Asbestos Awareness

There are some rules in life that it just makes no sense to ignore. We leave the building if a fire alarm sounds, we take medication as the label tells us to, we stop at red traffic lights and so on. We all have a long list of rules that we follow because they keep…

If I asked you to tell me about asbestos, my guess is you would probably start by telling me how dangerous it is. In many ways, that would be the desirable response, because asbestos is dangerous and not only that, it is present in the workplace for many people. It is a Category 1 carcinogen…

Renovating, decorating and maintenance are a fact of life for homeowners. As soon as you move into a home it seems that you are signing up for a lifetime of drilling, hammering and painting, because part of the pleasure of owning your own home is shaping it to your personal taste. For many people, a…

For a school caretaker, the working day can be pretty hectic. Emergency repairs and long-standing maintenance schedules are a never ending cycle of commitments. The caretaker is required to zoom in like Superman to clean up the spilled, tighten the loose, take away the unwanted and clean the un-cleanable. Unfortunately, as the school’s intrepid caretaking…

The danger from exposure to asbestos is well known and has been for many years. In fact, the Romans knew that slaves who had worked in the asbestos mines were prone to early death from lung diseases. Despite some historical warnings, though, during The Industrial Revolution the material grew in popularity as its heat resistant…

There have been a few high-profile cases in recent years where hotel owners have been handed some quite hefty fines for not satisfactorily handling asbestos in their buildings. In 2013, for example, Brittania Hotels received a fine of £160,000 for the mishandling of their asbestos management during a refurbishment in one hotel in the chain.…

One of the areas that prospective landlords often find a little daunting is the legislation surrounding known or potential Asbestos Containing Materials. As a landlord, you will almost certainly be aware that asbestos is a highly toxic substance and that there will need to be safeguards in place to protect your tenants from potential exposure.…

For an extended period between the 1950s and the end of the century, building materials that contained asbestos were used extensively in schools around the country. With the benefit of hindsight, it seems insane that we would build our learning institutions utilising a mineral that is listed as a Category 1 carcinogen in their construction.…

There is not much the British homeowner enjoys more than the prospect of a DIY project. We love the planning, the measuring, the working out of the cost, the trip to buy the materials, unpacking new tools and then the settling back with a cup of tea enjoying a job well done after all the…

On the HSE website you will find a list of jobs where workers are considered to be at risk of encountering asbestos in the workplace. Asbestos is a dangerous and potentially fatal toxin, so the importance of awareness cannot be underestimated. While the list is wide-ranging, it very clearly establishes a number of trades that…