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Last updated: 01-12-2023. From web page: Scientific Services (Asbestos Management).

Asbestos Management – Southampton City Council Corporate Estates and Assets

SLA

Introduction

Southampton City Council’s Corporate Estates & Assets – Asbestos provides you with the support and reassurance you need to ensure that any asbestos risks in your property are recognised and managed safely, effectively and in accordance with current regulations. Details of these services are provided in this pack (see appendix A), but we’ve also included a brief summary of what you can expect below.

Technical support

We are available to answer any questions you might have concerning asbestos in your buildings and provide you with any technical support or guidance you may need.

A routine review and inspection by a competent asbestos surveyor

We will routinely review your asbestos management plan and conduct a regular inspection of any asbestos risks to ensure they remain safe.

Access to a purpose-built asbestos database

Our asbestos database will provide you with ready access to the most current asbestos informationfor your buildings, allowing you to manage the risks and comply with the relevant legislation.

The system can also be used to store details of historical actions. This can help address any concerns or enquiries raised in the future. Within this pack we’ve included instructions on how to access and use the database.

Please note that Southampton City Council will be transferring to a new asbestos management database later this year, Keystone Asbestos Register, and you will be provided with access to this system once the data is migrated.

An asbestos register, management plan and survey reports

The database can generate a number of different reports to help you recognise the asbestos risks in your buildings and the actions being taken to ensure they are being managed safely. Paper copies are included in this pack. In order to ensure compliance with the current legislation, you must maintain a system that will ensure all visitors undertaking building maintenance work or similar activities are given the opportunity to assess the asbestos register when they visit you.

The database is a live system and can be updated in response to any changes at your school. This means you will always have access to the current asbestos reports for your building/buildings. We will always inform you of any changes made so that you can update your paper records. As a precaution we also advise that you routinely refresh your paper copies every six months.

Asbestos documentations which you have access to include;

  • Asbestos Register – This catalogues all known and presumed incidents of asbestos identified.
  • Asbestos Management Plan (AMP) – This catalogues all known and presumed incidents of asbestos and the actions needed to manage them safely.
  • Asbestos Survey – This provides a record of all information gathered from building surveys and details those materials which have been confirmed to be asbestos free and/or have been removed.
  • Asbestos Plan – A drawing of your building/buildings that will support the documents listed above by identifying locations and risks.

Please ensure that you are familiar with the report limitations (as listed on each document).

Helping your capital projects to be safe

Please remember that the information we provide within the asbestos register, management plan and survey report are primarily designed to ensure the safe occupancy of the building/ buildings under normal use.

This includes routine maintenance procedures. Concealed asbestos containing materials may not be reported. Non-routine maintenance/ repair, renovation, refurbishment or demolition may disturb concealed asbestos and will require an assessment that is suitable and sufficient for the works proposed.

A Refurbishment and Demolition type survey is designed to fulfil such a need and will need to be undertaken to ensure the works can proceed safely and in compliance with Health and safety law. If you are planning any capital projects we will be happy to advise you on how to assess and manage your asbestos risks.

Effective management of asbestos risks is best achieved by ensuring it becomes an integral part of your project. Therefore we recommend that you contact us at the earliest opportunity

Contact

If you should need to contact us concerning any asbestos related matters please use the contact details listed below:

Urgent requests for an assessment, advice or further survey – Telephone: 023 8083 2170

General enquiries – Email: asbestos@southampton.gov.uk

Service Manager – Email: debbie.cahill@southampton.gov.uk

Emails and telephone messages to individual team members must not be relied upon for communicating requests and any important service-related information unless agreed in advance with that officer.

Appendix A

Southampton City Council’s Corporate Estates & Assets – Asbestos will:

  1. Ensure all buildings are subject to a full and current management survey that identifiesasbestos hazards in all accessible areas and provides a thorough assessment of the risks they are likely to present.
  2. Provide an asbestos register and management plan (using the findings of the survey) that will allow you, your contractors, partners and visitors to identify asbestos hazards and understand the actions required to ensure they do not pose a risk.
  3. Maintain all asbestos management information relating to your buildings on our purpose built database and document management system.
  4. Deliver the asbestos register and management plan through an online facility that provides you,your contractors and partners with access to your most current asbestos register and management plan at any time.
  5. Update the register and plan to reflect:
    1. Management actions as they are completed
    2. Changes to your buildings
    3. Any additional incidents that might be discovered
    4. Changes in legislative requirements or good practice
  6. Undertake a routine inspection of all known or suspected Asbestos Containing Materials (ACMs)in accordance with the interval designated by the management plan to assess condition and circumstance.
  7. Provide a telephone and email helpline for resolving queries and requesting support and advice on asbestos related matters (office hours).
  8. Routinely review the asbestos register and management plan to ensure they are accurate, effective and compliant with the Health and Safety Executives Approved Code of Practice.
  9. Provide a reactive call-out service (during normal working hours) to investigate, sample and assess any confirmed or suspected ACMs that are discovered or disturbed during routine activities.
  10. Manage all the information concerning asbestos related actions to ensure documents certifying the standard of work undertaken is archived and the asbestos register and managementplan is updated accordingly.
  11. Provide you with support in fulfilling your duties to manage contractors by undertaking compliance checks on any asbestos removal/remedial works. We can provide you with the assurance that your contractors proposed working methods are suitable and sufficient and that works undertaken are done so in accordance with the methods specified.

Additional services (provided on request)

  1. The responsibility for ensuring the delivery of the actions detailed in the AsbestosManagement Plan lies with the responsible person. Southampton City Council’s Corporate Estates & Assets – Asbestos will undertake any routine inspections but will not undertake any removals or other remedial works.However, at the request of the responsible person and/or their appointed building serviceprovider/partner we can provide advice and support to ensure the delivery of these actions using appropriate contractors.
  2. Commissioning of any air tests identified within your asbestos management plan. Air tests can provide reassurance that management actions are sufficient and that no asbestos risk exists. They can be useful in buildings where asbestos hazards are concealed making routine visual inspections difficult. We will identify a suitably competent third-party analyst and provide them with a specification to ensure the tests are reliable and effective. We will interpret the findings, update your records and reassess the risks and management requirements.
  3. Refurbishment & Demolition Surveys to support capital projects can be provided at therequest of the responsible person and/or their appointed building service provider/ partner. Activities associated with capital works can disturb asbestos materials concealed within the building structure. Management surveys do not typically identifysuch materials as their aim is to ensure safe use of the building during day-to-dayroutine activities. Prior to undertaking any non-routine maintenance/repair, renovation, refurbishment or demolition it will be necessary to assess the risks presented by any concealed asbestos risks. This may require invasive sampling techniques. If any such work is being planned Scientific Service can help ensure this survey is delivered to ensure a safe project and compliance with the necessary health and safety regulations.
  4. Catastrophe support – Wide scale building damage caused by flood, fire or vandalism can create asbestos risks that will require appropriate management as a priority. We can provide specialist support and advice in the unfortunate event that you experience such an event.

Services not provided

  1. We do not provide a “blue light” out of hours call-out service - see FAQ 7.

FAQs

Asbestos management and your buildings

The following FAQ’s should help you deliver your responsibilities.

1. What is asbestos and what are the risks?

Asbestos is a naturally occurring fibrous mineral that has historically been used in a wide range of materials to improve their physical strength and resistance to heat and chemicals.

It was finally banned in all forms in 1999 but its use in construction was widespread before that, particularly in buildings constructed in the 1960’s and 1970’s.

If subject to disturbance asbestos fibres can become airborne and inhaled. The body's natural defence system finds asbestos fibres difficult to remove. They can therefore persist in the lungs and over a long period may lead to the development of diseases including asbestosis, lung cancer, pleural plaques and mesothelioma.

2. What is a ‘duty holder’ and what are they required to do?

Regulation 4 of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 (CAR 2012) place a legal responsibility
upon the ‘duty holder’ to ensure asbestos hazards in their premises are recognised and the risks
are properly managed.

The duty holder is typically the employer or party responsible for the building and its maintenance.

The duty-holders responsibilities include:

  • Identifying asbestos hazards
  • Assessing the risks
  • Managing those risks to ensure all persons using the building are safe
  • Ensuring all relevant persons are made aware of the hazards and how to avoid causing any risk

Southampton City Council’s Corporate Estates & Assets – Asbestos deliver specific activities to
assist the duty holder with the delivery of their duties.

Further information from HSE

3. What should I do with the asbestos information you have provided?

On completion of a survey or inspection we may recommend actions that are considered necessary to maintain asbestos hazards in a safe state. These will be reported in your Asbestos Management Plan (AMP) with suggested time frames. You will need to ensure these actions are followed in order to fulfil your duties.

The Asbestos Register provides a concise list of known and potential asbestos hazards. We recommend that any visitors undertaking maintenance activities in your buildings are provided with this information as part of your permit to work system.

In some cases, your contractor may want additional reassurances. For example, they may have concerns about a specific material that is not on the register. The asbestos survey report will help identify those materials that have been subject to an assessment and confirmed to be asbestos free.

The asbestos plan will help identify locations and uses a unique room numbering system. This will need to be referred to whenever any asbestos report is used.

4. Are we required to remove the asbestos hazards identified?

No. In many cases asbestos materials can be managed safely without the need to remove them.Removal can be expensive and presents its own risks. Encapsulation, labelling, routine inspections and control measures to prevent disturbance can all be effective in keeping your buildings safe.We will provide recommendations to manage your asbestos hazards in the most effective way without compromising the health and safety of your visitors. In the majority of cases material can be managed appropriately without the need for removal but if it is vulnerable to disturbance and the risks are potentially significant it may be the best option.

Capital works may present a cost-effective opportunity to remove asbestos. This will help to provide a long-term solution to management asbestos within your building.

5. Do asbestos materials need to be labelled?

It is not a strict requirement within the regulations or SCC policy. Your asbestos register should always be your primary tool for identifying asbestos hazards. Warning labels can cause anxiety amongst some people and if used in an accessible place they can be easily removed by children. This can present a risk if maintenance staff are subsequently relying upon their presence. In some cases, labelling can be helpful e.g. to help identify an incident in a location that is otherwise difficult to describe. We will identify these in your Asbestos Management Plan.Ultimately the widespread use of labels maybe something that the school might want to consider as a local policy.

6. When will inspections take place?

Scientific Service will undertake routine visits to assess of any asbestos risks in accordance withyour Asbestos Management Plan (AMP). We’ll always organise a convenient time with you inadvance. Due to the sensitive nature of asbestos in schools, most schools would prefer our visits tobe made outside school hours. Please note that we may need access to ALL areas of your school tocomplete a full inspection, so you may need to make arrangements to ensure all rooms, cupboards etc. are unlocked.

7. What happens if there is an emergency out of hours?

You can take some simple steps that will ensure risks are managed appropriately. Where you suspect that asbestos may have accidentally been disturbed, then you must assume it has and manage the risks accordingly. Contain the affected area. Close doors and windows, restrict access and do not disturb the material any further. Included in this pack is an outline process map which will help you with the basic process.

If you have any specific risks in your school, we advise you consider the amending this process to cover any local needs you might have. For example, you may want to record the contact details for a licensed asbestos contractor who will be able to promptly address any accidental damage that could occur.

We do not provide a “blue light” emergency service but will be able to respond to requests for assistance during normal office hours, typically 9am-4pm. Surveyors may be available before and after these stated times subject to enquiry. You may feel comfortable dealing with an accident but we advise that you always keep us informed so we can check the actions are appropriate and monitor for trends.

8. I’m planning some improvements to our buildings. Will the information you have provided be sufficient to manage the asbestos risks?

The surveys we have conducted, and the subsequent reports generated will allow you to safely manage the day to day to use of your building. This includes routine maintenance activities. The sampling is typically non-invasive so unknown asbestos could be concealed within the fabric of your building. These do not present a risk unless disturbed by intrusive building works.

If you are planning any such work a specific assessment is required. This may involve some further invasive surveying. We can undertake this assessment for you and provide a quote for this service. We advise this assessment is considered at the earliest opportunity to assist project planning.

9. Do I need to let you know if any asbestos is removed, repaired or disturbed?

Yes. We need to keep your records up to date and the status of any asbestos needs to be recorded accurately. This might happen due to planned works or accidental damage. In any case, complete a copy of the “Asbestos Actions Returns Form” enclosed in this pack and send it to us with any supporting documents (i.e. air tests and/or certificates of reoccupation). We will keep copies of these archived on our system to demonstrate the work was conducted appropriately.

If you have any other questions please do not hesitate to contact our team.