The Management of Asbestos

Martin Skiggs MRICS MBEng

A presentation by
Martin Skiggs MRICS MBEng MFPWS

This presentation is best viewed in “Notes Page” format.

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 Agenda
• What is asbestos?
• The health risks associated with asbestos
• The uses of asbestos
• Prohibitions
• The Duties under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006
• Asbestos surveys
• Air monitoring
• Your own safety
 Jargon
• ACM = Asbestos Containing Material
• CAR = Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006
• Asbestos Regs = Control of Asbestos
Regulations 2006
• HSE = Health and Safety Executive
• HASWA = Health And Safety at Work Act 1974
 What is asbestos?

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What is asbestos?

• The ancient Greeks

discovered a fiberous mineral
that acted as a wick.
• This wick did not burn down.
• The ancient Greek word,
asbestos means Burns forever
or inextinguishable
What is asbestos?
• Naturally occurring fibrous
minerals
• used extensively throughout
the 20th Century.
• 6 main types of asbestos
covered by UK/EU
legislation.
• Usually only 3 types of
asbestos used in the UK, in
construction and
engineering.
 The three main types of asbestos
• Chrysotile (white) Serpentine

• Amosite (brown)
• Crocidolite (blue) Amphiboles

The other 3 types of asbestos (Tremolite, Anthophylite and Actinolite)

are frequently found as contaminants of those above.
 The health risks associated
with asbestos

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 The health risks associated
with asbestos
• Prolonged, frequent exposure may cause
illness
– Asbestosis is scaring of the lung
tissues
– Lung cancer
– Mesothelioma cancer of the lining to
the lungs and stomach
– Plural Thickening is where the lining of
the lung becomes thicker
• No symptoms for 15 to 60 years.
• Smoking increases the risk up to 90 times
 The health risks associated
with asbestos
Anthophylite under electron microscope

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Projected deaths

Source: Explanatory Notes to the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006

 Who is at risk?
• Demolition contractors
• Roofing contractors
• Construction workers
• Heating and ventilation engineers
• Telecom/computing installation engineers
• General maintenance staff
• Electricians
• Painters and decorators
• Joiners
• Plumbers/gas fitters
• Plasterers
• Building Surveyors

Source: Explanatory
Source: Explanatory Notes to the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006 Notes to the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006
 Who is at risk?
Regulation 10
• Demolition contractors
• Roofing contractors
The duty to give asbestos
• Construction workers awareness training to those
• Heating and ventilation engineers who are likely to disturb it.
• Telecom/computing installation engineers
• General maintenance staff
• Electricians
• Painters and decorators
• Joiners
• Plumbers/gas fitters
• Plasterers
• Building Surveyors

Source: Explanatory Notes to the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006

Source: Explanatory Notes to the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006
 The dangers of asbestos
• Airborne asbestos fibres may
cause respiratory diseases.
• ACMs that are undamaged and
stable are not hazardous.
• Only airborne fibres are
dangerous.
• Training to be given to those at
risk of disturbing asbestos.
 The uses of asbestos

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 Why was asbestos used?

• Asbestos does not burn.

• It has a high friction quotient.
• It is waterproof.
• It is largely chemically inert.
• It is a poor conductor of heat.
• It is a poor conductor of electricity.
• Weight-for-weight is stronger than steel.
• Cheap.
 How big is the problem?

Estimated total in excess of 650 million tonnes of asbestos imported into UK

Source: Explanatory Notes to the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006

Where am I likely to find asbestos?
Where am I likely to find asbestos?
• ceiling tiles • soffit boards
• coating on ceilings, walls • insulation on pipes
• sprayed coating on ducts, pipes • caulking on pipe joints, gaskets
• some ceilings and partitions • ropes and yarns
• boards around radiators, windows • fuse boxes
and wall linings • electrical switchgear
• fireplaces, building columns, pillars; • water tanks
• inside fire doors • external cement products: roof
sheets, roof tiles, down pipes
• Etc.
Where am I likely to find asbestos?
Where am I likely to find asbestos?

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Where am I likely to find asbestos?

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 Where am I likely to find asbestos?

• 1970’s Domestic
dwelling
Where am I likely to find asbestos?

24
Where am I likely to find asbestos?
ohoto taken
P
1980 (ish)

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Where am I likely to find asbestos?

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Where am I likely to find asbestos?

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Where am I likely to find asbestos?

28
Signage
 Prohibitions on the use of asbestos

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 Prohibitions
• Late 1880s HM Factory Inspector, Lucy Deane,
noticed increased incidents of lung disease
among asbestos workers.
• Voluntary industry ban on Crocidolite – 1972
• Asbestos Prohibitions Regulations – 1985 and
1988 banned the importation and use of
amphiboles (Amosite and Crocidolite).
• Total ban on the use and importation of all
asbestos – 24th November 1999
 The duties under the Control of Asbestos
Regulations 2006

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 The Control of Asbestos Regulations
2006 (CAR 2006)
A duty holder is defined as:
• any person who has an obligation to maintain
a non-domestic premises or any means of
access thereto or egress therefrom, or
• any person who has control over a non-
domestic premises.
 The Control of Asbestos Regulations
2006 (CAR 2006)
Regulation 4: The duty to manage asbestos in non-domestic
premises
• Take reasonable steps to identify whether asbestos is
present and if so it’s quantity and condition.
• Presume materials contain asbestos unless there is
evidence that they do not.
• Assess the risk of anyone being exposed to airborne
asbestos fibres.
• Prepare an Asbestos Plan – periodically reviewed and
revised to ensure the information is current.
• Provide information on the location and condition of any
asbestos present to anyone who is liable to disturb them.
Who is the Duty Holder in tenanted
buildings
The Control of Asbestos Regulations
2006 (CAR 2006)
Regulation 5
An employer shall not undertake work in demolition, or
maintenance, or any other work which exposes or is liable
to expose his employees/contractors/visitors to asbestos…
• Unless he has carried out a suitable and sufficient
assessment as to whether asbestos is present or is liable
to be present.
• If there is doubt whether asbestos is present then the
employer must assume it is and take the appropriate
precautions.
The Control of Asbestos Regulations
2006 (CAR 2006)
• All work on ACMs
must usually be
carried out by a
licensed contractor.
• HSE must be
notified of
significant work to
ACMs
 How the Control of Asbestos Regulations
affects you

• Your employer and clients have a duty to

manage asbestos within their demise.
• As a duty holder, your employer/client is
required to have an asbestos plan.
• The Control of Asbestos Regulations require
you to comply with that asbestos plan.
• An asbestos register is not an asbestos plan,
although it usually forms part of the plan.
 Training
UKAS Accredited training is required to
work with asbestos.

• BOHS -British Occupational Hygiene Society

• ABICS - Asbestos Building Inspectors Certification Scheme
• ARCA – Asbestos Removal Contractors Association

All give asbestos training.

 Asbestos surveys

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 Three types of asbestos survey
As defined by :-
HSG 264 Asbestos: The survey guide
published January 2010
(Formerly: MDHS 100)
 Three types of asbestos survey

• A “presumptive” survey: A visual inspection by a

competent person (MDHS 100 Ref – Type 1 Not
noted under HSG 264)
• Management Survey – Samples taken from the
suspected ACMs identified in a visual survey and
tested to prove whether or not the material
contains asbestos (MDHS 100 Ref – Type 2)
• Refurbishment or demolition survey - Voids opened
up to identify all asbestos present in a building
including where people do not go before major
works/demolition (MDHS Ref - Type 3)
 Air Monitoring

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 Air Monitoring

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 Air Monitoring

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 Safe Working Limits
• CAR 2006 defines the Control Limit as
0.1 f/cm3 TWA
• This means : 0.1 fibres per cubic centimetre of
air measured over a Time Weighted Average
of 4 hrs.
 Air Monitoring

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 Your own safety

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What to do if you suspect you have
discovered damaged asbestos

• Leave it alone!
• Alert colleagues and clear the
area.
• Report it to the person
responsible for the premises,
who should then seal the area
and arrange to make the
materials safe.
 What to do if you believe you have
been exposed to asbestos

• Report the incident to your manager

• Ask your manager to record the incident on
your staff record and your health record.
• Ask for confirmation this has been done.
The risks of exposure to asbestos.
• ACM’s in good condition, and encapsulated are LOW RISK.
• The risks associated with asbestos are from airborne asbestos
fibres only.
• Short exposure to airborne asbestos fibres is unlikely to cause
illness.
• Chrysotile (White asbestos) is low risk.
• All asbestos, regardless of type, is to be treated the same.
• Smoking increases the risk 90 times
 Questions & Further Reading
• The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006 – The
Stationary Office
• RICS Guidance – Asbestos – RICS Books
• Asbestos for Surveyors – Bill Sanderson – RICS
Books
• HSG 264 Asbestos: The survey guide - HSE
• MDHS 100 Surveying Sampling and assessment
of asbestos containing materials – HSE
publication with many photographs of the likely
locations that asbestos may be found –
superceded by HSG 264.
• L127 The duty to manage asbestos in non-
domestic premises – HSE ACoP
• L143 Work with asbestos containing materials –
HSE ACoP
• HSG 189/2 Working with asbestos cement - HSE
• HSG 210 & 213 Asbestos Essentials &
Introduction to asbestos essentials – Contains
good diagrams showing where to look out for
asbestos – HSE