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Portable device detects asbestos fibres in real time

Installation of asbestos containing materials (ACMs) has been banned in many countries for some time now. A lot of buildings still have ACMs, the fibres of which can get stirred up when work such as renovations or demolition are being performed. In order to help protect the people performing such work, scientists at the University of Hertfordshire have developed what they say is the world's first portable, real-time detector of airborne asbestos.Currently, in order to test for airborne asbestos,...

Fined for failing to undertake asbestos assessment

A property management company has today been sentenced after failing to carry out an asbestos survey prior to undertaking extensive refurbishment works.Huntingdon Magistrates' Court heard how, between April and May 2017, Thistlemoor Healthcare and Management Ltd undertook construction work at two properties, one of which was part of a medical centre in Peterborough. In this time, the company failed to carry out an asbestos survey for either property, both of which were likely to contain asbestos...

Notifiable non-licensed work with asbestos

All non-licensed work needs to be carried out with the appropriate controls in place. But for notifiable non-licensed work (NNLW), employers also have additional requirements to:Notify work with asbestos to the relevant enforcing authority;Ensure medical examinations are carried out; andMaintain registers of work (health records).Is my work NNLW?Whether a type of asbestos work is either licensable, NNLW or non-licensed work has to be determined in each case and will depend on the type and condit...

Dangers in the Dust (from BBC News)

Extracts from BBC News Inside the global asbestos trade. Full story on the link at the end of the page.  Banned or restricted in more than 50 countries, white asbestos continues to be widely used in China, India, Russia and Brazil, and many developing countries. The BBC's Steve Bradshaw and Jim Morris from the ICIJ report on an industry supported by a global network of lobby groups.New evidenceAnd recently, the scientific case against white asbestos may be hardening.John Hodgson of the...

Where will the waste go?

Helping people understand the concept and purpose of an asbestos waste transfer station, as opposed to an asbestos landfill site, is proving harder than we thought.  But its importance cannot be over estimated.It is no accident that Asbestos has been banned from being added to products used in the UK since November 1999.  This means that Asbestos Containing Materials (ACMs) are no longer permitted in the UK, even if they are manufactured elsewhere.Unt...