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Pollution control - asbestos

Environmental Services deals with some aspects of asbestos.

We offer advice to householders on how to deal with asbestos in their homes:

people often call because they have found asbestos at their home and want to know what they should do
people may wish to dismantle structures that contain asbestos, and want advice on how to do this
people want to know what firms can carry out asbestos-related work
people may wish to know where to dispose of asbestos

We deal with complaints where members of the public are concerned that asbestos work is not being carried out correctly or where asbestos has been dumped (for example on wasteland or in alleyways).

We also advise businesses on their responsibilities towards asbestos.

Types of asbestos

Asbestos comes in several forms. Most commonly it is found in asbestos cement tiles, typically used in the construction of garages or garden sheds. In this form the asbestos fibres are bonded into the cement, and provided that the tiles are undamaged, they present a low risk to public health. Common locations of asbestos cement are:

asbestos cement on garage or shed roofs
asbestos cement shed and garage wall panels
asbestos cement drain pipes
asbestos cement or Insulation board soffit, infill panels and partitions
asbestos cement on the side of bath panels

Of greater risk is sprayed asbestos, typically used to lag a boiler or to act as an insulating material. Members of the general public should not attempt to handle sprayed asbestos.

Handling

We strongly recommend that if you wish to work with or remove asbestos you use a company that is experienced in dealing with asbestos. However, please be aware that the Asbestos (Licensing) Regulations 1983, amended in 1998, require companies to be licensed to carry out work with all asbestos except asbestos cement and the Special Waste Regulations 1996 require all asbestos waste to be sent to a site that is authorised to accept asbestos waste.

You may be able to identify firms who will be able to help by:

using the internet
using the local phone books
contacting the Asbestos Removal Contractors Association (ARCA):
237 Branston Road, Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, DE14 3BT
Telephone: 01283 531126
Fax: 01283 568228
Email: info@arca.org.uk
Website: www.arcaweb.org.uk

If you choose to work with asbestos yourself then the general precautions to be taken when handling asbestos cement sheets are:

prepare the work area - remove any unnecessary items, cover the floor and surfaces with disposable polythene sheeting
where appropriate protective clothing (for example a breathing filter/ face mask)
where reasonably practicable, remove the asbestos cement before the rest of the structure is demolished
where possible, avoid further breaking the sheets
keep the material wet when working on it
where possible, lower the material onto a clean hard surface
remove waste and debris from the site as soon as possible to prevent it being crushed underfoot or by moving vehicles
do not dry sweep asbestos cement debris
dispose of the waste and debris safely
pick up polythene sheeting and remove protective clothing and dispose of both as asbestos waste
wash hands and face after the job is completed

Disposal of asbestos waste

Currently, it is not possible to dispose of waste that contains asbestos at any household waste site in Hertfordshire. Members of the public who have asbestos to dispose of should either arrange for collection and disposal by a licensed asbestos contractor or contact Waste Aware (an advisory service provided by Hertfordshire County Council)

Telephone: 08457 425000
Email: WasteAware@hertscc.gov.uk
Website: www.wasteaware.org.uk

Hertfordshire County Council may be able to collect small amounts of domestically produced asbestos containing material.

Please note that Environmental Services does not offer an identification service. If you do need to identify asbestos then we can put you in contact with organisations that may be able to do this for you.

Complaints about dumped asbestos

If you are concerned about any dumped material that you feel may contain asbestos, please contact our Rapid Response Officer.

Businesses and asbestos

The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006 requires businesses to take various precautions to be taken when working with asbestos.

Businesses must take all reasonable steps to find any asbestos in their premises and:

presume that materials do contain asbestos unless there is strong evidence that they do not
prepare a record of the location and condition of these materials and assess the risk from them
prepare and implement a plan to manage those risks
prepare information on the location and condition of the material to anyone who is liable to disturb it

For more information, please contact Environmental Services.

You can also get information from the Health and Safety Executive:

Telephone: 01582 444200
Website: www.hse.gov.uk

For more information

ehl@watford.gov.uk

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Watford Borough Council Pollution control - asbestos

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