Posts Tagged ‘Asbestos Surveyors’
Asbestos campaigners launch asbestos awareness survey in conjunction with UKAS
British asbestos campaigners have today launched a national survey exploring general awareness and understanding of asbestos in buildings and the regulations designed to protect UK workers from being exposed to asbestos in their workplace.
The survey can be taken here:
The Great British Asbestos in Buildings Survey 2011
The survey has been developed in conjunction with the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) the organisation that currently accredits over 100 asbestos inspection bodies to carry out asbestos surveys. Known as the Great British Asbestos in Buildings Survey 2011, the survey will be promoted across all industries via the UK’s leading trade associations and trade unions, membership organisations and industry institutions. Tradesmen, building occupiers, dutyholders, clients, FM’s, property managers of non-domestic buildings will be encouraged to take the survey.
According to the HSE, asbestos is responsible for an estimated 4000 deaths each year and is the single greatest cause of work-related deaths in the UK. Results are expected to give an insight into awareness of the Duty to Manage Asbestos and highlight areas for raising awareness of the risks of asbestos in the workplace.
The Survey has the backing of high profile asbestos campaigners across the UK. Annette Brooke MP and Chair of the Asbestos in Schools Group welcomed the survey:
“This survey is a welcome step in the right direction. It is so vital that we highlight the dangers surrounding asbestos and I hope that participation in this survey is as wide as possible. ”
John Richards, Managing Director of analytical and surveying firm, Thames Laboratories said:
“With recent public sector funding cuts and the Government’s review of Health and Safety, we are concerned that this important subject maybe overlooked. Currently in the UK, more people are dying from asbestos exposure than in road accidents and yet our approach to asbestos still ranges from apathy to paranoia.
Recent conflicting reports produced from ATAC and HSE, and the issues of low level asbestos exposure, have led to the development of this research project, aimed at establishing what is really happening”.
Jon Murthy, Marketing & Communications Manager at UKAS said:
“This is the first industry initiative of its kind in which UKAS has participated and we hope to see this repeated annually to measure what improvements are happening within the asbestos sector. UKAS will play its role by ensuring the questionnaire is circulated to as many individuals as possible, from all industry sectors, via Unions, Trade Associations, Industry Institutions and Membership Organisations”.
The survey results will be published in a report in the summer 2011 via the campaign website www.asbestosinspectionbodies.co.uk and should highlight the issues arising from the most comprehensive review of the subject to date.
Construction companies fined after workers exposed to asbestos
A plant hire company and a construction services firm have been fined for exposing employees and members of the public to asbestos.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found Mansell Construction Services Ltd of Croydon and sub-contractor Woodlands Plant Hire Ltd of Ickleton, South Cambridgeshire, put workers and the public at risk by failing to properly manage the presence of asbestos during the refurbishment of a residential block of flats, between 24 November and 8 December 2009.
During the work in an occupied London Borough of Hackney block of flats, asbestos insulation board was disturbed and removed by unlicensed contractor, Woodlands Plant Hire Ltd, potentially releasing the deadly substance into the air.
A previous survey, identifying the presence of asbestos insulation board in a number of the properties, had been provided to Mansell, but had not been acted upon or passed to their sub-contractors.
Mansell Construction Services Ltd pleaded guilty and was fined £50,000 at the Old Bailey for breaching Regulation 22(1)(a) Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007.
Woodlands Plant Hire Ltd pleaded guilty of breaching regulations 5, 8(1) and 11(a) of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006, and was fined £50,000. The companies were ordered to pay joint costs of £20,690.
HSE Inspector Dominic Ellis said:
“Despite recent high profile campaigns on the dangers of working with asbestos, this case sadly illustrates some companies are still failing to manage the risks robustly.
“Mansell had information that asbestos was present, yet neglected to act on it, meaning a licensable asbestos material was removed in an uncontrolled manner, needlessly risking the health of contractors and members of the public.”
Asbestos-related diseases are responsible for around 4,000 deaths a year. Working on or near damaged asbestos-containing materials or breathing in high levels of asbestos fibres, which may be many hundreds of times that of environmental levels, could increase your chances of getting an asbestos-related disease.
Source: HSE
The UKAS Accredited Asbestos Inspection Bodies blog is an information portal developed by the UKAS Accredited Asbestos Inspection Firms listed on this site. For more information from accredited asbestos surveyors, subscribe to our RSS newsfeed here.
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Asbestos find closes school
A SCHOOL hall has been closed after deadly asbestos was discovered during a routine survey.
The asbestos was found at Westacre Middle School, Ombersley Way, Droitwich, on Tuesday, February 1.
A Worcestershire County Council spokesman said: “Maintaining the health and well-being of pupils and staff at the school is our highest priority, which is why the decision has been made to temporarily close the school hall to allow the asbestos to be removed.
“We have arranged for a specialist contractor to start work at the school as soon as possible. We envisage that work will take approximately six weeks to complete.
During this time, there will be no disruption to the pupils’ learning.”
Source: Worcester News
The UKAS Accredited Asbestos Inspection Bodies blog is an information portal developed by the UKAS Accredited Asbestos Inspection Firms listed on this site. For more information from accredited asbestos surveyors, subscribe to our RSS newsfeed here.
Alternatively, you can subscribe to AIB Blog by Email or follow us on Twitter @UKAS_AIB
Organisations blame each other over hospital asbestos disturbance
An NHS Trust, a security firm and a company director have been fined after asbestos was released during maintenance work at a hospital in Northamptonshire.
Wellingborough Magistrates’ Court heard that Northamptonshire NHS Teaching Primary Care Trust had contracted NUTEC Security Systems Ltd to upgrade security at Isebrook Hospital in Wellingborough.
Following a series of burglaries at the hospital, the NHS Trust decided to install CCTV and motion sensors inside the hospital buildings. During the installation, which was carried out between 21 April 2008 and 9 June 2008, NUTEC engineers ran cables through false ceilings and partition walls in public areas of the hospital. Asbestos was present in both the walls and the ceilings and was disturbed during the work. Read More