcosm of facilities management as a whole. Just as with Legionella or the use of safer material under the COSHH Regulations, the task is one of identification, communication and the implementation and monitoring of high standards. Facilities Managers therefore have the necessary skills to upgrade our management of asbestos in buildings as another example of the professionalisation of the role.
Author
Steve McCrorie MBOHS, BSc(Hons)
Head of Occupational Health & Hygiene
Alcumus Compliance