During Global Absestos Awareness Week 2023, Colin Craney asks; how at risk are our personnel from Absestos Contaminated Materials (ACMs)?
Colin uncovers some disturbing statistics that would suggest Absestos is still a big-risk to lift engineers and those who access lifts, particularly lift shafts.
Did you know that 78% of 130,000 buildings surveyed by the Absestos Testing and Consultancy Association were found to contain Absestos?
As Colin reveals, the Control of Absestos Regulations 2021 (CAR) do set out stringent procedures however, the difficulty lies in the fact that the regulations dictate that the absestos should be managed rather removed so it is still commonly present.
Colin talks about:
- The procedures and risk assessments that are put in place for personnel working on the lift and the need for clear signage indicating presence (or suspected presence) of asbestos.
- The higher-risk issues of working in lift shafts (particularly ones that are labelled as ‘not accessible’ in the CAR risk assessments)
- The overlap with CAR Regulation 3 and Schedule 5 of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM)
- The 2022 report that recommended the Government aim to remove all absestos in the next 40 years (the Governments response speaks volumes about the scale of the problem)
- His own exposure to Asbestos and the alarming statistics of Mesothelioma deaths in the UK and why Asbestos should still be so tightly monitored and guarded.
Finally, Colin concludes that:
“The continuing industry focus must therefore be upon awareness training supported by suitable periodic training.”
To read the article in full, and find out where training for our personnel is so important, click the image below.
Colin Craney has 42 years of industry experience, initially in a number of field and management roles with Otis, followed by 17 years in consulting, currently for SVM Associates. Colin is a U.K. chartered engineer and a fellow of CIBSE, European engineer, chartered safety and health practitioner, accredited consultant on the HSE Occupational Safety and Health Consultants Register and a member of the Chartered Institution of Occupational Safety and Health. Colin is a barrister, having been called to the bar by the Honourable Society of the Middle Temple.
Established in 2004, SVM Associates pride ourselves on our industry expertise, persistent attention to detail, personable working style and unique approach to all aspects of building services, including; Lifts, Escalators and Facade Access, Mechanical Electrical and Public Health and Facilities Management.
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