News

PVsurveys are highly active in promoting the safe management of asbestos within businesses and here you will find examples of our recent activities and news relevant to asbestos.

Pair jailed over asbestos dumping

[From the BBC website]

19 March 2007

Two demolition men from Bradford have been jailed for dumping asbestos.

William Reidy, 59, of Cheltenham Road, was sentenced at Bradford Crown Court on Monday to 16 months in prison for depositing asbestos waste.

Leonard Imeson, 61, of Cutler Heights Lane, was jailed for four months. Both men had pleaded guilty.

The court heard how they were paid to remove building waste from companies across Yorkshire, but boosted their profits by illegally dumping it.

A third man, Neil Medley, 45, of Parkland, Illkley, was given 100 hours community service after he pleaded guilty to two offences of falsifying documents.

During the case, prosecuting barrister Tahir Khan said the three men were working together in a demolition business run by Reidy, called Space Making Development (SMD).

Environment Agency officers investigated SMD's activities after they became aware of illegal tipping on council-owned land at Low Moor, Bradford and kept the site under surveillance.

Officers estimated that 200 lorry loads of demolition waste had been dumped illegally and the lorries were traced back to SMD.

The judge said the defendants were experienced in the demolition business, they knew that asbestos waste had to be dealt with carefully and yet had failed to do so despite a risk to public health.

Paul Salter, environmental crime officer at the Environment Agency, said: "This case shows that businesses cannot get away with putting profits before the environment and human health.

"Demolition contractors must take their responsibilities seriously because people will not put up with them blighting our towns and countryside."

BBC staff warned of asbestos exposure risk

[From the Workplace Law website]

11 October 2006

Current and former BBC employees and freelance staff have been warned that they may have been exposed to asbestos when working in three studios at Television Centre between 1990 and 2005.

The BBC has issued a public notice saying there is a possibility that the bonding agent used in fire protection material sprayed onto roof beams in studios TC2, TC3 and TC5 may have deteriorated. This deterioration recently resulted in some asbestos fibres drifting down concealed cable ducts and falling onto parts of the studio floor, and the BBC say it is possible some studio operations may have disturbed these areas.

In its statement the BBC says:

"The BBC acknowledges the serious risk to health caused by exposure to asbestos-containing materials. Through its effective management arrangements the BBC demonstrates how it satisfies its obligations with respect to the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2002 (CAWR 2002), controls the hazard and reduces the risk of exposure as far as is reasonably practicable.

“Although the level of risk is negligible, the BBC is asking anyone who currently, or has previously, worked in these studios between the period 1990 and 2005 to register themselves with the BBC and obtain further advice.”

The theatre and TV technicians' union BECTU had already set up its own asbestos exposure register as “an invaluable database of information that can help to speed up the process of compensation claims for members who become ill due to asbestos exposure".

BECTU says the material was commonly used around and in film and television sets, to lag pipes, in lighting equipment, protective equipment such as fireproof suits and gloves and to construct temporary rooms and to make buildings fireproof for stunts involving fire. Both BECTU and the NUJ are encouraging staff and freelancers who worked in the three studios affected to register with the BBC.

The number of people who might have worked at the BBC during this period, and been exposed to any risk, is not known. Speaking to Workplace Law, a spokesman for the BBC said:

"It would be difficult to speculate on how many people worked in the studios during this time due to the ad-hoc nature of the way the studios are used.

"Part of the remedial works being undertaken where asbestos materials are contained is also a designated restricted operational area (studio gantry and grid ) where a permit-to-work system operates.

"It should be emphasised that the remedial work being under taken is a precautionary measure and that the risk of exposure is negligible."

The BBC says it intends to remove the public notice from its health and safety website in two weeks time, as agreed with the unions involved.

Textured coatings containing asbestos
[From the HSE website]

29 September 2006

From the July meeting of the HSC ...

Under the new Regulations, work with textured decorative coatings containing asbestos (TC’s) will be removed from the licensing regime as research shows that the levels of exposure to asbestos fibres from such work are low. The Commission had previously considered new research on TC’s and, at its meeting on 4th July 2006, evidence of the relative risks of exposure from different asbestos materials.

At the 25th July meeting the Commission noted that although there were concerns from some stakeholders about the removal of TC’s from the licensing regime, it believes that, overall, the proposed Regulations significantly tighten the controls on working with asbestos materials. The Commission was assured that there would be adequate enforcement of the new regime and asked the Health and Safety Executive to monitor implementation of the Regulations and to bring any concerns about TC’s to the Commission’s attention.

Removal from the licensing regime does not mean that work with TC’s is safe. The work must still be carried out by trained, competent people using the appropriate controls.

The message here is that removal from the licensing regime does not mean that work with TC’s is safe. The work must still be carried out by trained, competent people using the appropriate controls.

Employers ignoring duty to manage asbestos
[British Asbestos Newsletter - Summer 2006]

1 August 2006

In the US, in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the number of claims for non-cancerous conditions exploded. Up to 2002, compensation and legal costs paid by US defendant corporations exceeded $70 billion. Of the 8,400 corporations sued, more than 70 have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. It has been predicted that by 2029, there will be more than 120,000 additional deaths from asbestos cancers and between 250,000 - 1.5 million additional personal injury claims.

The message here is: “are you negligent – are you insured?”

Asbestos in Schools
[British Asbestos Newsletter - Spring 2006]

6 April 2006

In 1986, the Department of Education advised schools to identify asbestos by type, extent and location and then to manage it. However, 20 years later some schools are only now identifying their asbestos and, to comply with the new duty to manage asbestos regulations (2004), are implementing asbestos management plans.

The walls in infant classrooms are covered in paintings and colourful mobiles hang from the ceilings, frequently affixed with drawing pins or staples. If the walls and ceilings are made of asbestos insulating board (AIB) then small amounts of asbestos fibres are released on a regular basis. Low level and repeated exposures to asbestos have a cumulative effect.

To assess the risks from drawing pin insertion and removal into AIB, Occupational Hygienist Robin Howie carried out tests in 2003 which revealed that each insertion and removal releases over 6,000 fibres. In response, the HSE commissioned the Health and Safety Laboratory (HSL) to conduct a test; the results confirmed Howie's findings. They redesigned the test and, unsurprisingly, found that between 30-60 fibres are produced per pin insertion and removal. Using the lower figures and assuming that all the fibres would disperse instantly and evenly throughout the classroom, which does not happen, they calculated the teachers' and children's level of exposure. The HSE and the Department of Education informed the educational establishment that the risk was negligible. Mr Howie and I do not accept their findings.

Further tests carried out by Mr. Howie confirmed his original results; Howie showed that debris from the holes was readily broken up, releasing at least as many fibres again. From the HSL's second round of tests, it can be calculated that exposure levels are some 15,000 times greater than the HSE had previously concluded, although neither HSE nor HSL would openly acknowledge the fact. We requested peer review of all the tests.

In February 2006, the Government's scientific advisory committee, WATCH, met and discussed the tests. They concluded that 6,000 fibres are released per pin and that worst case exposure levels for teachers are between 0.05f/ml and 1f/ml; these levels are on a par with those for Artex ceiling strippers who work in controlled conditions wearing protective overalls and breathing apparatus. Artex contains Chrysotile (white) asbestos and AIB normally contains Amosite (brown) asbestos, which is 100 times more dangerous. No assessment was made of the exposure levels of the children. WATCH concluded that the use of drawing pins with AIB is an avoidable risk and a clear message has to be sent to schools: ”Stop putting drawing pins and staples into AIB walls and ceilings.”

And so…… a recent HSE and Department of Education campaign to “dramatically reduce asbestos exposures in schools” has been dropped because “it would generate very limited results in contributing towards PSA (Public Service Agreement) targets.”

The message here is: “has your local school been checked? Does it have an up-to-date policy and Management Plan?”

Employers ignoring duty to manage asbestos

2 March 2006

Many employers are unaware of their legal obligations concerning the presence of asbestos in buildings, or are simply choosing to ignore them, union leaders have warned.

As part of Action Mesothelioma Day on Monday (27 February) the TUC distributed one million 'Asbestos Kills' stickers and thousands of leaflets to workplaces across the country to remind employers of the dangers.

Since May 2004 employers have been required by law to find out about and keep records of the presence of asbestos on their premises, and make sure that anyone who might come into contact with the material is made aware of it. The duties were introduced as a result of the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations.

The HSE estimates that at least 500,000 commercial premises contain asbestos. Common applications include wall cavity insulation, as fire protection on air ducts, wall and ceiling panels, and corrugated sheeting on industrial and farm buildings. There is no safe level of exposure. Contravention of the regulations resulting in exposure or risk of exposure is often treated extremely seriously by the HSE and is punishable by unlimited fines and/or imprisonment. Premises may be shut down for an extended period if asbestos hazard is identified.

Under the Regulations a 'duty to manage' requirement means relevant duty-holders have to pay for making safe or removing any asbestos that is in a poor condition or is likely to be disturbed by planned building work or routine maintenance. If it can be established that the asbestos is in a sound state and not likely to be disturbed, then it can be left there, although its location must be recorded and the record retained on site for the lifetime of the building. Property owners that have to remove asbestos may however be able to recover some of their costs through contaminated land tax relief.

Anyone working on such properties, such as plumbers, electricians or other contractors, may be unaware of the presence of the material, putting themselves and the occupants of the building at risk.

A spokeswoman for the TUC said:

"Asbestos may now be banned but the fatal fibres could still be lurking in up to one and half million shops, factories and offices across the UK.

"We believe many employers are either unaware of their legal obligations or are simply choosing to ignore them. And with the average workplace getting a visit from a safety inspector on average only once every eight to 20 years, negligent employers can be safe in the knowledge that they are unlikely ever to get found out."

TUC general secretary Brendan Barber commented:

"All forms of asbestos are dangerous, no matter what some employers might say. The cancers caused by the killer fibres can take years to develop, so someone who breathes in asbestos dust now may not become ill for another 25 years."

The British Lung Foundation (BLF) has warned that Mesothelioma currently kills around 2,000 people every year. Deaths have increased ten-fold since 1968, with the total number in the UK expected to peak at between 1,950 and 2,450 deaths annually sometime between 2011 and 2015.

Despite the fact that someone dies from Mesothelioma every five hours in the UK, only 13% of people in the country are aware of the disease.

This document was reproduced from the Workplace Law Network

PVsurveys and Mesh-4-Safety - 27 October 2005

As part of a full day seminar held at East Malling Enterprise Centre, Kent, PVsurveys demonstrated its commitment to the Mesh-4-Safety initiative. The initiative enables companies to have access to a one-stop-shop for all their health, safety, and environmental needs and to feel assured that the Mesh-4-Safety alliance of experts will provide the perfect solutions.

Within the Business Link-sponsored event, James Sykes of PVsurveys gave a presentation of asbestos-related issues to consider that provoked thought, and also surprise at the impacts of unmanaged asbestos on both staff health and the directors of companies.

The day was a great success, with one delegate summing it all up perfectly: "In times of businesses competing visciously against each other it was refreshing to see an alliance of experts clearly working together and to know that whatever challenges my business may face in the future, the Mesh-4-Safety alliance would direct me to the most skilled expert".