Protection: AsbestosA refurbishment/ demolition survey is required where the premises or part of it,...

Are you responsible for maintenance or repair? Does the duty to manage apply to you and your premises?

When was it built? Was it built before 2000, are you on a brownfield site or do you use old equipment?

What information do you have already? Look at building plans, previous asbestos surveys and any other relevant documents

Inspect your building Create an asbestos register to list where asbestos may be present

Determining priorities for action Use a scoring tool to work out what needs doing first

Decide how to deal with the different types of asbestos Use the online tool on how to treat the different types of asbestos

e.g. sprayed asbestos, asbestos cement.

Write your asbestos management plan The plan brings together your asbestos register, plans of work and schedule

Testing for asbestos If work is required you need to test for asbestos first.

Tell people what you are doing You need to tell employees, contractors and maintenance works

about your findings.

Getting work done Does the work need a licensed contractor?

Keep your records up to date

If any work is done on asbestos, your records need updating

and you need regular checks on the state of the asbestos.

Checklist – Use this to mark your progress.

Protection: Asbestos

Asbestos

Asbestos is the biggest Occupational Health Killer in the UK, causing around 5000 deaths per year (more than the number of people killed on the road). Around 20 tradesmen die each week as a result of past exposure.

When materials that contain asbestos are disturbed or damaged, fibres are released into the air. When these fibres are inhaled they can cause serious diseases. These diseases will not affect you immediately; they often take a long time to develop, but once diagnosed, it is often too late to do anything. This is why it is important that you protect you and your employees now.

Safety point Why? How do you do this?

It is important that you understand your responsibilities within your business.

If you are not responsible for maintenance and repair of premises or equipment, then you need to keep any documents/records that prove this. You must also ask the person who is responsible to show you their asbestos register.

The duty holder must ensure that a suitable and sufficient assessment is carried out as to determine whether asbestos is or is liable to be present in the premises.

If you are responsible for maintenance or repair of premises or equipment you are the duty holder and will need to ensure you complete this sheet and comply with the law.

To ensure you are fully informed about the risks and can inform your employees.

The risks will vary with circumstances and can arise from normal occupation of a building or from accidental disturbance during the repair, refurbishment and demolition of premises. The risk assessment will be used to produce a management plan which details and records what actions to take to manage and reduce the risks from asbestos.

Who is responsible for maintenance and repair of premises or equipment in your business i.e. the duty holder? (Please provide the name, address and contact telephone number of the duty holder).


Duty holders should identify a person (and in some cases a deputy) within their business who will be responsible for that management.

An appointed person will be essential where the duty holder has a large or complex building. The appointed person will need the resources, skills, training and authority to ensure that the Asbestos Containing Material (ACMs) are managed effectively.

To help comply with the legal requirements and to ensure that Asbestos Containing Material (ACMs) in premises are properly managed.

Who is the appointed person/s in your business:

Asbestos is a fibrous mineral commonly found in buildings constructed prior to 2000.

Asbestos is only dangerous when it is disturbed. AVOID any unnecessary disturbance. If you are unsure, presume that the material contains asbestos.

Asbestos is only dangerous when disturbed. If it is safely managed and contained, it doesn’t present a health hazard.

Don’t remove asbestos unnecessarily - removing it can be more dangerous than leaving it in place and managing it.

When asbestos is disturbed, fibres are released into the air. When inhaled the fibres can damage the lungs and cause cancer.

The duty to manage is all about putting in place the practical steps necessary to protect people from the risk of exposure to asbestos fibres - it is not about removing all asbestos

When was your building constructed?

Before 2000

After 2000

Do you have any Asbestos Containing Material on site?

Yes

No

Not sure

If No, then you may not have to answer all of the sections below.


What information do you have already?Is there any existing information about the building?

Try to obtain plans or reports relating to the building or any previous asbestos work.

Ask previous owners/tenants if they have any information or knowledge of the building.

Ask equipment suppliers or repairers e.g. lift repairers.

Ask the building designer, architect or builder.

If you cannot find any plans, don’t worry. It is useful but not essential. Note down what you have looked for and keep copies of the records you have obtained.

It is also important to remember that previous asbestos reports may not be reliable as they may have missed asbestos materials or they may have been previously covered up. This is why it is important to review your records regularly.

Make a note of what documents you have found.

Make a note of documents you were not able to find.

Inspect your buildingA Management survey of the building should be undertaken to identify any possible Asbestos Containing Material (ACM).

A management survey should 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 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.

If you are a small premises e.g. café/restaurant, shop, office, trading estate unit, then your own inspection is normally sufficient to make an asbestos register.

Its purpose is to produce an asbestos register which says where the asbestos is located or where asbestos might be present.

The survey will 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.

By noting the location and condition of ACM, accidental release of asbestos fibres can be prevented.

You should presume materials contain asbestos unless you have strong evidence that they do not.

Have you undertaken a Management survey and noted the location of any possible ACM, recorded its condition and any repair required?Yes No

Which of the following types of survey have you completed:

None Management Survey Refurbishment and demolition survey/s Type 1 (visual survey) Type 2 (assessment and Sampling) survey

The report can be found

Date the report was last reviewed/updated:


For larger premises with more than 25 employees or more than a few workrooms then you may decide to employ a competent asbestos surveyor.

Larger premises are sometimes more complex and have hard to access areas. Always check the Surveyors accreditation or certification which states the surveyor’s competence.

The United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) accredits organisations. The UKAS website helps you to find a surveyor www.ukas.com

How many employees do you have?

Would you describe yourself as a small or large business?

If you have not completed a management survey then we recommend that you follow the step by step guide at www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/managing/index.htm

Blank forms and an example of a completed asbestos register and site plans can be found at

www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/managing/inspect.htm

Asbestos Containing Material (ACM) should be managed and all building and maintenance work planned taking ACM into consideration.

Staff and contractors can easily be exposed to Asbestos fibres during plumbing, electrical or building work.

Does your survey include how you manage the risks of fibre released from any asbestos containing materials?Yes No Not sure

Have you prioritised any work for the ACM’s required to be sealed, encapsulated or repaired/removed? If Yes, please give details


Anyone working on the building should be made aware of the presence of ACM before commencing any works so that they can plan the work appropriately.

All contractors working on the building are required to sign a declaration that they are aware that the building contains ACM and that no work is to be carried out in or near these areas until a detailed risk assessment has been completed.

Making workers aware of the location and condition of ACM before they start work will reduce the likelihood of ACM being disturbed and fibres released.

What information do you provide to contractors/builders who are working on the building?

What information do you request from the contractors.

Where is this recorded?

Refurbishment/Demolition SurveysA refurbishment/demolition survey is required where the premises or part of it, needs upgrading, refurbishment or demolition.

The survey does not need a record of the ACM condition. Normally, a surveyor is needed for these types of surveys.

The survey must locate and identify all ACM before any structural work begins at a stated location or on stated equipment at the premises.

If the survey is likely to disturb any asbestos containing materials then the area must be vacated and certified ‘fit for reoccupation’ after the survey.

More detailed information about surveys can be found at www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/surveys and in the HSE’s Asbestos: The Survey Guide (HSG 264).

Has any refurbishment works been carried out at the property? If Yes, please state the works and the dates these were carried out.

Where do you keep copies of the refurbishment/demolition surveys?


Updating your recordsWhenever you have work done on asbestos materials, you must update your asbestos register.

You should check materials at least once a year.

Ensure you check against your asbestos register and identify who is going to make these checks, when and why they are able to do the work e.g. training.

You must update your asbestos management plan and date it to show that it has been checked.

To make sure they haven’t deteriorated.

To make sure they understand how to carry out these checks.

How often do you update your asbestos register/management plan?

Who is responsible for checking the register?

What training/experience do they have?

Informing others about your findingsWith your asbestos management plan in place, you need to tell people about your findings and decisions.• Tell your employees.• Train your maintenance

workers to ask about asbestos for every job.

• Make sure everyone knows how to report problems so you can remedy defects.

Warn anyone who is going to work on the fabric of your building, e.g.• construction: builders,

roofers, painters and decorators, joiners, plasterers, shop fitters;

• installation: plumbers, gas fitters, electricians, phone, alarm and data-wire installers, heating and ventilation engineers;

• maintenance: engineers, repairers;

• excavation and demolition contractors, surveyors.

Every employer must make sure that anyone who is liable to disturb asbestos during their normal work, or who supervises those employees, gets the correct level of information, instruction and training so that they can work safely and competently without risk to themselves or others.

Workers and supervisors must be able to recognise asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) and know what to do if they come across them in order to protect themselves and others.

You should label anything that contains or might contain asbestos if it is located where people are likely to disturb or damage it. You can get labels from safety sign companies.

Alternatively you may wish to colour code areas, but you must inform your employees about how to identify asbestos-containing materials.

How have you informed your staff about the findings of your survey?

How do you ensure anyone carrying out work on your building is informed?

Do you use labels to attach to materials that contain or might contain asbestos?

Yes No

Places and materials that can contain asbestosAsbestos was typically used in materials that provided fire resistance and insulating materials

The following materials do not contain asbestos:

Building fabric• corrugated roofing,

tiles, ‘slates’, soffits, gutters, downpipes, walls and panels;

• insulation under the roof, on beams and stanchions;

• boards and panels, and any insulation between these;

• insulation around pipes, on a heater, boiler, calorifier, in storage heaters;

• decorative coatings on walls or ceilings;

• insulation around windows;

• water cistern;• flues, waste water

pipes;• plastic floor tiles.Also check outbuildings.Note down the condition and amount of materials that might contain asbestos.Where you can’t get access, eg roof void, undercroft, wall cavities, presume that these contain asbestos.Caution: Take care not to walk on fragile material e.g. asbestos cement roofs.

EquipmentFor example:

• oven, brakes, soundproofing, ironing surfaces, insulating mat;

• fire blanket, fire insulation in or on doors, insulating gloves.

• stone;• brick or breeze-block and mortar;• concrete;• metal;• glass;• wood;• most furnishings and fabrics (but see

‘Equipment’ above) .But they may conceal asbestos.

More information is available on a web app www.beware-asbestos.info

Certain materials will require a licensed contractor – you can search on the web app for businesses in your area.

Inside

1. Sprayed coatings on ceilings, walls, beams and columns

2. Asbestos cement water tank

3. Loose fill insulation

4. Lagging on boilers and pipes

5. AIB ceiling tiles

6. Toilet seat and cistern

7. AIB partition walls

8. AIB panels in fire doors

9. Asbestos rope seals, gaskets and paper

10. Vinyl floor tiles

11. AIB around boilers

12. Textiles e.g. fire blankets

13. Textured decorating coatings on walls and ceilings e.g. artex

Outside

14. Asbestos cement roof

15. Asbestos cement panels

16. Asbestos cement gutters and downpipes

17. Soffits – AIB or asbestos cement

18. Asbestos cement flue

AIB = Asbestos Insulating Board

Examples of common materials that may contain asbestos Where do you find it? How dangerous is it?

Loose asbestos in ceiling or floor cavity

This was used to insulate industrial and domestic premises so can be found in between cavity walls, under floorboards and in loft spaces.

Probably the most dangerous asbestos-containing material. Loose fill is made up of pure asbestos and if disturbed can release large amounts of fibres into the air, where they can be breathed in.

Warning!

Do not attempt to work on this material under any circumstances unless you are a HSE-licensed contractor.

What does it look like?

This is a loose, fluffy insulation material (similar to candyfloss), which may be blue-grey or whitish in colour.

Loose fill asbestos fibres found under floor boards: Release of loose fill asbestos fibres:


Lagging and insulation Mostly found in or on heating systems such as around boilers or calorifiers and around pipework.

This is one of the most dangerous materials containing asbestos. You are more at risk from breathing in asbestos fibres because disturbance of the lagging or insulation releases fibres very easily into the air that you breathe.

Warning!



This type of asbestos has many different appearances but is mostly a fibrous material which flakes and powders easily. When applied to pipes it is often covered in a protective coating (or painted) which can be any colour, and may make it more difficult to identify.

Lagged pipe in wall cavity: Asbestos lagging on pipework: Amosite lagging in very poor condition on steam pipe:


Sprayed coatings on ceilings, walls and beams/columns

Insulation on the underside of roofs and sometimes sides of buildings and warehouses. Also used as fire protection on steel and reinforced concrete beams/columns and on underside of floors.

It was very easy to overspray or get a ‘splash back’ from the equipment used to apply this so there is likely to be debris around the sprayed area.

This contains up to 85% asbestos and breaks up very easily. It is one of the most dangerous materials containing asbestos. Even minor disturbance of sprayed coatings can release large quantities of asbestos fibres into the air where they can be breathed in.

Warning!



Usually white or grey in colour with a rough surface, although they may have been painted.

Spray coating as filler Sprayed coating on a passageway


Asbestos insulating board (AIB) Asbestos Insulating Board was commonly used as fireproofing material but it had many other uses such as:

® partition walls ® fireproofing panels in fire doors ® lift shaft linings ® ceiling tiles ® soffits ® panels below windows

Some short duration work (less than 1 hour for 1 person in a 7 day period, not to exceed 2 hours spent by all workers) for small or minor tasks on AIB can be carried out by non-licensed workers who are appropriately trained.

Short duration work to remove AIB as part of demolition or major refurbishment would be notifiable.

Any work lasting more than 1 hour for 1 person in a 7 day period, or more than 2 hours by all workers would require a licensed contractor.

Asbestos essentials includes a number of task sheets which will show you how to safely carry out non-licensed work on AIB.


Normal building items such as wall panels boards, ceiling tiles and plasterboard. It is difficult to tell the difference between asbestos insulating board items and non-asbestos materials.

AIB soffit under roof AIB panel in porch AIB ceiling tiles with asbestos sprayed coating above.

AIB on back of fire door AIB lining fuse boxes in a church AIB between radiator and window AIB panel behind a meter


Floor tiles, textiles and composites Asbestos floor tiles were once a popular choice for flooring, and you will often find old asbestos floor tiles hidden under carpets.

Textiles can be found in fuse boxes behind the actual fuse. Old fire blankets and heat resistant gloves can also be made out of asbestos textiles.

Asbestos composites can be toilet cisterns and seats, window sills, and bath panels.

Asbestos paper was used for lining under tiles and inside metal cladding.

Tasks on these particular materials can be carried out by non-licensed workers who are appropriately trained. Work on these materials would not normally be notifiable provided that the material is in good condition.

If the work is likely to cause significant break up and deterioration of the material then notification would be required.

Refer to the asbestos essentials task sheets www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/essentials


These asbestos-containing materials are not very distinctive from what is used now. To make sure we recommend you ask the owners about how long they’ve had certain things or look for a trade name. You should be able to look up this trade name on the internet to find out more about it.

Asbestos fire blanket Asbestos flash guards Asbestos containing vinyl Toilet cistern containing Asbestos cement external in fuse box floor tiles asbestos reinforced materials floor tiles


Textured coatings Textured coatings were used to produce decorative finishes on ceilings and walls. In the past, they have had various trade names such as ‘Artex’.

Work on textured coatings can be carried out by non-licensed workers who are appropriately trained. This work would generally not need to be notified.

If the work is likely to cause significant break up and deterioration of the material such as large scale removal using steaming or gelling methods, then notification would be required.

Refer to the asbestos essentials task sheets.


This is dependent on the particular decorative finish required i.e. peaks or patterns. They are hard and were originally white in colour but have often been painted over.

Asbestos textured coating on wall Asbestos textured coating (artex) on ceiling


Asbestos cement products Asbestos cement is mainly a mixture of chrysotile (white asbestos) and cement, moulded and compressed to produce a range of asbestos cement products. You can find asbestos cement in many places inside and outside buildings such as:

Asbestos cement roofsThese are mainly made up of large sheets of corrugated asbestos cement; they are often found on industrial or farmyard buildings, but can also be found as roofs on garages and sheds. They are often covered in moss and other growths as they’ve been there for many years.

Asbestos wall claddingThis has a shape and structure similar to roof sheeting, and is often found on walls/as walls of buildings with asbestos cement roofs.

Asbestos downpipes and guttersThese are often attached at the end of cement roofs in warehouse type buildings.

Asbestos cement fluesThese may be found in boiler systems (including domestic) air conditioning and ventilation systems.

Asbestos cement and pitch fibre water and sewer pipesDrainage pipes, such as water and sewage pipes, were often made of pitch fibre. This is a lightweight and easy to handle material, made of wood cellulose impregnated with inert

Work with asbestos cement can be carried out by non-licensed workers who are appropriately trained. This work would generally not need to be notified.

If the work is likely to cause significant break up and deterioration of the material e.g ‘dropping an asbestos cement roof’ then notification would be required.

There may be very exceptional circumstances where the asbestos cement has been so badly damaged that there is significant risk of exposure to asbestos fibres. In these rare cases a risk assessment will help to determine if a licensed contractor is required.


If there is uncertainty to whether a material is asbestos cement then a competent asbestos analyst will be able to carry out a water absorption test. This will determine if the material is asbestos cement or if it is another asbestos material that may require a licensed contractor to carry out the work.


Asbestos cement products (cont.) coal tar pitch. Asbestos cement was added to strengthen the material.

ArticlesExamples of articles include water tanks, fire surrounds and pipes.


Asbestos cement is just ordinary cement mixed with asbestos, in some cases asbestos can make up over a third of the cement. It is a hard, grey material which was moulded and compressed to produce some of the materials listed above.

Asbestos Cement Downpipe Asbestos cement roof panelling, guttering and flue


Roofing felt Asbestos roofing felt was often used for garage roofs, outbuildings etc.

Tasks on these particular materials can be carried out by non-licensed workers who are appropriately trained. Work on roofing felt would not normally be notifiable provided that the material is in good condition.

If the work is likely to cause significant break up and deterioration of the material then notification may be required.



Asbestos roofing felt


Rope seals and gaskets Asbestos rope seals and gaskets can be found in gas or electric heating appliances.

Tasks on these particular materials can be carried out by non-licensed workers who are appropriately trained. Work on roofing felt would not normally be notifiable provided that the material is in good condition.

If the work is likely to cause significant break up and deterioration of the material then notification may be required.



Asbestos rope seal on boiler Asbestos gasket Asbestos rope seal on drying oven

Protection: AsbestosA refurbishment/ demolition survey is required where the premises or part of it,...

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