Asbestos
1. Introduction
This Policy has been revised to take account of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006 (CAR), which requires employers to manage the risks to health arising from asbestos on their premises.
Many University buildings will have asbestos containing materials (ACMs) in the building fabric, as they were in common use until the mid-1980s; they may also be present in old equipment. Where these materials are in good condition and remain undisturbed they do not present a risk to health. When asbestos is disturbed or damaged, fibres may become airborne and can be inhaled. This can happen when work is carried out on or near ACMs, especially if they are broken, sawn, drilled, or sanded, or are in a poor state of repair.
The University Estates Services is responsible for managing asbestos in the fabric of buildings and departments are responsible for managing that present in equipment.
2. Asbestos materials
The three principal types of asbestos are crocidolite (blue), amosite (brown), and chrysotile (white). Crocidolite is rare in University buildings; the others are commonly found in the fabric of older buildings. All may produce harmful effects if fibres are inhaled.
Because of their excellent heat resistance, chemical inertness, and mechanical strength asbestos products were once widely used in the building industry. For instance, within the University, asbestos has been found in:
a) thermal insulation - on pipes and boilers
b) insulation boards - for fire protection, as thermal and acoustic insulation on walls, ceilings and structural steelwork
c) sprayed coatings - for fire protection on structural steelwork
d) ropes and yarns - as a sealing material or for filling gaps
e) asbestos cement - in wall claddings, partitions, roofing, or guttering.
Asbestos may also be present in laboratories, inside old equipment such as ovens, furnaces, and autoclaves; or as heat resistant mats.
Useful photographs showing typical ACMs may be found at http://www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/gallery.htm
3. Work on asbestos
The CAR and the associated Approved Codes of Practice govern work on asbestos. Work on asbestos insulation or coating, or on asbestos insulation board, may only be done by contractors licensed by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and all arrangements for such work must be made through the University Estates Services.
Some work on materials where asbestos fibres are firmly retained in a matrix (e.g. asbestos cement, or asbestos-containing floor tiles) may not require the use of a licensed asbestos contractor, but this is subject to risk assessment by a competent person and the approval of the University Safety Office.
University personnel are not permitted to carry out the work described above with any form of asbestos.
4. Record keeping and risk assessment – the asbestos register
a) Asbestos in the fabric of buildings
The University Estates Services is responsible for maintaining a record of asbestos in the fabric of University buildings and this is available on their web pages. This record (the asbestos register) is the result of a management survey carried out by a licensed asbestos contractor and/or the Estates Services’ asbestos monitoring surveyors. The main purpose of the management survey is to locate, as far as reasonably practicable, the presence and extent of any ACMs that could be damaged or disturbed during normal occupation of the building, including any foreseeable maintenance or installation, and includes an assessment of the condition of the materials. Survey results are updated at least annually and amended whenever asbestos is newly discovered, or when it is repaired or removed. Departments must notify the Estates Services where they suspect asbestos containing materials have been found and the University Safety Office should be consulted if there is doubt over identification.
Asbestos is difficult to identify without laboratory analysis and poor sampling technique may result in uncontrolled release of fibres from ACMs. Only competent persons (e.g. a licensed asbestos contractor, one of the Estates Services asbestos monitoring surveyors, a UKAS accredited laboratory, or the University Safety Office) are permitted to take samples for asbestos analysis.
b) Asbestos in equipment
The asbestos register relates only to the building fabric: it does not include asbestos in laboratory equipment, which is the responsibility of departments. The head of department should ensure that the department keeps records that show the location of such equipment, and the condition of the asbestos if possible. Asbestos that is damaged or in poor condition must be repaired by a licensed contractor, or the equipment should be disposed of intact as asbestos waste. Records should be kept up to date, amended following disposal or relocation of equipment, and a copy should be sent to the Safety Office at the start of each year.
5. Marking of asbestos
ACMs in the building fabric and laboratory equipment identified as containing asbestos should normally be marked with appropriate warning labels, which are available from the University Safety Office. The University Estates Services asbestos monitoring surveyors are responsible for the building fabric, but departments are responsible for labelling their own equipment. There may be circumstances where labelling is considered inappropriate, but the agreement of the University Safety Office should be sought in such cases.
6. Disturbance of asbestos
a) Planned work
The uncontrolled release of airborne fibres will present a hazard to health if work on ACMs is carried out without proper precautions. This can be avoided by proper job planning.
Whenever work is carried out that may involve the disturbance of ACMs (e.g. work on wallboards, old fire doors, or pipe insulation) then the person in charge of the project must first assess the nature of the materials involved. Depending on the size and complexity of the job, this will involve:
(i) checking for asbestos labels
(ii) checking the Estates Services asbestos register
(iii) checking for asbestos hidden in ducts and behind panels
(iv) sampling of suspect materials
(v) a thorough, refurbishment and demolition type survey carried out by a licensed asbestos contractor or United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) accredited laboratory.
A refurbishment and demolition survey is required before any refurbishment or demolition work is carried out. It is used to locate and describe, as far as reasonably practicable, all ACMs in the area where refurbishment will take place, or in the whole building if demolition is planned. The survey will be fully intrusive and involve destructive inspection where required to gain access to all areas, including those that may be difficult to reach. This type of survey may also be required where more intrusive maintenance or repair is planned, or for the dismantling and /or removal of heavy plant (e.g. in boiler houses).
b) Hidden ACMs or accidental damage to ACMs
Where ACMs are found to be damaged, or have deteriorated, the Estates Services (in the case of the building fabric) or the University Safety Office (in the case of asbestos in departmental equipment) must be informed so that steps can be taken to assess the situation and deal with it.
If, despite taking every precaution, ACMs are discovered during the course of work, or known ACMs are damaged, the following actions must be taken:
(i) stop work immediately
(ii) prevent anyone entering the area
(iii) to avoid spreading asbestos fibres, any clothing contaminated with dust or debris should be removed and placed in a plastic bag
(iv) report the problem as soon as possible to the person in charge of the project and to the University Safety Office.
7. ACMs in departmental equipment
Asbestos was used in older laboratory equipment because of its heat resistant properties (e.g. in the linings or door seals of ovens). It can be difficult to identify and may be impossible to distinguish from other materials simply by looking at it.
Departmental workshop staff are most likely to encounter asbestos when dismantling equipment to carry out repairs. They should be made aware of this and be prepared to stop work immediately and seek advice from the University Safety Office if there is any doubt about the nature of the materials they are working with. The Safety Office will organise asbestos awareness courses from time to time and workshop staff should be encouraged to attend.
Asbestos fire blankets should all have been withdrawn from use and replaced with modern alternatives, but departments should ensure that they notify the Safety Office if any still remain.
8. Removal or encapsulation of asbestos
Where asbestos is discovered in the fabric of a building, or where it might be disturbed in the course of a job, then the University Estates Services (in consultation with the University Safety Office) will decide whether it should be removed or encapsulated. Any work on the ACM must be registered with the Estates Services technical clerk, who will issue an asbestos checklist that must be returned at the end of the project to ensure the asbestos register is kept up to date. All such work will be dealt with under the procedure outlined in the appendix to this Policy Statement.
The responsibility for meeting the costs of the works is as follows (see Buildings Committee paper BC(87)5):
a) where previously unknown asbestos in an unsafe state is discovered, or where an ACM has been accidentally damaged, the University Safety Office will meet the cost
b) where the Estates Services carries out scheduled work that involves disturbing known ACM, they will meet the cost
c) where work involving disturbance of known ACM is carried out at departmental request, the department must meet the cost.
9. Asbestos waste
Waste ACMs are defined as hazardous waste and they must not be disposed of in normal waste streams. The Safety Office has provided an asbestos waste skip in the Science Area for the disposal of small amounts of asbestos waste from departments. Items must be dampened, double‑wrapped in heavy (minimum 400 gauge) polythene, and sealed with tape. Care should be taken to maintain the integrity of the wrapping, to avoid contaminating the skip. If items are too large for the skip, contact the University Safety Office to make alternative disposal arrangements.
Unwanted equipment containing asbestos must be disposed of as described above. It must not be sold or given away as this would constitute supply of asbestos-containing products in breach of the CAR. Before disposal it should be double wrapped and disposed of intact: no attempt must be made to dismantle it.
10. Departmental action
a) Departments should note that University personnel are not permitted to work with any form of asbestos. With few exceptions, only a licensed contractor may carry out work with asbestos.
b) Departments should be aware of the location of known ACMs in their buildings (the asbestos register is available on the Estate Services web pages). The University has a duty to warn staff or contractors of the presence of asbestos, so that those intending to work near it can take proper precautions to avoid accidental damage or disturbance.
c) Planning for repairs, refurbishments, and maintenance should include consideration of the possibility of disturbing previously undiscovered asbestos during the course of the work. In some cases, an asbestos survey will need to be carried out as part of the planning process, especially where any demolition work is contemplated. The responsibility for ensuring that planning and/or surveys are carried out may lie with individual departments or with the Estates Services, depending on who is in control of the work.
d) Departments should report any new discoveries of asbestos to the Estates Services, so the asbestos register can be updated and any necessary action taken. Any damage to, or deterioration of, asbestos should also be reported without delay so that remedial action can be taken.
e) Departments should keep records of the location of laboratory equipment containing asbestos and amend them following removal or disposal of the equipment. Copies of these records should be sent to the Safety Office annually.
f) Laboratory equipment containing asbestos should be disposed of intact, either in the asbestos skip or by a licensed contractor.
THIS STATEMENT FORMS PART OF THE UNIVERSITY’S SAFETY POLICY. UNIVERSITY POLICY NOTE S6/07 IS SUPERSEDED. PLEASE AMEND THE INDEX.
August 2010
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