AsbestosRoofing.co.uk

Whenever work is being conducted on an asbestos roof, the health and safety of the workers as well as anybody working inside the building needs to be taken into account.

Often, industrial and commercial buildings need to be scaffolded (or at least have perimeter edge protection) and in most cases, will also require netting inside.

The netting required is usually a two-part system comprising a debris net to catch any small asbestos cement particles that may fall and a man-safe net to catch heavier items such as tools, sheets and of course, personnel who might be unfortunate enough to fall through the roof.

In addition to scaffolding and netting, it is recommended that anybody working on the roof should also use safety harnesses that are anchored to the roof or another safe point to prevent serious injury or death in the event that the netting should fail for some reason.

The actual roof panels should not be trafficked if at all possible and in order to minimise risk, roof ladders for small works can be used, or where practicable, an easy-deck system, which is a movable work platform, should be employed.

Some asbestos roof works can be carried out from a Mobile Elevated Work Platform (MEWP), also known as a cherry picker. The choice of cherry picker will depend on the height and reach that will be required to complete the works.

As you can see, there are many options and even on the most complex roof configurations, there usually be some kind of hybrid solution that will be available and in some rare cases, though particularly on larger roofs, a custom designed solution will have to be considered.

CDM Co-Ordinator

Larger roof works will almost certainly require the services of a CDM Coordinator whose role is to ensure that all of the relevant health and safety precautions are in place before and during the planned works.

Our Role

We are often asked to act as project managers on asbestos roof works, where our specialist skills and knowledge ensure that everything is carried out in strict accordance with HSE guidelines.

The process starts with selection of the correct contractor and that is not always just about price. That said, we understand that price is an important consideration, even when health & safety considerations have to be taken into account.

Consequently, part of our project management service involves tendering the works to suitably competent contractors and specifying the works so that your costs are controlled.

The CDM aspect of our work means that all contractors have to supply a method statement  explaining exactly how the works will be carried out, with particular attention paid to the health & safety procedures.

The contract cannot commence until the Health & Safety plan has been agreed by the CDM coordinator. Checks are then made throughout the duration of the project, to ensure that the plan is being adhered to in all respects, including unannounced site visits and inspections.

We have been called in to many companies to manage such works following breaches in health & safety that have led to accidents – including fatalities.

Asbestos roofs are like no other roofing projects and carry very unique risks, but complacency is a bigger killer than asbestos.

Can you really afford the risk of not managing your project correctly?

For more information about asbestos roofing works, please call David Carter on 0121 711 7110.