Asbestos Removal Project in Surrey

Asbestos Floor Void

Merryhill was recently asked to look at an asbestos removal project in Surrey where ACMs had been discovered in a floor void. The contaminated area required all the asbestos to be removed prior to additional service pipes being run by other contractors.

Upon viewing the detailed asbestos refurbishment survey carried out by our surveying division (MATAC), Merryhill was successful in securing the project to remove asbestos pipe lagging and other asbestos residues.

Asbestos Pipe Lagging

Totalling an area of 150m2, this was only part of a much larger floor void that was also contaminated with asbestos, but outside of the project scope.

Prior to commencing work, our asbestos removal team had to seal the area above floor level to create the working enclosure. Once this had been built, then the necessary floor boards were removed in order to access the floor void below. Once the necessary floorboards were removed, the team incorporated the working area into the enclosure, sealing it from the rest of the floor void with 1000 gauge polythene.

Asbestos Lagging in Floor Void

Once the working area had been constructed and sealed, the team then carried out the asbestos removal and environmental cleaning of the contaminated area. All pipe lagging was removed using the SafeStrip RedBox injection system. All loose debris was sprayed with a water surfactant and either vacuumed using H-Class machines or placed directly into appropriate waste bags and sealed. As there were a number of disused pipes and other construction debris within the floor void, this was also disposed of as contaminated waste.

As the remainder of the floor void was to remain untouched, a semi-permanent barrier was constructed using 1000 gauge polythene and Corex. This barrier was installed to ensure the cleaned area did not become contaminated once again by the remaining floor void. As part of the clients’ asbestos management plan, the sealed area of cleaned floor void will be tested on an annual basis to ensure a tight seal remains. If future works are to take place within the floor void, then the client can be assured the cleaned area will not require re-visiting.

This staged approach to having asbestos removed from larger areas can be an affordable option to some clients, especially if the remaining materials are in a good condition and pose a low risk. In this case, it is the intention of the client to have the remaining areas completed at a later date.

Asbestos Removal at Regeneration Project

Asbestos Removal Regeneration Project

As part of a £100m regeneration of an estate in Southampton, Merryhill has been involved in ensuring a safe environment for workers and nearby residents by removing all of the asbestos.

Townhill Park, located on the eastern side of Southampton had become run down in recent years, being described by local residents as an eyesore. The planned renewal of the estate will see the demolition of a number of blocks of flats, with new apartment blocks and houses being built in their place. In total, 428 current homes will be replaced with over 200 additional units, bringing the total up to 675. Constructed in the 1960s, the Townhill estate when built, was all council owned. Given the timing of the development, a number of different asbestos containing materials were used as part of the original build, most of which were still in place at the point of demolition.

Merryhill was contracted by Hughes and Salvidge who is managing the demolition project, and working on safely levelling the site ready for the new blocks to be built later this year. The works carried out by Merryhill consisted of removing a number of different types of asbestos including insulation boards, soffits and textured coatings.

All of the internal works involving textured coatings were carried out under controlled conditions using a working enclosure under negative pressure. Although more than is required under regulations, the volume of textured coating found on site warranted the additional protection for our operatives. Over 1300m2 of textured coatings were removed as part of the project across the separate blocks. In addition to the non notifiable works, insulation boards and soffits were also removed from each of the affected blocks. Additional health and safety precautions had to be made for these items to be removed as a number of them were found at height in the case of soffits, balcony panels and panels below windows. With no fixed scaffolding in place, each of the items were carefully removed under semi-controlled conditions using a range of boom and scissor lifts depending on the access limitations of each block. All of the contaminated materials were wrapped and sealed before placed into locked asbestos skips.

In addition to the residential blocks, Merryhill was also invited to remove all of the asbestos from The Arc, a public house also scheduled for demolition. Although all non-notifiable, the number of different materials posed a challenge given their sheer volume. Throughout the pub, the following materials had been identified in a previous asbestos demolition survey carried out by Gully Howard Technical: textured coatings, asbestos floor tiles, bitumen adhesive containing Chrysotile fibres, toilet cisterns containing Amosite, flashguards, promenade tiles, a water tank and an old boiler flue.

Summarising the project, Robert Bloomfield, Operations Manager at Merryhill said: “The project is nearing completion with only one block remaining to be stripped of asbestos. This successful project highlights the capability of Merryhill to carry out large scale projects across a wide range of building types, despite challenges faced with high level access and multiple addresses.”

Removing Asbestos from Tower Blocks

Asbestos in Tower Blocks

Removing asbestos is a challenging task even in normal circumstances, with specialist techniques employed for different types of material, the skill and attention to detail required is very high in order to protect people from the harmful mineral. When asked to carry out asbestos removal from the outside of tower blocks, the challenge becomes even greater, with meticulous planning and a higher than normal level of health and safety considerations to be made.

As part of a major improvement plan across a Southampton social housing estate, Merryhill was invited to carry out the asbestos removal contract involving three separate tower blocks. The Dumbledon, Meredith and Hightown towers on the Thornhill estate were originally constructed in the 1950s/60s and are of an identical design. The regeneration scheme will see each of the blocks receiving a range of energy-saving improvements, including new windows, heating systems managed by tenants, coloured external wall insulation, new roofs and enclosed balconies. ECL Contracts, the facades division of British Gas is managing the project and invited Merryhill to tender for the asbestos removal element of the project.

After thorough surveys had been commissioned prior to the works commencing, asbestos was found to be present in a number of different areas across the Thornhill Towers, including external cladding and balcony panels.

Removing each of the different types of panel was a challenge as everything had to be removed from the outside and at height. All of the towers were 14 storeys high and the only means of access was by mast climbers which had been set up around each building.

Both the cladding and balcony panels were carefully removed and suitably wrapped in 1000-gauge polythene, sealed tight and stacked before being brought down to the crash deck and placed on a pallet. From here, the panels were lifted by telehandler and stored in locked asbestos skips before being transited to landfill. Because of the number of panels being removed, Merryhill had to keep a close monitor of the adjacent properties to ensure tenants did not open any windows for the duration of the works. Although asbestos cement is a relatively low risk material and the removal method is done under wet conditions to minimise any fibre release, the additional protection from keeping windows closed during the works was felt a necessary additional precaution.

Overall, the project was a resounding success with all the asbestos removed from the exterior of each of the towers. Work has now begun on transforming the buildings to improve their energy efficiency, safe in the knowledge that all of the external asbestos has now been removed.

Asbestos Removal for Social Housing

Asbestos is a problem probably faced by all local authorities across the UK. With thousands of buildings containing the substance in various different forms, the challenge faced by councils up and down the country is how best to manage their own individual circumstances and remove asbestos containing materials (ACMs) where possible as part of ongoing maintenance. Becoming a strategic partner to local authorities and aiding them in the efficient and safe removal of asbestos from their properties is critical to providing a safer housing stock for tenants.

Removing asbestos is often the most simple part of the partnership as Merryhill has been successfully carrying out similar work since 1980. Empathising and communicating with tenants, achieving KPIs set by the customer, dealing with emergency call-outs and working with other specialist trades such as analysts, plumbers, electricians and maintenance contractors is often the biggest challenge. Timing is key, along with great organisation and the ability to prioritise projects, especially when the volumes increase suddenly.

Communication is key!

Asbestos is often a taboo subject, especially when people do not understand the potential dangers associated with different forms of ACM. Communicating with tenants and other stakeholders involved in the process of removing asbestos is a key factor when working in partnership with a council, housing association or local authority. Letting tenants know what to expect in advance of any works being carried out and providing reassurance where necessary is paramount to achieving the best possible outcomes.

Communication with other trades working on the project is another key activity when carrying out asbestos removal in social housing as often it is part of a wider scope of works. Kitchen and bathroom refurbishments are the most frequently attended areas as often these contain the most different types of ACM including Artex ceilings,  asbestos insulating board, pipe lagging and asbestos vinyl floor tiles. Attending site at the correct time is key as often other trades are waiting to carry out their own work once an area has been made safe and decontaminated.

Since winning the framework contract to remove asbestos from social housing stock for Waverley Borough Council last autumn, the statistics so far have been impressive. Aside from the sheer volume of works carried out, feedback from tenants has been very good with very positive comments received each month on our work, professionalism and attention to detail.

Trusting Your Asbestos Contractor

Trust your asbestos contractor

When dealing with asbestos, trust in your removal contractor or surveyor is of the upmost importance. When removal works have been completed, the expectation of the building occupier should be that the job has been done accurately, leaving no residual contamination.

When asked to carry out an additional asbestos survey on a military site earlier this year, Merryhill obliged, but the outcome for the customer was surprising. As part of a complete building refurbishment, the only remaining area that required a survey was a small boiler room and disused riser. When the on-site contractor asked if this would be possible, our surveying team visited the site and took the necessary samples to ensure no residual asbestos was going to remain once it was all sealed. Upon inspection, our surveyors noticed some board at the top of the riser, but was unable to reach it using a ladder. Upon asking if there was access from above, they were then escorted to a plant room within the roof space. The required samples were taken and subsequently tested positive as being AIB, containing Amosite fibres. What the surveyor found whilst in the plant room were a number of sections of pipe lagging debris which they also suspected to contain asbestos. Further samples were taken and they too tested positive.

The findings alarmed the building manager as removal works had already been carried out in the plant room and the necessary compliance testing passed. A further inspection of the plant room by the surveyor highlighted a number of other areas where asbestos had been left as debris. Admittedly, the plant room was an awkward environment in which to clean with lots of equipment and restricted ceiling heights, but working procedures should have taken this into account. When working in restricted areas, particular care should be taken to fully remove all residue, especially in corners, behind pipes and under equipment. Once removal works have been carried out, a visual inspection is then used to spot any remaining debris as act accordingly. It would appear in this case, a visual check had not been done thoroughly enough.

The building manager had lost all faith in the previous attempts to remove asbestos and began to question other services such as surveys which had been carried out by the same supplier. Merryhill were asked to re-survey other sections of the building as a result and discovered even more residual asbestos debris.

Delight and disappointment were felt simultaneously by the building owner who subsequently had to pay for additional removal works, on top of the extra surveys. Not only did this put the refurbishment works back, but also ate into contingency budgets.

The moral of this story highlights the trust put in both asbestos removal contractors and surveyors by facilities managers and building owners. Had the boiler room not been surveyed and questions asked of the suspect top panel, then potentially many trade’s people could have been exposed to the residual asbestos found in the plant room, ceiling voids and radiator elements.

Besides the potential for lawsuits, morally, the job of an asbestos surveyor is to provide trust. Trust in the findings so that those responsible for a building can take the appropriate action. If this trust is broken, or there are any doubts as to the validity of the survey then the consequences can be huge.

Merryhill Asbestos Testing & Consultancy is separate company to Merryhill Envirotec and is a fully UKAS accredited practice offering both asbestos management and refurbishment and demolition surveys.