Asbestos safety

How do we manage asbestos?

Where it is of low risk, any identified asbestos will be managed on site, and we will carry out regular reinspections to ensure that the risks remain low. If there are any concerns, we will arrange for it to be removed by specialist contractors.

When we carry out work to your home, such as replacing kitchens, bathrooms or heating systems, we may carry out a survey which will provide us with all the information we need to make sure that your home is safe and that we are complying with the regulations covering asbestos. A surveyor will look around your home and take samples of building materials to test them in a laboratory.

Once we have checked for asbestos, Broadacres will:

• remove any asbestos that is in poor condition as a priority
• ensure that any work to your home can be carried out safely

There is no risk to your health if the asbestos is in good condition and not disturbed.

It only becomes a hazard when it is damaged or if it is drilled, sawn, sanded or removed by an unlicensed person.

In the past, asbestos was used in lots of ways, including:

• flat or corrugated sheets for garage and shed roofs and walls
• moulded asbestos cement for cold water tanks, external rainwater pipes, guttering, decking and roofing tiles, lining under roof eaves and flue pipes
• insulation boards for fire protection, heat insulation, ceiling tiles and for partitions and lofts
• some plastic floor tiles, cushion flooring, toilet cisterns, roofing, felts, tapes, ropes and textured coatings such as Artex ceilings sometimes contain a small amount of asbestos

If you are doing home improvements, make sure the material you are working on is free from asbestos.

It is essential that only specialist contractors approved by the Health and Safety Executive deal with asbestos.