Asbestos legislation - need for expert assistance

STATS is an independent consultancy practise specialising in a number of disciplines including asbestos management.

STATS is an independent consultancy practise specialising in a number of disciplines including asbestos management comprised of surveys and asbestos registers for property owners/occupiers, the administration and supervision of removal contracts and all aspects of air monitoring, sampling and testing.

STATS provides UKAS accredited laboratory testing services, and is an approved British Institute of Occupational Health (BIOH) training course provider for asbestos awareness and P402 training.

STATS also holds an HSE licence for project management.

Commenting on the success that STATS has achieved in the field of asbestos management, Jason Hodgkiss says "clients generally come to STATS for help because of our extensive experience in this area and because we are independent from any removal company".

"Furthermore, we are fully accredited for testing and inspection, which means that we are able to provide a full service." There is currently a duty to manage all Asbestos-Containing Materials (ACM) within work premises, and any work on or affecting them is strictly governed.

In the past, during redevelopment or demolition, it was commonplace for all remaining ACM to be used as fill material.

Unfortunately, few, few records were kept on the location or extent of any infill.

This has resulted in the potential for ACM to be present anywhere on a site that has been subject to historical changes in development design.

In addition, ACM have been known to be imported onto sites in hardcore and used as sub-base for hardstanding.

This situation has been exacerbated by the failure of some older surveys to identify the problem.

If a site therefore has asbestos contamination confirmed or suspected, a number of issues arise:.

* Will the land be classified as hazardous waste and if so to what extent?.

* How strict must the control measures be in dealing with the problem?.

* The definition of waste becoming hazardous due to asbestos is 0.1%W/W asbestos fibres (unscrupulous "dilution" of the waste on site would be considered waste treatment and unacceptable.

* The type of asbestos dictates removal methodology and the controls on those undertaking the work.

Again, generally, if the ACM is classified as lagging, insulation, coating or Asbestos Insulation Board (AIB) then removals must be carried out by contractors licensed by the HSE to undertake such work.

* Regardless of asbestos type, any movement of the waste on the highway must be undertaken by suitably licensed organisation and the final site for disposal of the waste is suitably licensed.

There is one additional final consideration, under the new hazardous waste legislation, which came into force on 16th July 2005, in general any site generating asbestos waste must register with the Environment Agency as a Waste Producer.

Back to top