A brief presentation on asbestos awareness history, remediation & issues by Paul Fox CDir Managing Director of Merryhill Envirotec Ltd

1. Merryhill Envirotec Ltd
Asbestos management, licensing
and employee health & safety
Paul Fox Dip IoD.Cert IoD BA(Hons) AIEMA MIoD
Managing Director
www.merryhillenvirotec.com

2. Contents
• Merryhill - Who we are & what we do
• Asbestos history
• Asbestos in buildings today
• The Duty to Manage Asbestos
• Asbestos Licensing
• Our staff & what they do
• Our staff & what we do for them
• Future challenges for us
• Questions & hopefully some answers
www.merryhillenvirotec.com

3. Who are we & what
do we do?
• Fully licensed asbestos removal contractor
• UKAS accredited asbestos surveyors
• Asbestos consultation & management
• High hazard services - lead, MMMF, beryllium, PCBs
• Commercial & industrial fire & flood recovery
• Public sector - Ministry of Defence, NHS Trusts, Councils
• Private sector – SSE Power, ABP, Knight Frank, Royal Household
• Olympic Park, Mountbatten Bldg, Broadlands Estate
www.merryhillenvirotec.com

4. Asbestos History
• 2500BC – evidence of asbestos being used in Finland
• 1860s – first used as insulation in the US
• 1870s – first commercial asbestos mine in Canada
• 1906 – first documented death attributable to asbestos
• 1920-30s – widespread knowledge of occupational health risks
• Mid 1900s – used in buildings, cars, shoes, cigarettes, trains, oil rigs
• 9/11 attacks – 1000 tonnes of asbestos released
• When was asbestos finally banned?
• UK (1999) Italy (1992) New Zealand (2002)
• Australia (2004) Japan (2004) Spain (2001)
• Turkey (2011) France (1997) United States (......?)
www.merryhillenvirotec.com

5. Asbestos in Buildings Today
Insulating board
Fire doors
Suspended ceilings
Fire blankets
Downpipes & gutter
Flues
Floor tiles
Pipe lagging
Garage & shed roofs
Soffits
Plugholes
Artex ceilings
www.merryhillenvirotec.com

6. The Duty to Manage
The Duty to Manage Asbestos in non-domestic premises first appeared in
regulation 4 of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006.
1. Take reasonable steps to find out if there are materials containing
asbestos in non-domestic premises
2. You must presume materials contain asbestos unless there is strong
evidence that they do not
3. Provide a record of the location and condition of the asbestos containing
materials
4. Assess the risk of anyone being exposed to fibres from the materials
identified
5. Provide information on the location and condition of the materials to
anyone who is liable to work on or disturb them
www.merryhillenvirotec.com

7. Asbestos Licensing
Notifiable works (ASB5);
14 days notice to HSE
Non-notifiable works;
HSG210 guide
Method Statement &
Risk Assessment
• Range from 6 months to 3 years, can be conditions, can be revoked
• Health & Safety Management – HSG65
• Policy | Organisation |Planning | Measuring | Auditing & Reviewing
• The key is demonstrating competency at all levels
• Overseen by Health & Safety Executive (Asbestos Licensing Unit)
www.merryhillenvirotec.com

8. Our Staff & What They Do
• Highly trained & competency focussed
• Rigorous competency gap analysis & training
• Up to 6 hours in a “live” asbestos enclosure per day
• Training in confined spaces & working at height
• Training in PPE, RPE & risk assessment
• Asbestos & other hazards
• Beryllium, lead, PCBs
• Decontamination
• Transporting hazardous
waste
www.merryhillenvirotec.com

9. Our Staff & What We Do
Under license...
• Bi-annual full medical & fit to work tests
• Face Fit Tests annually
In addition...
• Full occupational health screening
• Free eye tests & help with prescriptions
• Specially adapted PPE/RPE
• Stop smoking courses & other health advice free
• Specially adapted PPE & RPE at no cost
• NVQ2-5 Asbestos removal & occupational safety & health
www.merryhillenvirotec.com

10. Future Challenges
• Other hazardous materials e.g. Fibre glass
• Long term occupational health of employees
• More onerous permissioning regime
• Very expensive to run an asbestos removal
company
• Regulating unlicensed companies
• Asbestos still being mined
• India, China, Indonesia, Alang (India)
www.merryhillenvirotec.com

11. 0800 526572
“Please contact me if you have any asbestos management issues,
I would love to listen.”
paul.fox@merryhillenvirotec.com
www.merryhillenvirotec.com