Asbestos Removal Contractor Audits - Trident Surveying

 

The asbestos removal industry is one of the industries in which companies require a licence to operate. Asbestos is classified as a category 1 carcinogen, with asbestos related disease causing around 5000 deaths every year in the UK. Work with asbestos requires a high degree of regulatory control and the purpose of licensing is to achieve this. Licensing is an addition to the general framework of health and safety law. It builds on the fact that the legal duty to manage risk lies with the organisations that create them.

The Health & Safety Executive's Asbestos Licensing Unit (ALU) is robustly enforcing the requirements of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 (CAR2012) through constant unannounced site visits. This has resulted in some asbestos removal contractors failing to meet the Industry Standards required by the regulations.

When industry standards and best practice are not being met or there is a breach of the regulations the actions available to enforcement officers are:

• the issuing of Improvement Notices (IN);
• Prohibition Notices (PN) and
• prosecution.

In addition to this, the following sanctions are available to the ALU to address licence-holder poor performance:

• the use of extra licence conditions e.g. the requirement to submit air monitoring results on a quarterly basis;
• issue a licence for less than 3 years or reduce the licence term at any time;
• the refusal to grant a licence on a permanent or temporary basis;
• the revocation of a licence that prevents the contractor from carrying out licensed work altogether.

Trident Surveying Ltd Working with the Contractor

Trident Surveying Ltd is a totally independent asbestos consultancy dedicated to providing a first class and truly independent asbestos management and site auditing service to companies or individuals who are involved in asbestos related industries.

Complying with current Health and Safety legislation, particularly the asbestos regulations is becoming increasingly time consuming, Trident's Asbestos Removal Contractor Compliance Audits provide informed feedback regarding legislative compliance, and if utilised positively can provide the contractor with a very powerful management tool.

As far as the asbestos contractor is concerned, it is far more preferable for the contractor to identify his own mistakes and remedy them, than it is to have an enforcement officer identify the problems which may lead to prosecution, enforcement action or worse still, loss of licence.

Through site compliance auditing Trident can provide a valuable service to contract managers, directors, etc. and actually assist in developing management tools and working strategies, ensuring legislative compliance for under-pressure contract managers. Independent audits provide peace of mind that you're compliant with legislation and also demonstrate to the HSE, upon license renewal, your continual, conscientious commitment to meeting Industry Best Practise and Standards.

Trident's Management compliance auditing is designed to be utilised to assess the effects of company policies relative to their health and safety plans and safe working procedures. It also provides a snapshot of site conditions to ensure that company working procedures are being implemented correctly and finally it provides companies with the confidence that they are complying with relevant H&S legislation, plus allowing them to focus freely on other aspects of their businesses at the same time as delivering a truly safe working environment for their employees.

For further details on our asbestos removal contractor audit service please contact us on 03333 441555 to see how we can help you.

Asbestos Management Surveys - Trident Surveying

Trident Surveying have particular expertise with regards to Asbestos Management Surveys and we have developed a deep understanding of the ever changing and detailed HSE requirements and legislation in this area over more than 25 years.

What is an Asbestos Management Survey?

An Asbestos Management Survey (formerly a Type 2 Survey) is the minimum asbestos survey required under law and is required in any commercial property that was built before 2000.

An Asbestos Management Survey is generally referred to as a standard survey. The purpose of this inspection is to locate and identify, as far as is reasonably practicable, the presence and extent of any suspect Asbestos Containing Materials (ACMs) in the premises and assess their condition for implementing Regulation 4 ‘Duty to Manage Asbestos in Non Domestic Properties' as stated in Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 (CAR 2012).

An Asbestos Management Survey will identify asbestos containing materials which could become damaged or disturbed during normal everyday occupancy and will include any foreseeable maintenance activities. An assessment on the condition of the materials will also be made.

What's involved in an Asbestos Management Survey?

Asbestos Management Surveys can entail some intrusive work and some disturbance. The level of this intrusion will differ between sites, and your Trident surveyor will give you a more detailed breakdown of what's involved on your specific site. Various factors will apply such as building type, building construction and general accessibility. Our highly experienced surveyors will inspect all areas of the building (including floors, walls, ceilings, within suspended ceiling voids, loft voids, accessible risers etc), and locate asbestos containing materials (ACM's). This survey will not cause major damage to the building or areas. The asbestos management survey, where required, will involve the collection of suspect samples, followed by the analysis of the samples, to confirm the presence or absence of asbestos.

Asbestos Management Surveys and Domestic Properties

The 'Duty to Manage Asbestos' requirements of Regulation 4 of CAR 2012 do not normally apply to domestic premises. However, the requirements do apply to common parts of premises, including housing developments and blocks of flats. These requirements mean that organisations such as local authorities, housing associations, social housing management companies and others who own, or are responsible for domestic properties, have legal duties to ensure the health and safety of their staff, contractors and others in domestic premises.

Is an Asbestos Management Survey the right survey for you?

Asbestos Management Surveys can cover everyday and simple maintenance work. However the duty holder should be aware that where 'more extensive' maintenance or repair work is required, a management survey may not provide adequate information to enable the works. More intrusive investigation may be required in the form of an asbestos refurbishment survey. An Asbestos Refurbishment Survey or an Asbestos Demolition Survey should be undertaken prior to any works which disturbs the fabric of the building.

Trident Surveying can help you decide which type of survey you need to meet HSE regulations, help you manage any risk and liability and give you recommendations of what to do next.

Why not either call 03333 441555, request a quote or use the Get in Touch box on this page for more information about our Asbestos Management Surveys.