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Welcome to our June 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) |
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 Employee of the Month May’s 2009 employee of
the month goes to both Rachel Rushton and Stuart Cresswell. Stuart for his outstanding contribution to the surveying team and for the fantastic feedback he received from the HSE whilst on a job at Glan Clwyd Hospital.. Race For Life Charity Event On 9th June 2009, Helen, Jessica, Rachel, Jo and Becky are joining 5000 woman to do a 5km walk / jog / run to raise money for Cancer Research.
Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life is the largest women-only fundraising event in the UK. Since 1994, women of all ages and fitness levels across the UK have come together to join in at these inspiring events. Every pound raised in sponsorship goes towards their vital work which includes funding the work of over 4,500 scientists, doctors and nurses who are dedicated to help more people beat cancer. If you would like to sponsor our girls, please call Rachel on 0845 4569953 or email Rachel. All donations however large or small are appreciated. The Duty to Manage Asbestos in Social Housing & Public Buildings Seminar An Update on legislation MDHS 100 Environmental Essentials are pleased to announce that the next seminar will be on Thursday 9th July 2009 at Leeds United Football Club and will cover: What is Asbestos? Asbestos Related Health Effects Legislation and CAR 2006 Update on the Duty to Manage CAR in Practice Are you compliant? The purpose of the seminar is to address why there was a need for the CAR 2006, the impact on companies, organisations and individuals and also to provide practical guidance on compliance. To reserve your free place contact Rosie on 0845 4569953 or email Rosie. Alternatively, if you feel your company or organisation could benefit from attending a similar seminar, and would like us to do it at your establishment FREE OF CHARGE, or you would like to suggest a location or venue for a future event, why not contact Rosie as above. Topic of the Month Sub-contractors Asbestos Training Last month we launched our new feature, Topic of the Month, where we discussed carrying out DIY and the dangers that could be present. Thank you to everyone who emailed in about their views and especially to those of you who have suggested this months topic, Sub-contractors Asbestos Training. In January 2009 newsletter we highlighted the fact that on 19th January 2009 the HSE website published a warning to companies, that exposing untrained workers to asbestos will be penalised. It added that electrical contracting companies and other building and refurbishment trades must provide suitable asbestos awareness training to employees or face prosecution. Questions which have since been raised by some are: Is there a requirement, for due diligence reasons, to insist that sub-contractors have received sufficient asbestos training? UKATA (the United Kingdom Asbestos Training Association) have advocated that from September 2009 Asbestos Awareness courses must include a multi-choice answer exam at the end of the course to ensure understanding. It is seen as a positive step to all within the industry that asbestos awareness training, which up to now has largely been carried out on an ad-hoc basis, is now to be better regulated. It is also proposed that an expiry date is shown on all asbestos awareness certification as a guidance for refresher training although, at the moment, annual refresher training is not mandatory. Any refresher training must form part of an overall asbestos/health and safety Management Plan. Insurance companies, mindful of the increasing number of claims against them for asbestos related diseases, are insisting that no longer is the ‘tool box talk’ type of asbestos training enough to ensure compliance with employers requirement for ‘due diligence’. Increasingly, insurers are advising their clients that only courses run by members of an accredited organisation, such as UKATA, will be recognised by them as fulfilling the ‘due diligence’ requirement. Is it CSCS training sufficient? Asbestos is not covered in the standard CSCS syllabus. If you have any questions and/or opinions or wish to suggest a future topic please email Rosie.
Open Asbestos Awareness Training 11th June 7th July, 13th August 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 15 / 16th July and 26th/27th August 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 June, 23rd July and 18th August 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 £150.00 + vat per person and includes refreshments. For a full list of future course dates please click here. For a bespoke quote for your company for any training please contact Liz on 0845 4569953 or email Liz Adams.
News : Engineering MD fined for asbestos incident - April 2009 The managing director of a Telford-based engineering firm who instructed his employees to remove asbestos without proper licensing, despite two prior surveys indicating the presence of the deadly material, has been fined this week. Secal Laser Ltd’s Roger Lavender sanctioned the illegal work at the company premises in December 2007, which led to a complaint to the HSE. The investigations that followed revealed that the work had been completed, but asbestos debris remained on the factory floor. At an appearance at Shrewsbury Crown Court, Mr. Lavender pleaded guilty to breaching the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006 and the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, receiving a fine of £6666 with £11,040 costs. “Roger Lavender says that he read the 2004 asbestos survey and, therefore, should have been aware of the dangers of inhaling asbestos fibres if the material was disturbed. However Mr. Lavender allowed his employees to be exposed to the serious risk of inhaling a ‘Class 1 carcinogen’ that can cause mesothelioma and lung cancer,” said HSE inspector Guy Dale. “Those responsible for employees ordinarily have a legal duty to protect their health and safety but, in the case of asbestos, they should know that any disturbance of such a dangerous material should only be tackled by licensed workers.” Gordon Brown makes asbestos vow after pal John MacDougall's death BY MARK ELLIS ON MAY 14, 09 11:47 AM IN CAMPAIGN UPDATES Prime Minister Gordon Brown vowed to tackle Britain's asbestos time bomb yesterday after losing a close friend to a cancer linked to the killer dust. At a private meeting at No.10 he met asbestos campaigners, the leaders of the biggest teaching unions and worried MPs amid rising concern about asbestos-related deaths. He has ordered education ministers to find out what local authorities were doing to deal with asbestos in schools in a questionnaire. And Schools minister Sarah McCarthy-Fry will meet the delegation again within weeks to thrash out an agenda for tackling the problem. Campaigners say it is a major breakthrough after repeated requests for top level meetings on asbestos in the past were turned down and praised the Mirror for raising awareness of the problem. The Prime Minister has first-hand experience of the devastating impact of asbestos after losing a close friend and neighbouring Scottish Labour MP John MacDougall last year. Mr MacDougall died aged 60 after a two-year battle with mesothelioma, an assbestos-related cancer. Ms Chris Keates, general secretary of the NASUWT, one of Britain's biggest teaching unions, said after the meeting: "We did not feel we had to persuade the PM there was a problem as he was fully aware and we were able to get all the key points across. "For the first time in decades we have a Prime Minister prepared to look at this very important issue. Latest figures show that between 1980 and 2005, at least 178 teachers died from cancer caused by asbestos. About 13,000 of the country's 25,000 schools were built between 1945 and 1974 when asbestos use was at a peak and many were refurbished using asbestos in ceilings, wall linings and lagging pipes. "The impression we got is that the Prime Minister was adressing this from a personal commitment.''
Environmental Essentials
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