PLEASE NOTE:  No work should be undertaken in risers, ducts, ceiling voids; or work involving drilling into walls, floors or ceilings unless an appropriate asbestos survey has indicated it is safe.  All asbestos related activities are managed by Estates & Facilities.

What is asbestos and why is it dangerous?

Asbestos is a naturally occurring fibrous material where the three main types are blue, brown and white asbestos. They are often mixed into other materials and therefore it is hard to identify if you don’t know what you are looking for.

When asbestos containing materials (ACMs) are damaged or disturbed they can release dangerous fibres which, if breathed in, can cause serious diseases. When these fibres are released, they are not visible to the naked eye. You cannot taste it, see it, or smell it, and any health effects are not immediately obvious.

Around 5000 people in Great Britain die every year from asbestos-related diseases as a result of past exposure, making asbestos the single greatest cause of work-related deaths. Disturbing asbestos-containing material (ACM) can release invisible fibres. Once in the air, fibres can be breathed in and cause lung diseases including:

• mesothelioma – a cancer of the linings to the lungs and stomach;
• lung cancer;
• other serious diseases such as asbestosis – a scarring of lung tissue.

There are no sudden changes in health after breathing in fibres – these diseases can take from 15 to 60 years to develop. They are incurable and often fatal. You need to protect yourself now to prevent contracting an asbestos related disease in the future.

Where can you find asbestos?

Asbestos can be found in any building built before the year 2000 (houses, factories, offices, schools, hospitals etc) and causes around 5000 deaths every year. Large amounts of asbestos were used in new and refurbished buildings before 2000. Blue (crocidolite) and brown (amosite) asbestos were banned by law in 1985. Manufacture and supply of all asbestos was banned by the end of 1999. However, existing asbestos articles can continue in use until they reach the end of their service life. A large number of premises and older plant and equipment still contain some asbestos. Much of the asbestos will be hidden in the fabric of the building so it is not immediately obvious.

See the link below for information on where you can find it in the workplace, and even at home. http://www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/building.htm

What can you do to protect yourself and others in the workplace?

As asbestos containing materials are not immediately obvious, and not always visible, you must not carry out certain activities yourself. For example, you must not drill into walls in your office to install blinds yourself. If you would like any work done in your area, you must first contact Estates who will carry out the appropriate checks for asbestos. They will then carry out the job for you, once it has been deemed safe to work on. You must not attempt to carry out the work yourself, as you could be putting yourself and others at risk.

If you come across something that you suspect to be asbestos, then you must report it to Estates & Facilities immediately and ensure that it is not disturbed i.e. do not touch it.

http://www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/risk.htm

Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) asbestos management plan:

Any building built before 1999 may contain asbestos.  To prevent exposure to asbestos containing materials (ACMs), QMUL has an asbestos management plan which details how we manage asbestos.  It contains information on:

• The process to identify areas where ACMs may be present. An independent UKAS accredited consultancy is used to complete this survey work.
• The survey information is collated into an electronic asbestos register which is available to anyone whose work may require them to work where ACMs may be present.
• The survey assigns risk levels to any ACMs found. Depending on the results we will:
  • Conduct ACMs removal works.
  • Make the ACMs safe e.g. by encapsulating the ACMs.
  • Conduct annual inspections to ensure the condition of known ACMs has not deteriorated.
• Work that may disturb ACMs is carefully managed via a formal permit system (in the absence of information ACMs are assumed to be present until evidence to the contrary is obtained).
• QMUL has engaged an asbestos consultancy to advise and support the programme.

Key contacts

Andrew Cumming - Asbestos Manager 

QMUL Documents

Asbestos Policy 

Please see the Estates and Facilities Health and Safety Webpage.  

References

Click here for the HSE Asbestos page which has a wide range of information and links to legislation. 

Legislation

The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 (CAR)