Chris Ivey, Director of UKATA, delves into the legacy risks of asbestos in building safety assessments and the vital need for comprehensive training

I was recently invited to dinner with my oldest friend from the dark days of school and among the other guests was his nephew, a doctor, who mentioned that he was moving into a flat with asbestos but had been told he could cover it up.

The sound of hooves could be heard for miles around as I climbed up onto my high horse and spent the next five minutes explaining the health risks, epidemiology of asbestos related illnesses and social impact associated with asbestos.

Sitting at the table with us were a town planner, two senior project managers and a surveyor, all of whom had completed degrees in the built environment but knew little or nothing of the problem.

It got me thinking, how is this sector of the construction industry protecting itself from asbestos?

A quick search of the internet found several stories about surveyors who had developed mesothelioma, a cancer of the lining of the lungs, as a result of inadvertently being exposed to asbestos.

Asbestos has a long history, but significantly for the UK, its use post war was almost ubiquitous.

Firstly, it is important to understand that asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral, which due to its fibrous composition makes it ideal to be worked into a myriad of products.

 It was also mined in many of what are now commonwealth countries, making it cheap and accessible to the UK as we rebuilt our cities, schools, factories, offices and homes after the war.

Flameproof, non-conducting, resistant to acid and alkali, resistant to heat up to 600-800 degrees and an excellent sound insulator, asbestos was the perfect material with which to re-build the UK’s infrastructure after 1945.

At our dinner, a lot of talk centred around the new Building Safety Act and the rush by building owners to ensure that their premises are up to standard.

 There has long been a need for fire risk assessments for premises, and not all of those conducted since the introduction of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order have been up to scratch.

  If any good can come out of the tragedy of Grenfell it will be that building owners and those responsible for the safety of occupants are far more aware of the need for competent people to carry out their fire risk assessments.

Good assessors aren’t merely filling out generic forms, they are looking at the fabric and construction of buildings to provide a better understanding of how a fire might start or spread.

One way to prevent or slow the spread of a fire and therefore allow safe evacuation is through compartmentation.

 The objective of fire compartmentation is to prevent the spread of smoke, gases, and flames.

By subdividing the building with fire resisting construction, escape routes and high-risk or high-value areas are protected to ensure the safety of occupants and prevent extensive losses.

A suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment will typically involve a review of existing fire compartmentation measures through a sampling approach (walls, floors, voids, and shafts predominantly).

Sampling can indicate the presence of significant issues, such as locating or confirming the presence of fire dampers or establishing if existing measures meet the requirements of current guidance or other specific business resilience objectives.

If the building was constructed before 1999, what better way to provide protection from fire than by using a material that cannot be ignited and can withstand temperatures up to 800c, a material that can be mixed with others to provide flexible, malleable but strong products to provide or fireproof that compartmentation.

Asbestos containing materials, such as insulating boards, thermoplastic floor tiles, ropes, gaskets, etc were a perfect choice for compartmentation walls, ceilings and floors, and for filling gaps around service penetrations.

If a Fire Risk Assessor is therefore disturbing materials to ensure these fire breaks are in place, is it possible that they may be disturbing asbestos, and if so, are they placing themselves and occupiers at risk?

When the Control of Asbestos Regulations were introduced in 2012, they specifically included a requirement for employers to ensure that any employee liable to be exposed to asbestos must be given adequate information, instruction and training.

This is expanded on in the approved code of practice to the regulations (L143) and identifies fire alarm installers, architects, building surveyors and other such professionals as being required to attend “asbestos awareness” training, the only exception being where it can be demonstrated that work will only be carried out in or on premises free of ACMs.

Sadly, I have investigated too many incidents where work has been carried out in buildings where the operatives have been told that no asbestos was present, when in fact a survey had been misread or contained caveats unknown to the worker, and in most cases asbestos awareness training had not been attended.

The list of topics to be covered in asbestos awareness training set out in L143 is relatively short, however it seems ridiculous that you wouldn’t include guidance on how to interrogate an asbestos survey or register.

 This is mandatory for any asbestos awareness training course accredited by the UK Asbestos Training Association (UKATA).

As a child of the 70s asbestos has been an ever-present spectre at the feast, from the derelict garage at my family home demolished by hand by my grandfather, to the lagging on the pipes in my classroom at college, so when I got the opportunity to learn more about it, I jumped at it.

 Since then, I have been a passionate advocate for sharing that knowledge with everyone.

 Knowledge is power, and everyone deserves the power to protect themselves.

So if,  whilst carrying out your fire risk assessment, you are going to stick your head into a ceiling void, riser, undercroft or are going to disturb material installed before 1999, are you sure you know what you might find there, do you know what to check before you start work, do you have the knowledge to protect yourself?

Hopefully the irony of putting yourself unnecessarily at risk conducting an assessment won’t be lost on you.

UKATA, a leading association, is dedicated to enhancing the quality and standards of asbestos training with the aim to shield workers and the public from the hazards of asbestos exposure.

The association collaborates closely with its members to guarantee that they have access to the latest information, training resources, and industry updates.

They provide a suite of support services to assist them in accomplishing their training objectives.

Their membership encompasses a diverse array of organisations involved in asbestos training, including training providers, asbestos removal contractors, consultants, and equipment suppliers.

UKATA is fervent about promoting safe and responsible working practices, committed to working with members and partners to realise a shared vision of protecting workers and the public from the hazards linked with asbestos exposure.

This article was originally published in the July 2024 issue of International Fire & Safety Journal. To read your FREE digital copy, click here.