Responsibility for Asbestos removal

[sand_rat]

All, Who is financially responsible for the removal of asbestos from land/property, the land/property owner or a Tenant?
Locally there is a not for profit organisation that effectively 'lets' land for 'allotments' some have structures that have asbestos therein.
The 'allotments' are nothing to do with any local authority but with a very small charity, the Lease document isnt worth toilet paper, as someone who used to have to 'pick' holes in Leases I know, but any thoughts on who would be responsible?
My money is on the owner, Gentlemen your thoughts please.

 

[Joshua Slocum]

is it pure asbestos, or concrete with asbestos webbing
before you get too excited, it may be possible to comply with the HSE regs, remove it, wrap it and take it to the council tip for disposal free of charge
who erected the structures ?

 

[sand_rat]

erected by the charity PROBABLY but equally previous tenants - the charity goes back to the mid fifties. Most likely to be asbestos for walls and roofs on garage/shed type structures.

 

[Joshua Slocum]

https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/guidance/a14.pdf

otherwise you will need to obtain quotes from a specialist contractor, its nto difficult to remove safely
paper suits and gloves and hair overing along with masks
hacksaw any metal bolts or pry our nails and try not to brak the sheets
I usually spray them with soapy water if its hot weather to prevent fibres spreading

 

[A signaller]

is it pure asbestos, or concrete with asbestos webbing
before you get too excited, it may be possible to comply with the HSE regs, remove it, wrap it and take it to the council tip for disposal free of charge
who erected the structures ?

Do not in any way try and remove it yourself. it is now a very specialized procedure, carried out by licenced companies, who have the equipment to remove it under very controlled and strict guidelines.Back in the stone age, i was working on a project where asbestos was found, they shut the site instantly. Fully suited and booted, with respirator type breathing apparatus men moved in, after they had sealed of the the area with sheets of polythene, with triple air locks. There are 3 distinct types of asbestos, and until you can determine what kind there is, do not attempt to move it, the fibers and dust are lethal.

 

[Joshua Slocum]

Do not in any way try and remove it yourself. it is now a very specialized procedure, carried out by licenced companies, who have the equipment to remove it under very controlled and strict guidelines.Back in the stone age, i was working on a project where asbestos was found, they shut the site instantly. Fully suited and booted, with respirator type breathing apparatus men moved in, after they had sealed of the the area with sheets of polythene, with triple air locks. There are 3 distinct types of asbestos, and until you can determine what kind there is, do not attempt to move it, the fibers and dust are lethal.

we come across a great deal of it in our daily work, so we follow HSE advice, put it through the books and log it all
many consumer units are packed with it
for large amounts we employ a company to do it for us
and i have the relevant training and skill
its not rocket science
a few years back I turned down a rewire that had blue asbestos, pre 1940s, the owner of the property was advised to use my specialist firm, he took it all out himself and dumped it in the garden, because he knew everything !!

 

[happysapper]

The mere presence of asbestos on the allotment needn't be cause for alarm. Indeed, if the [suspected] asbestos is in a good, stable condition the safest thing to do is leave it alone and monitor.

If its removal is necessary, as others have said, it's probably wise to consult a licenced contractor who will at least be able to confirm the presence of asbestos to enable you to determine an appropriate course of action. It's important to note that you can't confirm the presence of asbestos through visual inspection alone, it needs to be sampled. Cementious products such as corrugated sheeting for shed roofs etc may or may not contain asbestos for instance, whereas flash guards in dis boards are pretty much nailed on. The presumption is asbestos until proven otherwise.

Regarding liability, if you have a lease then the situation should be a bit clearer but not necessarily in your favour. There's a handy table in the ACOP explaining the application of Reg.4, Control of Asbestos Regs available from the HSE website. If I weren't a complete technomong, I'd do something useful like post a link to it...

HS

 

[theoriginalphantom]

Asbestos regulations for your commercial property

Managing asbestos for your premises, your responsibilities, asbestos regulations, keeping records, health and safety, finding accredited surveyors, penalties

www.gov.uk