I have on going issues with my Housing Ass
Now my guttering is very old and contains Asbestos, they replaced it today, but my understanding is that a proper company should remove it, then the builders come in and do what they need to do after.
Is this true? do they have to or is it recomended?
Cheers
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When my roof was being replaced (it was asbestos) the local Environmental Health Officer from the council knocked on door asked me who and how----------i had used same company as the council had when doing roofs a few doors down so they could f++k off.
They would have tested the guttering to firstly find out what kind of asbestos it was, what the actual asbestos content was and finally it's condition.
Most asbestos cement guttering is chrysotile and mixed with cement it is hard to break and damage. Damage to this material releases the fibres which causes the problems later on.
Removal of asbestos cement products that contain Chrysotile is low risk and do not generally require the use of a licensed asbestos removal company - as long as the removal is managed correctly and the disposal of the product is monitored.
It was booked for next week to have a proper company, builders turned up today ripped it out replaced it and left a fecking mess
http://www.hse.gov.uk/press/2011/coi-se-msasbestos.htm
Please see the attached page from the HSE website, which tells you exactly what a non licensed contractor can work on with regard to asbestos.
http://www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/essentials/index.htm
I'd love to see how you deal with removal of artex and floor tiles.
Here's the HSE guidance for removal of asbestos cement guttering.
http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/guidance/a14.pdf
Please note it quite clearly say 'non licensed tasks'
She mentioned this to a friend who put her in touch with a team of Chinese builders who did it for the princely sum of 300 quid.
Not so big on the H&S aspects though.
Her old man was there to oversee it and asked the top guy if they should be wearing special gear, the bloke cracked up laughing and waved him away!
At one point my Mrs was touching this chalky substance on the walls, and the guide yelled out "don't touch that... it's asbestos!"
No wonder millions of people have died in that mine :S
Back on subject, my garage roof was asbestos, and the roofer's brother in law was the council asbestos man. Had the whole rood replaced for about £250, and all done legit. I was so impressed I even paid the VAT.
They are still mining Asbestos today in Russia, Canada and South Africa.
They have a bin for it there.
When I was an apprentice back in the early ‘80s I used to make assembly fixtures out of the stuff, furnite, I think it was called. It had warning stickers on the sheets saying it contained asbestos, but white asbestos was considered relatively safe then, or it was by my then foreman.
Fact is we have been breathing in asbestos fibres for years; car/train brake and clutch linings, buildings being demolished/ constructed. Greenwich hospital had its pipes lagged in the stuff, I bet they didn’t remove every fibre from that building before they blew it up releasing clouds of god knows what into the surrounding area.
I personally think asbestos is the tip of the iceberg. Medical science is going to have to keep a pace with the ramifications of what the world has been putting in it's food, air and building products.
He hasn't suffered from either asbestosis or mesothelioma, but his wife died of asbestosis four years ago. It is highly likely she got it from the fibres he bought home with him - probably whilst doing his washing.
The worst offender was a company called James Hardie whose incompetence and deception over asbestos caused hundreds of men and their relatives to die in the most horrific way imaginable.
A family friend of my wife's died of this, it was absolutely horrific and his family got nothing as he was a self-employed builder.