As we have been explaining in the last article, the asbestos register is important for the duty holder of premises where asbestos may be present to keep this document up to date.

In keeping with this, all relevant staff, plus any trades people working on site, needs to be able to check the register as and when required. Therefore, it should be made available to all these personnel.

The asbestos register also needs to refer to products which may appear like asbestos, but which have been shown – through thorough lab testing – not to be asbestos-containing materials after all. This information can greatly help those about to begin work in the building but may be unwilling to go ahead with this until it is demonstrated that asbestos contamination is not going to be an issue for them.

To ensure your asbestos register is kept to the required standards, you can always turn to a specialist asbestos removal and management company that has experience of dealing with all these situations. Whether you are a domestic, commercial or industrial customer, there are a wide range of services available to you. These include asbestos surveys as well as how to maintain an asbestos register.

This article and the next one are both designed to enlighten those that are unsure what an asbestos register is and the sorts of things that need to be logged in this comprehensive document.

To begin with, the register is used to inform the duty holder or person responsible for a building as well as those looking to start work on the premises about any asbestos-containing materials, or ACMs, that can be expected to be located on site.

The whereabouts of all known as well as presumed ACMs are recorded within the register. The details of these products can be identified through the asbestos survey and report completed on the building.

On those occasions where the asbestos has been removed by licensed contractors, this is documented in the register. You do this by marking the asbestos-materials as ‘removed’. Remember though, even where ACMs have been safely removed and disposed of, you will still need to keep a record of this in the register.

If in the future any knowledge is required on the asbestos history of a building, you can then simply refer back from the register. In fact, any details known pertaining to the asbestos removal should also be put down here.

According to the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006, the dutyholder of non-domestic premises refers to the person or organisation that oversees the maintenance and repair of the building through a contract or tenancy agreement.

It is up to them to manage the finding of asbestos as they are responsible for the building. The duty may refer to the owner of the premises or the leaseholder, with the level depending on the agreement.

These people are expected to take the necessary precautions regarding asbestos and determine the amount and condition of the materials. If the dutyholder is unsure whether products contain asbestos or not, they have to presume this is the case and take the necessary steps.

As well as keeping a record of these asbestos-containing materials, the owner or leaseholder has to carry out assessments regarding the risk to exposure on the site. A review has to be carried out periodically with a plan put in place to keep all this information up to date and available to workers and those using the building.

This places a lot of responsibility on this person or organisation and so it is often necessary to call in the asbestos removal specialists to check out the premises and determine the most appropriate course of action.

Whether you have found asbestos in your home or uncovered it at your work premises, you might be wondering why you would want to turn to an asbestos removal contractor to carry out the disposal of this material.

Unless the asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) are considered low-risk to the safety of those using the building, you will have to consult with a licensed specialist for this work.

This is because the removal of many types of asbestos is deemed as being an extremely hazardous job. Because the chances are greater that the product will release higher quantities of asbestos fibres into the air when disturbed, specific training is required of those who undertake this task.

Due to the serious nature of asbestos removal you are advised to call the experts in the first instance as they can perform asbestos surveys to determine the risk factor and advise as to whether removal of the asbestos is in everybody’s best interests.

They will follow certain working practices and know exactly what they are doing when dealing with the asbestos. In addition to this, they also have all the necessary respiratory protective equipment (RPE) to undertake the work.

Whenever you seem to read about asbestos it is usually related to it being found within the construction of a building and those using the premises are warned about disturbing it, but why is this so?

The reason why asbestos removal contractors are so busy attending sites where high-risk asbestos-containing products are found to be present is that once the fibres have been inhaled by a person they can lead to serious disease further down the line.

Unlike some illnesses, the symptoms are not immediately recognised and it can take years for a person to be fully diagnosed with such things as mesothelioma and asbestosis.

Around four thousand people die every year from the four major asbestos diseases, with mesothelioma nearly always proving to be fatal.

While it is worth noting that not all asbestos is dangerous, if in good condition, not a high-risk type and left as it is it can be less of a problem it still needs to be carefully managed.

A key factor in the level of risk to a person is the amount of fibres they are exposed to, which can be breathed in. Damaged materials containing asbestos should be left well alone, with the experts called in to assess the situation.

In the last article, we touched on two of the most serious illnesses that can affect a person exposed to asbestos in a building. We will now point out the other two diseases and explain what to do should you come across it.

A person who is exposed to asbestos consistently over a number of years could be open to getting asbestosis. This is a serious lung scarring condition that is known to cause the sufferer to experience problems with their breathing. In some heavy asbestos exposure cases, this can lead to death.

The problem of pleural thickening is another disease that can happen to a person who is exposed to asbestos on a regular basis. This illness involves the thickening and swelling of the lung lining, which can mean discomfort in the chest as well as shortness of breath.

It is important to note that these diseases are not likely to affect you straight away and it can take years to develop properly. So it means that once it has been diagnosed it is sometimes too late to do something about it, which is why we are reiterating the importance of taking action to protect yourself and those you care about before it even gets to this point.

The reasons why we are always stressing the dangers of asbestos and the need to take precautions when ever going near the substance, especially when it has deteriorated, is because of the serious diseases we are about to mention.

In this article and the next one, we will be taking a look at the four main illnesses that can be caused due to exposure to asbestos particles in the atmosphere.

These should highlight how important it is to get asbestos removal specialists round to your property to assess the situation before going ahead with work near to where asbestos is present.

The first disease we will be considering is mesothelioma, a cancer which often proves to be fatal. This is because this illness is nearly always related to exposure to asbestos and therefore it is usually too late to help a patient once it has been diagnosed. Mesothelioma can affect the lung lining as well as the lining around the lower digestive tract.

With regards to asbestos-related lung cancer, this appears the same as the usual form of the disease which is often caused by smoking.

In the next article we will cover the other two serious illnesses caused by asbestos exposure.

Over the last few articles we have been stressing the point that you should only get started on a project where asbestos is involved if you have been made aware of where the asbestos is in the building, plus what condition it is in at this time.

Your safety is obviously your main concern, so unless you have been given the appropriate training to work with even non-licensed asbestos materials, then you should refrain from going ahead with the work.

The work should only be carried out if the proper planning has already taken place, with the necessary precautions taken. Everything should be carefully laid out for you so there is no margin for error.

The equipment provided for working with this potentially dangerous material needs to be right for the task.

Some asbestos-containing materials like textured coatings and cement do not require a special licence, but it is still important to consider training in asbestos work and how to work safely.

If you need to find out more about asbestos then you can check out the Asbestos Essentials section of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) website.

If you are wondering how to handle asbestos, most people will never really need to actually work with it, but if you have to do this as part of your job, then it is important to know exactly what to do.

Those that have already worked with asbestos before will know the dangers it poses, but those unfamiliar with this material need to avoid disturbing it, unless trained to carry this out in a safe manner.

There are various organisations around that offer training on this subject, so if it is going to be something you may come across through your work then this could be right for you.

Remember, if you are ever asked to work in an environment where asbestos is expected to be present, it is your right to know if it has been checked or not. It should be deemed safe for you to proceed, so ask your manager to confirm this.

It is your employer’s duty to protect their workers against such a dangerous material, so you need to be passed on information pertaining to the asbestos, such as its condition and whereabouts, by the. They can gain this from the person who is in charge of the non-domestic building.

It is important to make clear that nobody should ever force you or make you feel uncomfortable about working on domestic or commercial premises where asbestos is said to be present.

There are legitimate reasons why you wouldn’t want to take on this work until you have been provided with the full answers to any queries you might have.

For a start, you shouldn’t be expected to take on a job if you are unsure whether asbestos is an issue or not.

If you know that the asbestos-containing materials involved in the work are within the lagging on pipes and boilers or sprayed coatings, insulation or board, then you are right not to continue. This is because only contractors with a specialism in asbestos removal have the licence required to work on these products.

It might be the case that you have not been given the required training to carry out non-licensed work on these materials. Again, you shouldn’t begin the work unless you have had the right level of training – certainly more than just basic awareness of asbestos products.

These are all justifiable reasons why you would not want to jump into something like this, so make sure you always take the right precautions where asbestos is involved.