Asbestos

Asbestos facts

How does Broadacres manage asbestos?

Broadacres has surveyed all the communal areas of its properties and regularly inspects the condition of any asbestos that has been identified. Where it is of low risk, the materials will be managed on site and we carry out regular re-inspections to ensure that the risks remain low. If we are concerned about the future management of asbestos, we will arrange for it to be removed by specialist contractors.

When we propose to carry out major works to your home, such as replacing the kitchen, bathroom or heating system, we may need to carry out a survey on the area of your home affected by those works and we will contact you about this. The survey 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 they may take samples of the building materials to test them in a laboratory

What happens after the survey?

Once we have checked for asbestos, Broadacres will:

• Remove any asbestos that is in poor condition, this will be a treated as a priority.
• Ensure that any major improvement works to your home can be carried out safely

Can it affect my health?

There is no risk to your health if the asbestos is in good condition and not disturbed. It becomes more of a hazard when it is damaged or if the material is interfered with by it being drilled, sawn, sanded or removed by an unlicensed person.

It is essential if you are doing home improvements to make sure the material you are working on is free from asbestos.

What asbestos products might have been used?

Asbestos was used in range of building materials and it is difficult to identify whether something contains asbestos just by looking at it, which is why samples may be taken for testing.

The following is a brief list of the most common materials that may contain asbestos:

• Asbestos cement
• Flat or corrugated sheets were used for garage and shed roofs and walls. Moulded asbestos cement was used for cold water tanks, external rain water pipes, guttering, decking and roofing tiles, lining under roof eaves and flue pipes.
• Asbestos insulation board
• Asbestos insulation board was used for fire protection, heat insulation, ceiling tiles and as building board for partitions and lofts.

Other asbestos materials

Some plastic floor tiles, cushion flooring, toilet cisterns, roofing, felts, tapes, ropes and textured coatings such as Artex ceilings sometimes contained small amount of asbest

Can I still do DIY at home?

Before you start any DIY improvements, always contact Broadacres, as required by your tenancy agreement (unless you are a leaseholder).

If you know your home has asbestos in it, extra care should be taken. If you are unsure please contact Broadacres and we will provide you with information and advice. If you are in any doubt, always presume that the material is asbestos.

Remember that asbestos in good condition should be left alone, otherwise you may place yourself, your family and others at risk. You may also face a large bill to decontaminate your home if you interfere with the material.

If you do want to work on an area containing asbestos, you may be required by the legislation to use a licensed asbestos contractor. The contractor should be able to safely remove and dispose of the asbestos. It is essential that only specialist contractors approved by the Health and Safety Executive deal with asbestos. Information on approved contractors can be obtained from the Health & Safety Executive.

How can I keep safe?

Do not worry unnecessarily if asbestos is found in your home or that you suspect something is asbestos, it is only likely to become a problem if it is disturbed.
To help ensure your safety please adhere to the follow guidance:

• DON’T drill, cut or disturb asbestos in any other way.
• DON’T scrape or sand asbestos containing materials before painting and decorating. It could be a good idea to cover existing decorations rather than attempting to remove them.
• DON’T put asbestos in the dustbin, Local Authority waste disposal site, it is against the law.
• DON’T use your vacuum cleaner to clean up dust from any damaged asbestos as this will spread the fibres in your home rather than removing them.