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Welcome to our April newsletter from Environmental Essentials.
This Month
Our Mission
It is our intention to provide accurate workplace solutions and impartial advice whilst maintaining an uncompromising level of quality and Commitment that is second to none
UKAS Accredited Surveys
All our surveying services are fully UKAS accredited and are carried out to the highest standards, providing you with a cost-effective and efficient service. Find Out More
Asbestos Removal
Our experienced consultants provide a comprehensive management service Find Out More
Free Asbestos Seminars
During 2008 and 2009 EE have delivered FREE monthly seminars for Duty Holders and contracting organizations throughout the UK. Find Out More
Other Training
IOSHH Working Safely (1 day course)
IOSHH Managing Safely (4 day course)
Confined space entry/egress and breathing apparatus (1 day) |
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Internal News
We are pleased to announce that Environmental Essential have won the contract for the provision of Type 2 Asbestos Surveys on behalf of Staffordshire County Council. We have been in partnership with them for the last 2 years having developed our bespoke IT platform and systems to interface with their own asbestos database so this is a great achievement to have won the tender.
Staff News
Congratulations to:
Marta Kunc for achieving BOHS modules P401, P403, P404 and her NEBOSHH certificate.
Andy Darlington for achieving BOHS P403
And Richard Jackson and Jessica Barnes who have impressed in such a short space of time and have both passed BOHS P401.
Employee of the Month
March 2009 employee goes to Jenny Chan for her enthusiasm and willingness to go that extra mile to help colleagues and meet client requirements, always.
Environmental Essentials supports Action Mesothelioma Day
27th February 2009 saw the fourth anniversary of Action Mesothelioma Day. EEL has backed the campaign since its inception and this year we celebrated the date by delivering an open seminar ‘Duty to Manage Update’ at Liverpool Football Club.
A huge thank you to everyone who brought raffle tickets, and we are please to announce that EEL has doubled the donated money which will be donated to the British Heart Foundation. A special thank you also goes to Bob Stephens from Kier who drew the winning ticket and is always supportive of EEL’s campaigns.
Most people who develop mesothelioma have inhaled asbestos particles or been exposed to asbestos dust and fibres in their workplaces or through other work-related contact such as washing the work clothes of a family member. The aim of Action Mesothelioma Day is to raise awareness of this terminal condition and to highlight the rising death toll from asbestos cancers. It is also intended to draw attention to the lack of funding for research into and treatment of mesothelioma. The intention is to create better care and treatment for those suffering the condition, better protection against asbestos for employees and more funding for research.
Annual Asbestos Refresher Training
We are advised that all members of Safe Contractor scheme must refresh asbestos awareness training annually. At the UKATA AGM this year, training providers were also advised that it was considered ‘best practice’ to refresh annually and that their recommendation would be that from this year the course should include a short multiple-choice question test and that HSE inspectors would be looking for a certificate expiry date on all training certificates.
Topic of the Month
A new feature on Environmental Essentials Monthly newsletter is topic of the month. Each month we will be giving advice on different topics and we invite you to join in by suggesting a topic, sending us your views or simply read.
This months topic was inspired by the HSE Hidden Killer campaign. In 2008 the HSE launched a campaign to raise awareness amongst trades people that they are more at risk of asbestos exposure than they think. Their research has shown a 73% increase of awareness since the campaign launched across all age ranges. In 2009./2010 the focus area will be Duty to Manage, however the overall goal is to create an awareness “amongst everyone”. This month we are not giving home improvement tips or imitating Kevin McCloud's success on Grand Designs, but trying to create awareness of how asbestos in within our every day life.
Take Care When Doing DIY
If you have asbestos materials in your home extra care should be taken when doing DIY. Do not attempt to work on materials containing sprayed asbestos, lagging or insulating board as this must be undertaken by a licensed asbestos removal contractor. DIY work on asbestos cement materials is not illegal but you need to take the following precautions:
- Keep other people away from the area of work
- Avoid causing the production of asbestos fibres by minimising the damage done to the material. If removing sheets of asbestos keep them as whole as possible – do not be tempted to break them up into smaller, more easily manageable pieces
- Do not drill or saw asbestos unless absolutely necessary. Do not scrape or sand asbestos materials before painting and decorating (consider covering over existing decorations rather than attempting to remove them). Some types of asbestos materials are very soft and can release large numbers of fibres if rubbed or scraped
- Keep asbestos materials wet to avoid producing dust
- Work outside if possible and avoid working overhead
- Wear protective clothing, preferably category 3 (type5/6) disposable overalls and a disposable dust mask ‘CE’ marked to EN149 with FFP2 particulate filters (these are not available from DIY stores)
- Use hand tools rather than power tools
- Do not use a domestic vacuum cleaner to clear up the dust as the very small fibres will pass through the bag and will then be distributed throughout the house. Damp down and remove any dust with a cloth. Do not wash dust from these cloths but dispose of appropriately
- When you have finished work clean up and then take off overalls carefully, to avoid raising any dust which may have collected in the fabric. Disposable overalls and masks should be doubled bagged in strong plastic bags, sealed and clearly marked “ASBESTOS”. Wash non-disposable overalls straight away, separately from other clothing, in a washing machine.
Remember
- Do not drill, saw, scrub asbestos materials with wire brushes, or disturb it in anyway.
- Avoid disturbing or damaging asbestos materials in good condition.
- If you have damaged or deteriorating asbestos materials in your home then SEEK ADVICE.
- If you think that your warm air heating system, electrical storage heating system or flameless catalytic gas heater may contain asbestos SEEK ADVICE from your local gas or electricity supplier. If they do contain asbestos, do not attempt to dismantle these appliances yourself.
- Do not take risks – treat asbestos with respect
Diary of Events
Open Asbestos Awareness Training 16th April, 19th May and 11th June
Who should attend? ‘All employees whose work could anticipate exposure to asbestos’ (Reg.10 - Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006), this course is aimed at all delegates from company directors, managers and supervisors to tradesmen, engineers and contractors. Places are charged at just £75.00 + vat per person and includes refreshments.
Duty to Manage Training - 27th/28th April and 27th/28th May
Designed for those with ‘duty to manage’ responsibilities for asbestos management within the workplace and specifically for duty-holders under Regulation 4 of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006. The course provides comprehensive information on how to assess whether premises contain asbestos, how to assess the risks from asbestos and how to manage those risks. Places are charged at £275.00 + Vat per person and includes refreshments and lunch.
Further dates are scheduled
Open Non Licence Working Training (category 2 training) - 8th April 7th May
Who should attend? Anyone who may be required to undertake minor work on ACMs during their working day. Aimed at personnel such as roofing contractors, demolition workers and general maintenance staff. Places are charged at just £75.00 + vat per person and includes refreshments.
For a bespoke quote for your company for any training please contact Liz on 0845 4569953 or email ladams@environmentalessentials.co.uk
News:
HSE asbestos enforcement on 1-in-5 sites
submitted by Shay Boyle — last modified 2009-02-21 11:59
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has issued asbestos-related improvement notices to 22 per cent of sites visited in a Kent inspection blitz. Inspectors visited 151 sites in Thanet, Cantebury, Dartford and Dover, and issued 33 improvement notices. They also issued two prohibition notices. The inspectors served one improvement notice and three prohibition notices relating to other safety concerns.
HSE says the aim of the campaign is to remind businesses of their responsibilities under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006. Mike Walters, principal HSE inspector in Kent, said it was 'disappointing to note that 25 per cent of the premises are failing significantly in their duty which has resulted in enforcement notices being served. Duty holders need to check if they are taking reasonable steps to ensure that asbestos is adequately managed in their premises.'
In the US last week, a federal judge sentenced two contractors to prison for undertaking asbestos removal jobs that left homes and businesses contaminated. US district judge David Hurd sentenced John Wood of Plattsburgh to four years in prison and Curtis Collins of Willsboro to two years. Wood was also ordered to pay $854,166 in restitution. Collins must pay $114,902. The men pleaded guilty to Clean Air Act violations and other crimes related to asbestos removal jobs that left much of the cancer-causing material behind. Some of the asbestos was buried on a Willsboro farm and was eventually cleaned up using money from the US government's Superfund programme.
Asbestos gave me cancer.. at just 13 years old - Exclusive
By Emily Cook on Mar 21, 09 12:00 AM in Personal Stories
Youngest victim tells of her heartbreaking daily battle against deadly disease
For four years Sophie Ellis has been fighting a killer cancer that is linked to asbestos. What marks her case as particularly tragic is her tender age. She was only 13 when she was diagnosed with mesothelioma - making her Britain's youngest ever victim of this deadly disease.
How Sophie came to develop mesothelioma remains a mystery. The lethal cancer of the lining of the lung or the abdomen - which kills one person every five hours in Britain - is almost exclusively linked to asbestos.
Breathing in just one fibre can trigger mesothelioma. But because it normally develops 15 to 50 years after exposure to asbestos, it mainly strikes the middleaged and the elderly. Which makes Sophie's case all the more startling and sad.
Now 17 and about to start a second gruelling course of chemotherapy, Sophie is speaking out about her ordeal to lend support to the Daily Mirror's campaign.
"Nobody has a clue where I got it from," says Sophie, from Battisford in Suffolk.
"We can't think of a time when I would have come into direct contact with asbestos. It took a while for the doctors to diagnose because they just didn't expect me to have it at such a young age.
"They said I was the first teenager in the UK to have developed it in the last 30 years."
For full story click here
Daily Mirror Asbestos Timebomb campaign
National newspaper the Daily Mirror has recently run a high profile Asbestos Timebomb campaign. The paper was seeking action from the Government on five key targets in the fight against asbestos and mesothelioma:
1. A £10 million National Centre for Asbestos Related Disease to find better treatment, alleviate suffering and find a cure for mesothelioma.
2. Compensation reinstated for victims of 'pleural plaques' - scars on lungs caused by asbestos - after it was scrapped two years ago.
3. Fair and equal compensation for asbestos disease sufferers who can't trace the insurers of the bosses who exposed them, through a new Employers' Liability Insurance Bureau paid for by the insurance industry.
4. A public register of all asbestos surveys carried out on public buildings.
5. The Health and Safety Executive must be given the resources to meet its own targets for inspecting asbestos removal work.
Backing the Mirror's campaign, TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said:
'The TUC welcomes the Mirror's important campaign. It is crucial that we not only increase awareness of the dangers of asbestos so that we can prevent any workers becoming exposed to the fatal fibres in future but also that we can ensure that those who develop a disease as a result of coming into contact with this deadly substance are given as much support as possible.'
Visit the Mirror's Asbestos Timebomb campaign website now, where you can sign their petition for action on asbestos.
UK school officials work to reassure parents about asbestos dangers
February 16th, 2009 by Wendi Lewis
A recent report by the BBC raised alarms in the area of Kent, in the United Kingdom, after an examination of schools in the South East showed 92 percent of facilities contain asbestos. However, the Kent County Council’s (KCC) property group maintains the asbestos is “contained” and managed so that it poses “minimal risk” to youngers and teachers.
When asbestos is disturbed, it releases microscopic fibers that can be inhaled, and which can imbed themselves in the lungs or abdomen. Exposure to these fibers can lead to asbestosis, a severe scarring of the lungs, or mesothelioma, a cancer that affects the lining of the lungs and, more rarely, the abdomen.
The problem, according to a report in the Kent News, is that it is difficult to accurately monitor the asbestos in the schools. The News quotes Dr. Alastair Stewart, a consultant chest physician, who recommend an independent assessment of the schools to locate any asbestos and determine the safety of the situation.
Another factor that makes it difficult to assess whether schools that contain asbestos materials are safe is that it is still largely unknown how much exposure to asbestos fibers is too much. Currently, the standard thought is that any asbestos exposure can be dangerous.
The school asbestos study was produced by the BBC, and aired on its Inside Out program. Experts interviewed on the show pointed to an alarming rise in mesothelioma cases among schoolteachers, and expressed concern for children, in whom the asbestos danger may be latent.
According to the News, asbestos is present in 554 of Kent’s 559 schools, and in 111 out of 116 schools in Medway.
Environmental Essentials
Asbestos Management Services and Training Provider
Asbestos Surveys - Types 1, 2 and 3
Project Management Services and Audit
HSE/BOHS and UKATA approved training.
Bulk sampling and fibre analysis for asbestos content
Four-Stage clearance procedure for site re-occupation
In service inspection and testing of Local Exhaust Ventilation Plant (LEV's)
Priority Risk Assessment
Computer based record system - Client instant access to records and surveys on-line
Supervisory License Holder
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