Asbestos Hub Magazine - Issue 6

Asbestos 6 #

HUB MAGAZINE THE PREMIER INDEPENDENT, QUARTERLY MAGAZINE FOR THE UK AND GLOBAL ASBESTOS INDUSTRY

British Asbestos Awards 2022 Special Edition

POINTING THE WAY...

SHOWTIME!

Full NEC Review

UKNAR ANNOUNCEMENTS From the Contamination Expo Part of the Demolition Hub media brand

Asbestos Hub is in media association with

September 2022

Your safety is our priority DSK Environmental is a family-run business with more than 15 years experience in the Asbestos Industry.

Keeping you safe is our top priority. Our high quality service offers peace of mind that we meet all hazardous waste removal and fire protective regulations.

Every home owner, business owner or duty holder can trust us to remediate and advise on their premises, inline with all statutory regulations and legislation.

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DSK are proud to support the Mavis Nye Foundation. Created to inspire victims of Mesothelioma, an Asbestos related terminal Cancer. The foundation also contributes to research and development into Mesothelioma and spreading more crucial awareness.

To show your support please go to www.mavisnyefoundation.com

PUBLISHER Ben Chambers

ben@globalnews.media 01903 952 648

EDITOR

Toby Wilsdon

toby@globalnews.media 01903 952 645

TO ADVERTISE john@globalnews.media 01903 952 640

DESIGN

Nicki Chambers

nic@globalnews.media 01903 952 640

Alex Jarrett

PRODUCED & PUBLISHED BY

Global News Media Ltd Suites 5 & 6, Chapel House 1-6 Chapel Road Worthing West Sussex BN11 1EX

Asbestos Hub is in media association with UK Asbestos Training Association (UKATA)

Asbestos Hub is published four times a year. Subscription records are maintained at Global News Media Ltd, Suite 5 & 6, Chapel House, 1-6 Chapel Road, Worthing, West Sussex BN11 1EX. Articles and information contained in this publication are the copyright of Global News Media Ltd and may not be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the publishers. The publishers cannot accept responsibility for loss of, or damage to, uncommissioned photographs or manuscripts.

Ben pictured with Craig Evans, COO of UKATA at The British Asbestos Awards 2022

ASBESTOS HUB | ISSUE 6 Welcome to issue #6 of this now established quarterly magazine.

Firstly, let me start with a thank you…

We invested further to support this valued and hardworking sector with an event to award those deserving recipients on a platform showcasing what they have achieved, offer and do.

This whilst enabling asbestos industry professionals including associations, training providers, contractors and suppliers to get together with the cream of the UK’s demolition industry.

With all your support this happened in its entirety at the start of September with the inaugural British Asbestos Awards Sponsored by Empire Asbestos at the King Power Stadium in Leicester.

This debuting event twinned with our existing event for the demolition industry put 400+ professionals together - Let’s do the same again in 2023, this time in London…

After meeting up there it was good to once again see a few of those in our industry at the rather well put together Contamination Expo a week or so later at the NEC (write up on page 40 I definitely appreciated the coffees, water and content!

Being a British publication, we clearly celebrated and promoted ‘Action Mesothelioma Day’ way back in July as did most of the industry. Our American friends equivalent day fell on September 26th and although for those of us not in the US not officially our day it doesn’t hurt to reflect on such a debilitating asbestos related cancer.

With that in mind I have been speaking with various colleagues from Mesothelioma UK over the past year and look forward to getting the dinner jacket back out as I have been invited to Nottingham for their Patient & Carer Day as well as the subsequent awards evening on Thursday 6th October at the Belfry Hotel. As all tickets are sold out we will be reporting on the event in the next issue of AH. This leaves me with the hope that you enjoy issue #6 of Asbestos Hub magazine, to get involved in what will be the final issue of the year in December please do drop me a line.

Ben Chambers Publisher, Asbestos Hub ben@globalnews.media

asbestos hub magazine | 3

CONTENTS UKATA:

6

All the latest news and information from the industry body

Ministries discuss asbestos ban with Australian experts

19

12

16

Students at a Sydney high school have been "put in jeopardy" due to what a parliamentary inquiry has been told was an asbestos cover-up at the campus.

Decontamination Unit (DCU) Services (Gas and Electrical) Non-asbestos risk assessment

A diary of a Mesowarrior living with mesothelioma

by Mavis Nye

Cover up in NSW?

18

20

Ipswich Poundland fined £565,000 over asbestos plan failings

Imperial Growth: Jamie Cowing speaks to Asbestos Hub about the Empire Asbestos story

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26

22

The British Asbestos Awards - Highlights

36

Hiding in plain site: the dangers of asbestos roofs by Dr. Yvonne Waterman LL.M. MFAAM

46

Contamination & Geotech Expo

42

40

The 5th European Asbestos Forum conference

UKNAR announces new OpenAsbestos® Protocols and new National Asbestos Register at 2022 Contamination Expo

EASILY ACCESS THE LATEST ISSUES

asbestos hub magazine | 5

HSE TO CARRY OUT SCHOOL INSPECTIONS As you will be aware, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) are carrying out a programme of inspections to primary and secondary schools in England, Scotland, and Wales from September 2022, to assess how schools are managing the risks from asbestos and meeting legal requirements.

Statistics released in July 2022 from HSE revealed that almost 250 teaching professionals in less than ten years have died from mesothelioma (asbestos related cancer).

Legislation relating to Asbestos Management Legislation relating to asbestos management has been around for over 18 years, however there is still confusion surrounding the management of asbestos.

Identifying the Duty Holder In schools, the Duty Holder is the person or organisation that has the main responsibility for maintenance or repair. An Appointed Person, who has the competence and time to take on these duties can be nominated; however, the legal responsibility remains with the Duty Holder.

Typically, for community schools the local authority would be the Duty Holder For academies, free schools, voluntary-aided and foundation schools, it will typically be the school governors or academy trust.

For independent schools, it may be the proprietor, governors, or trustees.

What the Duty Holder must do to comply with the law The Duty Holder is responsible for obtaining (from an asbestos surveyor) or preparing a written record of the location and condition of asbestos and presumed Asbestos Containing Materials (ACM’s) and must keep this record/ register up to date (if for example you remove any asbestos).

They must ensure any material is kept in a good state of repair or removed if it cannot be adequately protected There is no legal requirement to remove asbestos unless it cannot be adequately repaired or protected.

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d!

250 teaching professionals in less than ten years have died from mesothelioma

The Management Plan The Duty Holder is responsible for keeping an up to date management plan. This should include details of the person responsible for managing the asbestos risk, what they are doing to manage it, and when and how often they are going to do it. It should include a copy of the asbestos record or register and how to access it.

The Duty Holder should also provide adequate information, instruction, and training for any members of school staff, including teachers, likely to disturb asbestos and ensure all staff, and contractors are aware of the location of asbestos in the building.

Are you ready for your visit from HSE? UKATA members offer training to any persons who require an overview of the duty to manage and legislative requirements. The course duration is 3 – 6 learning hours dependant on previous knowledge.

It is recommended that all school employees should receive asbestos awareness training as a minimum regardless of their responsibilities.

All UKATA training comes with a CPD certified certificate and ensures the delegate has received the correct level of instruction and training to assist them to carry out their work safely and competently without risk to themselves or others.

If you require any training, please get in touch on 01246 824437 or visit our website at www.ukata.org.uk.

asbestos hub magazine | 7

IS YOUR ASBESTOS TRAINING UP TO DATE?

Over 5,000 people die in the UK each year due to asbestos related diseases.

It is a legal requirement that all who may come across asbestos in their day to day work have been provided with the relevant asbestos training.

Asbestos can be found in many products used in building materials and may also be present in soils and surrounding grounds.

Have you received asbestos training?

UK Asbestos Training Association “UKATA” sets standards in asbestos training and ensures that its members meet those standards.

Book with a UKATA approved asbestos training provider using the nationwide directory online at www.ukata.org.uk or call 01246 824 437.

WWW.UKATA.ORG.UK

8 | asbestos hub magazine

INFO@UKATA.ORG.UK

Look familiar?

Ensure you have the right level of information, instruction and training.

UKATA Training Course Portfolio Asbestos Awareness Asbestos Awareness E-Learning Asbestos Non-Licensed Operative Licensable Work with Asbestos Duty to Manage Asbestos Duty to Manage Asbestos: Appointed Person RPE Competent Person Asbestos Project Managers Asbestos Surveying & Sampling Refresher Asbestos Awareness in Soil and Made Ground Management of Asbestos in Soil and Made Ground

asbestos hub magazine | 9

MNFCC - CHARITY UPDATE Since announcing the Mavis Nye Foundation Cycle Club fundraiser in April 2022, UKATA has received overwhelming support from the asbestos industry, its members, and wider industry.

Long-standing UKATA auditor, Ab Woolass, along with his team of Marnie Owen, James Griffiths and Toni Purvis have been taking part in various cycle races across the UK to promote the Mavis Nye Foundation and raise asbestos and mesothelioma awareness.

COMPLETED

With the help from sponsors and supporters, UKATA has raised vital funds to finance mesothelioma treatment research.

6 RACES

So far, Ab and the team have taken part in 6 races, collectively covered 1,716 miles and ridden for a total of 100 hours.

With one more race to go, the MNFCC team are nearing the end of their challenge with the UKCW Kent Classic coming up on 9 October 2022.

There are still supporter opportunities available for individuals and organisations, you can find out more on the dedicated MNFCC website.

100 CYCLING HOURS 1,716 MILES

"A big thank you from The Mavis Nye Foundation, UKATA and the MNFCC team Marnie, James, Toni and myself for all those that have personally donated to the Mavis Nye Foundation and of course those companies that have sponsored the team. We have a few more races left of the season.

It’s been a good few weeks for the MNFCC team with some very positive results. It has also been a good chance to raise awareness of the issues with asbestos. If you would like to donate please click the link below."

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MNFCC CORPORATE SPONSORS

asbestos hub magazine | 11

A diary of a Mesowarrior: Living with mesothelioma

For the next few issues we will be taking excerpts from magazine friend and Meso Warrior Mavis Nye’s blog to see what exactly our Meso Warrior has been up to in the trials and tribulations of living with Mesothelemia For the full blog please go to: https://rayandmave. wordpress.com/

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September 19, 2022 My scan result was brilliant news on such a sad day as we say goodbye to Our Queen.Covid-19. The picture that sums up the day is the corgis waiting for the queen’s hearse -so sad Even though it was a Bank Holiday I had an appointment for the results of my scan.

so the chemo has worked Yippee.

Gem/Carbo has worked miracles after Immunotherapy.

I will carry on for another 2sessions to make it 6 sessions, then another scan.

I almost danced out of the hospital

August 31, 2022

I watched as much as I could of the Queens funeral, but I had to turn the telly off as we had to drive to Canterbury.

The roads were empty we couldn’t believe it and was soon turning into the hospital carpark where they had the telly on in the waiting room, so we carried on watching.

I didn’t see my Oncologist I was called in by a dishy young Doctor who was helping out with the list of patients.

He welcomed me and said that my Oncologist had told him all about my case.

He said that my scan was stable with shrinkage?

I asked about all my organs that were showing thickenings. He told me that the liver, bowel, womb, etc were all clear now but the one in my chest wall had shrink a little but the Meso on my lung lining was stable.

I was cocker hoop!!! Brilliant

August has been a long hot month and we have enjoyed every day.

Lots of sunbathing and relaxing but also long chemo sessions on Monday (Bloods) the Wednesdays in chemo twice but I still feel great.

We have worked in the garden and straightened it up. My Son chopped 2 trees down for me and then Ray and I worked together I sat down on a garden chair to rest then did a bit more sat down, then back to work for a while then sat down again. I saw it as a great work out but it was more like a battle of wills. I didnt always win but over the weeks the garden looks great.

Just a little bit more and we will be straight.

I have been in Zoom Meetings still as it is great to still be in so many places without travelling.

I have been in Southampton involved in the Nero Trial which is now being taken up by hospital slowly we patients need to give it a little push. https://bit.ly/3BZdq7m.

Ray had his eyes tested after having his Cataract done 9 weeks ago and he has good vision in the right eye and has been passed for the second eye to be done so that was good news.

Another meeting involved the Proton Beam which will soon be used on Mesothelioma and that is opening in 2 hospitals 1 up North 1 in London so that is exciting.

Another meeting was about the new Health Companion I have completed a form so will use that soon. Its like a diary of

all my treatment etc which is very helpful as Im always being asked when did I have this or when did I do that and after 13 years I cant remember. https://www.health-companion. me/mesouk-patient-page The Health Companion allows you more control in the management of your mesothelioma. By enabling you to record, monitor and communicate how you are feeling, you can understand what impact the disease is having on your life, with

asbestos hub magazine | 13

#Mesowarrior a view to improving your care and treatment.

Each month, you will be asked to answer a few questions and rate how you have been feeling – this is easy to do and takes 10-15 minutes.

You can use your recordings as a focus for consultations to help healthcare providers understand and support you better.

Your anonymous data, together with recordings from other users, can be used to ease access

and improve cancer treatment, enhance NHS services, and provide opportunities for research into new medicines, treatments and care solutions, to improve the lives of people living with cancer.

August is my Birthday month and I had a lovely time with family and friends then 2 days later It was my brothers birthday the first one after he died in June that is a difficult time bless him.

Here we are the last day of the

The stories of the month

https://www.gbc.gi/news/ship-carrying-toxic-cargo-wouldnot-be-permitted-enter-bgtw-says-government The Government says a vessel from Brazil that appears to be headed towards the Strait carrying reportedly toxic materials will not be permitted to enter British Gibraltar Territorial Waters if it attempts to do so.

The vessel, named Sao Paulo, is said to be laden with toxic paints, asbestos, and cancercausing chemicals. It’s on its way to Turkey to be scrapped.

The Government says that unless a vessel (or its tug) schedules a call at the Gibraltar Port, the Port Authority is unable to prevent its transit through the Strait.

The shipping of the vessel goes against an injunction from the Brazil Federal District Court and international laws, according to several NGOs. Where will this ship end up with its toxic cargo of asbestos?

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month and the last day of Summer.

We can do with the rain as the ground is so dry but I have to admit I love the heat.

The second great news it was announced last August 11, Johnson & Johnson would end international sales of its iconic talc-based baby powder and transition to cornstarch-based product, New York (CNN Business) Johnson & Johnson is abandoning talc-based baby powder next year and instead will make it with cornstarch.

Its talc-based powder, which hasn’t been sold in the United States and Canada since 2020, is at the center of tens of thousands of lawsuits filed by women who have developed ovarian cancer after using regular talcum powder Johnson & Johnson says it remains confident in the safety of the product. But, in a statement Friday, the company said it would stop selling talc-based powder around the world next year as part of a “worldwide portfolio assessment.”

“We continuously evaluate and optimize our portfolio to best position the business for long-term growth,” the company said in a statement.

“This transition will help simplify our product offerings, deliver sustainable innovation, and meet the needs of our consumers, customers and evolving global trends.”

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Cover up in NSW? Students at a Sydney high school have been "put in jeopardy" due to what a parliamentary inquiry has been told was an asbestos cover-up at the campus.

The NSW upper house inquiry on Monday probed the presence of asbestos at Castle Hill High School, with members of the school community including teachers, parents and students invited to provide submissions.

The inquiry into the north-west Sydney school is taking place six years after the potentially lethal material was reportedly found on the grounds.

It comes after Castle Hill MP Ray Williams earlier this year told parliament that in 2016 the school community was told an asbestos test was negative when it was in fact positive - a hidden outcome that had put thousands of people at risk.

In his evidence at the inquiry, Mr Williams said he hoped the inquiry "ensured the future health safety and wellbeing of all students is not placed in jeopardy as I think it has been at one of my schools, that being Castle Hill High School".

But he defended former principal Vicki Brewer, saying he knew her for over a decade and viewed her as "outstanding" and respected by teachers and students.

"The academic achievements of that particular school speak volumes on behalf of her ability

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as a principal," he told the inquiry.

Earlier, teachers Shane Stubbs and John Connell spoke of their experience at the school, with Mr Connell testifying that classes continued despite asbestos being found in ceilings.

Mr Connell said unlike a previous asbestos incident at Beverly Hills Girls High School in 1993, which caused that school to be closed, a decision was made to remediate the situation at Castle Hill "and allow the school to keep running".

"There's nowhere to send the kids at Castle Hill High anymore, all the other surrounding schools are also full," he said.

Mr Connell testified "a whole bunch of directors were told about" the issue and said he "never thought of the concept that they'd actually done a test and it had come back positive, and then told us it was negative".

Pauline Hanson's One Nation MP Mark Latham questioned why the former principal had remained in charge "and how was the school still open".

Labor's Anthony

D'Adam pointed to "systemic failures" and "fundamental cultural problems" at the school. "(It's) around principals being incentivised to keep a wrap on issues that are brewing in schools," he said, calling schools a "black box" and principals the "choke point" on information flows.

Labor MP Courtney Houssos described the teachers' evidence as "shocking".

"I think that the scale of the cover up has been deeply, deeply disturbing and I thank you for your frank testimony," she said.

NSW Department of Education deputy secretary Leanne Nixon, in her evidence, said asbestos levels on site were now safe and stood

by the actions of the department official tasked with investigating asbestos issues there.

"I just would go back to ... the accountable officer for a site around workplace health and safety is the principal," Ms Nixon said.

Speaking to reporters, Labor leader Chris Minns said it was "completely unacceptable" parents and teachers at the school were kept in the dark.

"You can't have a cover up when it comes to these important issues. You need to make sure this information is publicly brought forward and parents obviously have a right to know," Mr Minns said.

asbestos hub magazine | 17

300 tonnes of asbestos and more than 5,000 tonnes of asbestoscontaining materials (ACMs) had been imported into Cambodia.

According to the latest research by the Asbestos Diseases Research Institute in 2019, 170 Cambodians had died of diseases caused by this substance in recent years.

The report said these findings were formally presented by AFIDA on September 15 in a report titled “Draft Roadmap on Reducing the Impact and Risk of Asbestos Diseases in Cambodia”.

Sok Kin, president of the Building and Wood Workers Trade Union Federation of Cambodia, said it was time for the Kingdom to ban the use of asbestos in construction materials, as this substance is known to have serious impacts that harm human health and mostly affect workers who are labouring directly in their field.

“Relevant parties clearly CCF officials meeting with Australian Phan Oun, head of the understand that asbestos has asbestos experts to discuss its local Consumer Protection, Competition effects causing cancer. Therefore, impacts on September 17. CCF and Fraud Repression Directoratewe should instead use other Cambodian officials met a General (CCF), said on September materials without asbestos in it. If delegation from Australia along 18 that he and other relevant the [Cambodian] government has with the National Asbestos Profile senior Cambodian officials met the intention of eliminating the use Working Group to discuss ways of with the assistant trade minister of products-containing asbestos, determining the reach of asbestos from Australia and with other then they can just eliminate it by in the Kingdom and how it can be government representatives to banning the import of asbestos,” he safely managed. discuss the issue of asbestos. added.

Asbestos is a naturally occurring He said the meeting was to To research asbestos in silicate fibrous silicate mineral review the draft roadmap prepared Cambodia, the Australian used in dozens of products, mainly by AFIDA for a formal decision on government has provided building materials and insulation. whether to restrict or ban asbestos laboratory assistance in the analysis Many nations have banned at the national level through the of asbestos for the first time in the or restrict its use because it is National Asbestos Profile Working Kingdom to the CCF. extremely hazardous to breathe Group.

Oun stated that the lab was in uncontained asbestos fibres as “At the technical level, we capable of analysing asbestos in it can lead to rare forms of lung intend to limit asbestos to certain detail and in very small quantities cancer later. products. When it comes to or even after it has been ground The discussion of asbestos in cosmetic products, in ASEAN into dust or mixed into other Cambodia was held on September member countries, we must products.

17 in Siem Reap, as Cambodia ban the use of it in all cosmetic “We have advertised and hosted the 54th ASEAN Economic products,” he said. “Other products encouraged businesspeople who Ministers’ Meeting and related have also been requested or produce and import construction meetings. The Cambodian side suggested for bans, especially some materials to produce samples included representatives from the construction materials. Therefore, to analyse for the presence of ministries of Labour and Vocational we are considering those requests asbestos at the CCF lab on a Training; Commerce; and Land so that we will not have a final voluntary basis. This is to provide Management, Urban Planning and outcome that is incompatible with greater trust to consumers so Construction. Also in attendance our ASEAN obligations,” he said. that the products distributed are were unions involved in the According to an AFIDA report, it confirmed to have no presence of construction sector. was estimated that in 2021 nearly asbestos,” he added.

Ministries discuss asbestos ban with Australian experts

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Decontamination Unit (DCU) Services (Gas and Electrical) Following a long process of development, the much-anticipated appendices to minutes guidance covering Gas and Electrical services for Decontamination Units has now been finalised by the Asbestos Network Technical Working Group.

The Technical Working Group, chaired by Sam Lord, has developed this latest guidance to clarify expectations relating to DCUs including gas bottle location, earthing requirements and generator usage. One element that didn’t make it to this final version was in relation to fire protection to the gas bottle storage cupboard.

This was due to uncertainty around

the relevance and application of guidance on this specific point, and the group did not want guidance that is designed in part to address “grey areas” to create a new one.

Graham Warren, ACAD Manager commented “This guidance has been developed with some excellent input from ACAD members during ACAD regional meetings and invaluable technical support from our manufacturer members. It’s particularly pleasing to see guidance start to recognise the impact our industry has on the environment with a firm steer around turning generators off when not in active use”.

Non-Asbestos Risk Assessment Early during HSE’s shift of their approach to Licence renewal assessment, concern was raised around the suitability of sitespecific risk assessments. It was felt that overly generic risk assessments were being identified by HSE, often driven by client imposed blue tape, rather than site specific risk assessments focusing on reducing significant risks.

The Licensing Working Group, currently chaired by Rose Bricis of the ALU, has produced guidance to aid licensed asbestos removal contractors in producing suitable and sufficient risk assessments that address the significant risks identified on asbestos removal work sites.

Graham Warren, ACAD Manager commented “This

guidance has been developed with some excellent input from ACAD members during ACAD regional meetings. As well as providing clear guidance around site specific risk assessments, it should prove useful where a Licence holder needs to explain what a site-specific risk assessment should and shouldn’t contain to client and other organisations”.

asbestos hub magazine | 19

Ipswich Poundland fined £565,000 over asbestos plan failings Retailer Poundland has been fined £565,000 for a series of asbestos management failures.

Ipswich Borough Council prosecuted the retailer after finding failures at its store in Carr Street in Ipswich between 2011 and 2018.

Poundland admitted health and safety offences and was also ordered to pay £75,000 in costs to the council during a hearing at Ipswich Crown Court.

The retailer apologised for not having plans in place at the time.

Prior to taking on the former Woolworths store, the retailer had a survey conducted which found several types of asbestos in different locations throughout the building.

Although consultants were brought back annually to monitor the store, Poundland did not have a "proper asbestos management plan for staff and visitors", the council said.

It meant there was no plan for precautions needed to ensure the asbestos was restricted to secure locations, which was required by law.

The use of all asbestos has been banned in the UK since 1999 after the discovery that breathing in asbestos dust or fibres could cause fatal diseases, including cancer.

Any asbestos that remains in a building has to be managed safely.

'Robust plans' Alasdair Ross, the council's portfolio holder for community protection and health, said: "This case shows how important it is for even the largest businesses to take seriously their legal requirement to manage asbestos in premises they use.

"Asbestos still kills around 5,000 workers each year... more than the number of people killed on roads.

"In cases of serious and longstanding failure, where identified shortcomings are not corrected in a timely manner, Ipswich Borough Council will take enforcement action, even if that means bringing a criminal prosecution."

In a statement, a spokesman for Poundland said: "While the

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breaches in Ipswich largely occurred when Poundland was under different ownership, it goes without saying we're sorry for what happened."

"In terms of asbestos management, Poundland now has significantly different protocols and monitoring today with robust plans for any location that requires them."

“ ”

“We are extremely pleased to have reached the 1 year mark on our flagship project, and we are even more proud to say, that to date, we are accident/incident free. The total man hours worked to date equates to an incredible 64,405 hours!

This is a fantastic accomplishment, which has been achieved due to the high standards set by the management, supervision and site team as a whole.

A big thanks to everyone involved in the project, here’s to the next 12 months!”

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Imperial growth: Jaime Cowing speaks to Asbestos Hub about the Empire Asbestos story

Q

How did Empire start how has it developed since then?

Empire has been trading since 1993, starting as predominantly an adhesive tape manufacturer and converter. The company has always held a large client base within the asbestos and insulation industry. Over time we have expanded our range of products to include a full range of asbestos consumables and maintenance essentials, as well as a full range of plant equipment we offer on a sale or hire basis. Based on our expansion we now have five branches nationwide with more opening soon.

Q

How and why did you acquire your asbestos certifications?

We have held an Ancillary Asbestos Licence for several years to offer testing and servicing in the industry, as we are not an asbestos removal company.

We pride ourselves on offering our clients the full package, ensuring their sites are set up with everything they need from consumables and plant equipment, to fully tested and serviced PPE.

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Q

How has the scope of the business developed over time?

Where one door closes another opens. At Empire we are always improving and moving with the times. With regards to developing, we ensure our products are sourced from the best manufacturers, our plant is built to the highest specification and we are always looking for ways to improve based on client feedback and the changing world we live in.

Q

What makes Empire different?

We listen to our customers and always strive to provide an excellent Empire service for all things hire and testing along with quality products at an affordable price. The saying at Empire since the day I started has been “Customer is King” and that is how I want our customers to feel having dealt with us.

Q

How do you gain business and spread the word about your services?

Marketing is key in my opinion and I believe our marketing is one of the best in the industry.

We promote our products and ranges on all social media and

marketing platforms to ensure our clients don’t miss out on any offers, news, product launches, etc. Our team works closely with our purchasing and sales team to ensure all bases are covered and Empire is the name on everyone’s lips. Over the last 10 years we have hit the industry hard, going from just a tape company, to a recognised contender in the asbestos industry.

Q

Do you undertake any Continuous Professional Development?

Training and development of our engineers and staff will always remain a priority for us at Empire as it is vital for us to be able to continue to provide the best service possible to our customers.

All our engineers are trained to the highest levels, including Gas Safe and Fit2Fit. We offer external and in-house training for all aspects and ensure our engineers are always learning, improving and keeping up with the current standards, we need to meet, to ensure our clients have the best possible service from Empire.

It has always been my belief to invest in training, quality and service to ensure our clients receive the very best and are well looked after. The majority of our staff are long term members of the company, which I believe says a lot about Empire and the type of company we are. There is no job too big or too small at Empire and we offer the same service throughout.

asbestos hub magazine | 23

Q

What are the biggest technological developments you have seen in the industry and what do you envisage will be the future game changers?

For me, I think plant equipment has come on leaps and bounds over the last 10 years. NPUs, Vacs and other plant have all developed and become more advanced. At Empire we have always tried to be ahead of the game and always worked with the best to ensure our equipment is superior to others. We have worked closely with companies such as EnviroVac to help develop our NPUs and Vacs; this has given us great insight and knowledge into the right specifications and enabled us to deliver some outstanding pieces of plant. At the moment we are working in association with Trust Trailers in developing and building Decontamination Units and Welfare Systems to rival anything out there in the market today and improve site facilities for our clients.

Q

How do you see the future of the asbestos processing industry as the amount in circulation reduces over time?

As previously mentioned, as one door closes another opens, and as we will see a reduction over time, I believe we will also see an increase in other work. For example the risk of exposure to silica dust. I believe the world changes and we will only succeed and grow if we change with it.

Q

How have things developed over the last 12 months?

In 2021 I was appointed Managing Director of Empire after 20 years of dedicated service. My experience, not just at Empire but also in the asbestos industry, puts me in a great position to strive forward with the company taking it to new levels.

Coming from an operations background I have the knowledge

and means to ensure Empire continues to grow and expand in the future. I believe strongly in women in industry and have a great team around me, both old and new staff who share my passion and drive – a team to be proud of that help every day to keep the momentum going.

Being a woman in a notoriously male dominated industry, I am ready for any challenges and will take the company from strength to strength.

Q

How about the future?

Watch this space.

And finally What’s your tipple of choice?

Long Island Ice Tea Favourite food?

Anything Mexican What’s your bucket list activity?

Vietnam with my lad

24 | asbestos hub magazine

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The British Asbestos Awards 2022 We can certainly be labelled as a promotor of the industry, this most definitely proven in 18 months since this very magazine and all our asbestos media emerged following a brand extension from our sister title Demolition Hub with the sole aim of giving predominantly the UK (but also more and more globally) asbestos industry significantly more coverage - And coverage it has been given, with the mammoth social presence and the all-encompassing, all-inclusive, positive Asbestos Hub magazine, which has now hit it’s sixth issue.

So where should we go from here?

Well, the next natural step give is to give recognition where it’s due and to further promote all aspects of the asbestos industry and with this in mind earlier this month (September 2nd) we held the inaugural British Asbestos Awards.

For the past five years we have run the British Demolition Awards (www. britishdemolitionawards.com) and at the 2021 event held at the American Express Community Stadium in Brighton we teased extending our offering within the asbestos removal industry with the “Asbestos Removal Contractor of the year” award duly won by Erith.

Fast forward exactly 12 months and earlier this month we dedicated a large portion of the demolition awards event to celebrate asbestos heroes with four awards on offer plus an asbestos acknowledgement

within the Demolition Hall of Fame.

The event sponsored by Empire Asbestos was quite honestly a tremendous success, don’t just trust my opinion, take a look at the socials, then have the experience on putting together a really good event but never within this industry and never after such a relatively short period of time within a sector (Asbestos Hub is 18 months old).

We went in for four strong award elements namely “Contractor of the Year”, “Supplier of the Year”, “Asbestos Operative of the Year” and “Removal Project of the Year” and although completely out of my teams or my hands all deserved winners of which you can read their acknowledgements below.

I alluded to the judging not being us, so who was it? Well we chose two internally and globally respected judges in Dr Yvonne Waterman, from the European Asbestos Forum as well as Craig Evans the COO of UKATA who kindly donated their time and assembled the winning four.

That wasn’t it for awards and acknowledgements for British asbestos, as part of the sister event we launched the very first Demolition Hall of Fame and within this year’s class of inductees we have an “Asbestos Pioneer” award, and it should be of no surprise that as we pick the Hall of Fame that inaugural Asbestos Pioneer was indeed Mavis Nye. A tremendous event, seemingly enjoyed by all based on the socials and the feedback we are getting still to this day.

Next year we are going a little bigger for the event and will be adding to the available awards and industry attendees as well as more opportunities for sponsors whilst also keeping the large numbers of related guests holding it alongside the fifth running of the British Demolition Awards somewhere down south - Watch this space.

asbestos hub magazine | 27

Adam Thornton, Clifford Devlin Asbestos Operative of the Year

I am very happy that I was selected as the Asbestos Operative of the Year at the British Demolition Awards 2022 in Leicester.

Thank you so much for the award. I was so surprised and feel very honoured to have received it. It was a great privilege to be nominated and then selected by the judging panel.

Thank you to Clifford Devlin for encouraging me to step out of my comfort zone by entering for this award and for the continuous support.

Well done to the other winners.

28 | asbestos hub magazine

DSK

Asbestos Removal Contractor of the Year DSK are absolutely delighted to have won the award for Asbestos Contractor of the Year from the British Demolition and Asbestos Awards 2022.

From opening our doors in February 2020, we as a team have worked hard to ensure we are providing our valued clients with satisfaction and peace of mind that the jobs from start to finish are carried out safely and to a very high standard.

We want to thank judges Craig Evans, Dr Yvonne Waterman and Wayne Bagnall MBE for believing in us. This prestigious award means so much and we value the recognition immensely.

Thanks to Empire for

sponsoring and presenting this award to us. Working together with suppliers we can trust makes our job so much easier and we are happy to have you as one of ours.

Prime Safety, you have allowed us to raise the standard and ensure we are safe and compliant. Your support and valuable advice along with your training and audits have been exceptional – thank you.

To Ben and the team at Global News Media, thank you for making this fantastic event happen, your dedication to both the demolition and asbestos industries is commendable and we look forward to the events

30 | asbestos hub magazine

that follow.

Mavis and Ray Nye, you continue to inspire us and we are proud to support the Mavis Nye Foundation, keep spreading the awareness and we will be with you raising the Blue Light all the way.

Our valuable clients, thank you for allowing us the opportunities we have had over the years and going forward in future. Your business is important to us.

Lastly but by no means least, thank you to our elite team, all of whom put their all into making DSK what it is today. Without your hard work and dedication this would not have been possible.

Aspect Contracts

Asbestos Removal Project of the year

Aspect Contracts were thrilled to be awarded with the Asbestos Removal Project of the year award at the Demolition awards. This award represents the hard work and collaboration from our team on site at Bute Hall in Glasgow.

Bute Hall demonstrated the adaptability of our management teams and the collaboration with our clients to create safe, costeffective solutions to complex issues and shows our flexibility when coordinating multiple trades on site, the University of Glasgow made overall cost savings in excess of £1.1m on this project due to our continuous support

and education.

The decontamination works, which were completed over the Christmas and New Year period, included coordinating with the university’s fire and alarm engineers to have access to the area we had decontaminated in order for them to upgrade services and then reinstate and upgrade the fire rated boards around the electrical services to contain and prevent the spread of fire in a worst-case scenario.

Subsequently our team designed a fully secure wire access system for safe access to allow the decontamination of the

remaining 80 per cent of the roof void. This was completed over a nine-week period, with Aspect Contracts acting as principal contractor.

Our well-managed, and heavily vetted specialist subcontractors supported the project by building fire compartmentalisation throughout the void and fitting further fire protection systems.

Aspect Contracts motto is “People are our greatest asset” and our success on this project reflects exactly this; we couldn’t have done it without the hard work, dedication, and adaptability of our knowledgeable team.

asbestos hub magazine | 31

SMH Products Supplier of the Year

Our decision to enter the inaugural British Asbestos Awards was an easy one – our team works incredibly hard and has always gone above and beyond, making them more than worthy of the Supplier of the Year award. We have also watched the growth of the British Demolition Awards over the years – we knew the British Asbestos Awards would be a celebration of the industry and we wanted to be a part of it.

At SMH our aim is to sell a highquality, fit-for-purpose range of products meeting the standards required, across multiple sectors,

never wavering in our quality or ethical ethos. We use our industry knowledge and expertise to give a best-in-class service to our valued customers, never wanting to be the cheapest and always striving to be the best.

Our team works hard to uphold these standards and provide an exceptional service to our customers. Every department in SMH, even those behind the scenes, shares a commitment to protect those working in the demolition and asbestos industries – from the equipment we design and manufacture to the products

32 | asbestos hub magazine

we sell. It is seeing the hard work from our team day-in, day-out that led us to enter the awards – we believed our team deserved the Supplier of the Year award and external recognition from the industry for their work and expertise.

As an organisation, SMH Products has a commitment to the industry and we pride ourselves on the high standards, excellent quality and ethics we have throughout our business.

We believed, and do believe, that this is what sets us apart from our competitors and is what would help us to win the Supplier of the Year award for the asbestos industry.

We were therefore delighted to hear from our category judges, Dr Yvonne Waterman and Craig Evans, who echoed this sentiment when they selected SMH Products as the category winners.

On the night we were delighted to be surrounded by those in our industry, including valued customers, suppliers and trade associations. The evening provided excellent networking opportunities and was a true celebration of the demolition and asbestos industries, with many deserving winners – it was great to be a part of it.

There was some incredible competition in our category, so being the winner has been a fantastic achievement for the whole of the SMH Products team and something we can all take pride in.

This award will become the benchmark for all of our future activities and our team is already working towards retaining the Supplier of the Year title at next year’s awards. With the future projects and plans we have in place at SMH Products we are confident this will be the case. Bring it on.

E

Erith provide exemplary levels of service across our diverse nationwide portfolio, ranging from social housing to highly regulated nuclear projects.

Our single source solution includes

• Asbestos Removal • Decontamination • Reinstatement • Management and Disposal For more information, please contact 0370 950 8800 or visit www.erith.com Due to continued growth, we are currently recruiting nationally for Contracts Managers, Supervisors and Operatives. Please send your CV to bd@erith.com

Dr (Hon) Mavis Nye BEM BCAh Demolition Hall of Fame

The British Demolition/Asbestos Awards was a wonderful night.

We journeyed up not knowing what to expect but on arrival we were warmly welcomed by Ben and his wife and surprised to meet so many people we knew.

So many friends.

We settled into the main room as the evening began and were amazed at so many awards being given out.

When I was called to be honoured in the Hall of Fame as Asbestos Industry Pioneer Inductee I was surprised, and even more so when having to walk from the back of the room to a standing ovation that did not stop until I was up on the

34 | asbestos hub magazine

stage.

I received the award in a daze and gave a small speech about achieving, even if you are older.

You never know how your life will turn out, so keep achieving.

The applause carried on as I returned to my seat. It was such a great night and I felt so honoured.

The evening was magical as The Mavis Nye Foundation also sponsored the award for Asbestos Operative of the year, won by Adam Thornton of Clifford Devlin. This was a first for the foundation. Asbestos causes mesothelioma, so it was hoped we could encourage the young to be safe in their work.

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Hiding in plain sight: the dangers of asbestos roofs Dr. Yvonne Waterman LL.M. MFAAM This article is essentially, a summary of the Keynote presentation I was invited to give at the recent Contamination Expo. It deals with the problems of asbestos roofs, as well as with some solutions. The interesting thing: asbestos roofs are the epitome of globalization. What is true of asbestos roofs in the Netherlands is likely also true of asbestos roofs in countries with a similar climate - for instance, the United Kingdom. So I hope you will forgive me if I focus a bit this time on what is happening in your neighbouring country: there is very much a shared relevance to it.

The single biggest source of asbestos We all know that the single biggest source of asbestos is: asbestos cement roofs. They’re all old, they are all deteriorating, they are all releasing fibres into the air we breathe. They are also everywhere. Take a look at the photo’s of asbestos roofing in this article: you can see that the asbestos cement matrix is wasting away and clearly showing plugs of asbestos fibres becoming free.

Now consider that the entire population is exposed to them all day, everyday. Surely, this warrants a closer look.

To put the enormous surface area of asbestos roofs into perspective: after nearly a decade of removing asbestos roofs, the Netherlands now still has about 74

million square meters of asbestos roofing. The Netherlands can easily fit into the United Kingdom a number of times. You can do the maths. Is all this material supposed to eventually end up in landfill? How will that affect the environment long-term?

Banning asbestos roofs Globally, only Holland has made an effort to ban asbestos roofs.

Regrettably, that didn’t work well.

The Dutch Health Council advised the government in 2010 to ban asbestos roofs, after. the discovery that after thirty years, asbestos cement roofs are wearing away and the fibres become released. So: our asbestos ban dates from 1994; add 30 years and you get 2024.

That seemed like a good year to ban all asbestos cement roofs and have them replaced, preferably also with better isolation and solar panels. The government made a big issue of the policy to remove asbestos roofs. Countless

36 | asbestos hub magazine

real estate owners started replacing their roofs, even years before the proposed asbestos roof ban would come into force.

Interestingly, Dutch science institute TNO measures every few years how much asbestos there is in the Dutch air; and it is decreasingly gradually. We are now up to about 30 fibres per cubic metre.

Surprisingly, the proposed asbestos roof ban never came into force… Just before Covid hit us, the proposed asbestos roof ban was considered by the Senate in The Hague. This the last step in the legislative proces. A Dutch professor of administrative law with a Ph.D. in mathematics, Ira Helsloot, informed the Senate that banning asbestos roofs was just ridiculous. He said the same at the national 20:00 AM news on tv. Because, in his words, standing in an ‘asbestos mist’ for a week is perfectly harmless, no more so than smoking a few packs of cigarettes. He also objected to the

asbestos roof workers wearing face masks: the cost of the masks set against the health risk was not justified. Housing corporations shouldn’t be made to pay such ridiculous costs. They did pay him, however, for co-writing a report1 in which he made these claims.

It was also pointed out to the Senate by various factions that not everybody has the financial means to replace a roof; and that fining the poorest home owners would not be conducive to improving their options to do so. After hearing of these two major objections, the Dutch Senate decided not to proceed with the final steps of the legislative procedure. This has only happened a few times in a hundred years; and when I was still a law student, I was required to learn every instance by heart, it is such a rare occurrence.

Professor Helsloot’s speech was not without effect. Suddenly, derisory remarks about exaggerated health concerns about asbestos were common place. There were quite a few

asbestos removal companies which went bankrupt after the proposed asbestos ban was, contrary to their expectations, not made into law. Overnight, the asbestos removal market had dried up considerably.

Carrying on with asbestos roof removal Several provinces, cities and organisations got together and carried on with raising awareness in society to continue removing asbestos roofs, the European Asbestos Forum foundation and the Expertise Center for Asbestos & Fibres foundation amongst them. (Both foundations, which I have the honour to preside over, believe in eradication of asbestos in any shape or form.) Some banks are trying to help their clients to finance the asbestos roof removal, while several municipalities and provinces are encouraging homeowners with subsidies or even encouraging whole streets to club together for an optimal price through improved efficiency. Energy

companies offer deals where the installation of solar panels on new roofs are part of asbestos roof removal projects. Many insurance companies are refusing to insure buildings with asbestos roofs or do so only at discouragingly, exorbitant premiums. After several inner city fires where asbestos roofing was spread for miles around, requiring extremely expensive remediation measures, they are not keen to take on such risks anymore.

The efforts to remove asbestos roofs are still ongoing, but now at a much slower pace.

Dutch science institute TNO Last year, the province of Overijssel requested Dutch science institute TNO to do a research project on asbestos roofs.2 I was a member of the scientific committee. The idea of the project was to find and study all the global asbestos roof related research and also to do some actual tests. So a number of houses and farm sheds with asbestos roofs were found and

asbestos hub magazine | 37

the research on asbestos roofs, the foremost TNO scientist for asbestos, Dr Jody Schinkel, will be presenting on this project at the upcoming European Asbestos Forum conference in Amsterdam, on November 11th. You can view the programme at www. europeanasbestosforum.org/ programme2022. tested over the course of a year for the release of asbestos fibres.

Some of these were alarmingly high, others not so much really; a big difference from one to the other. TNO found that not only the age of a roof is relevant, but also the degree of exposure to the weather, the situation on a compass, the inclination of the roof, etc. There are many different factors to determine how much asbestos fibres an asbestos roof will release, not just age.

The main part of the asbestos fibres is actually not released through the air, but drips down the gutters, drains or overflows, and falls on the soil immediately below the roof: about 90 tons of asbestos per year. That is where a high degree of asbestos fibres can be found, creating a health risk in the immediate vicinity.

Some small part of this asbestos will also be walked back into the building. Asbestos fibres that are released into the air are quickly diluted by the volume of air and are estimated to be about 50 kilo’s per year.

Surprisingly, TNO found that asbestos cement roofs release about ten times as much asbestos in the summer months than in the winter. We don’t know why, that would require more testing.

But one can speculate… and my speculation is that asbestos cement roofs can get very hot in the summer sun and will expand to some extend; and that would make it easier of course to release asbestos fibres from the cement.

If you have different ideas, please share these with me with a view to future tests.

If you want to hear more about

Solutions Interestingly, there is another reason why we should concern ourselves with asbestos roofs: because the denaturation of asbestos cement is becoming a real, feasible, economically practicable possibility. There are two companies, Swedish INASCO Asbestos Converting AB and Dutch AC Minerals, which will explain their methods at the next European Asbestos Forum conference in Amsterdam, on November 11th; and you can actually have private guided tours to the Asbestos Museum and the nearby AC Minerals denaturation

38 | asbestos hub magazine

factory the day before.

You can see for yourself how asbestos roofs are safely destroyed. The remaining, asbestos-free dust can be used as a filler in cement roofs, completing the circle from unsafe to safe roofs. At the previous conference in 2019, the English Thermal Recycling company presented on its method of denaturation of asbestos cement by means of an innovative oven. Globally, there are more companies making headway in discovering different methods of denaturing asbestos roofs as well, for instance with kinetic or biological means.

The Asbetter company has two entirely different methods: industrial waste acids and a brand-new method, using water and heat. So asbestos roofs do not need to go to landfill: the asbestos fibres can be destroyed and the remaining cement slurry can go straight back to the cement industry, saving enormous amounts of CO2 in the process.

Footnotes Imagine…

A world without asbestos roofs… I will not live to see that day, indeed it may take a century or more before all asbestos roofs are a memory of the past. Yet at some point, I do believe people in the far future will say: can you imagine that in the past, many roofs were made of a carcinogenic material?

Wasn’t that simply bizarre?

1 J Schinkel, D Heederik, I Helsloot, S Kraaijenbrink, J Vis: Insights for proportional asbestos policy. A research into health risks in different asbestos exposure situations and the costs of corresponding protection policy’.

2 P Tromp, S Spaan, B ten Brug: The weathering of asbestos containing roofs and the dispersal routes and exposure risks of thereby released (asbestos) fibres.

asbestos hub magazine | 39

This show will always hold a special place in our hearts as this was where we were able to put in front of and physically showcase the first couple of issues of Asbestos Hub magazine to it’s targeted audience.

It is also where I met for the very first-time industry friends Craig Evans of UKATA, Steve Sadley of ARCA, Mavis and Ray Nye of the Mavis Nye Foundation, Dr Yvonne Waterman of the European Asbestos Forum and Graham Warren from ACAD. Plenty more that I have missed but in meeting these particular industry professionals who have all together played a massive part of the magazine in the past 12 months.

Forward to this year’s show held a month earlier in September and whilst we were exhibitors this time around it was satisfying, homely and beneficial to be among friends.

The early chatter was all the gossip from the week’s previous British Demolition Awards/British Asbestos Awards that we have staged in Leicester, plenty of business done and relationships started but also plenty of hilarious stories that came mainly from later in the night. You can read our summary of the Asbestos Awards over on page 26.

The show is billed as the UK’s leading event for contaminated land, air and water and with a similar

40 | asbestos hub magazine

promise to last years event of offering opportunities to learn, share and build new business connections and this was most certainly true, partly backed up by the back log of business cards that allowed my pockets to bulge and plethora of emails that have already dropped into my inbox.

The first speaker at the Keynote stage was Dr Yvonne Waterman on “Insights on Asbestos Roofs” and I found this particularly interesting, please read a combined summery of this from us and Dr Waterman on page 36 later thant day our friends from UKNAR took over the same stage Chaired by Dr Waterman with the theme being Smarter Way’s to Manage Asbestos in Situ.

There was plenty more that sadly time restraints restricted for one I would have liked to have been in on the Asbestos in Soils presentation by Kimberley Johnson and Richard Howarth both from Delta-Simons.

Networking-wise it was networkers dream and with conveniently located specific sectors where we were placed amongst the associations and training providers, so it really was a case of coffee, to coffee, to coffee…

I found this year’s show an improvement on the sound 2021 show, mainly in the amount of footfall which for both days was very prevalent.

Looking forward to next year.

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The 5th European Asbestos Forum Conference An article by Dr Waterman, founder of the EAF

The EAF foundation The European Asbestos Forum foundation was founded by me in 2014. Attending many asbestos conferences globally, I noticed that while asbestos victims had a global network of sorts, asbestos professionals did not. Ask any asbestos professional to name an international counterpart and he simply couldn’t. This frustrated me immensely, because I knew that many asbestos professionals were trying to find solutions to globally common asbestos problems, completely unaware that others were working on the same problems or had already found innovative answers. The delay caused by everybody trying to reinvent the wheel was costing precious time, huge unnecessary costs and ultimately, lives. So I decided to start a foundation to try and speed things up: where sharing networks and the very

42 | asbestos hub magazine

best and latest of any asbestos related science, innovations, awareness campaigns, policy, case law, medical advances etc. would be shared. Anything and everything asbestos, but only the best, for any kind of asbestos professional. Not wanting to sound too big for my boots, I called it the ‘European Asbestos Forum’; a misnomer in hindsight, because the forum has always had a global outreach from the start.

The first conference was also in Amsterdam, at the famous Hotel Krasnapolsky on Dam Square. Focusing on asbestos in the workplace as the main theme, its Keynote Speaker was none other than Dr. Richard Lemen, retired as AssistantSurgeon General of the United States and also as acting director of the American NIOSH. He will have a special place in this year’s programme, too.

The EAF 2022: The State of the Art The upcoming hybrid conference will take place at the excellent Hotel Van der Valk Oostzaan, which is only fifteen minutes by taxi from Schiphol Airport. Registrations are presently flooding in from six continents, making this possibly the most global asbestos conference in history.

You can view the conference programme and register at www. europeanasbestosforum.org/ programme2022. Or, to see for yourself that the EAF conferences are also really a lot of fun

between like-minded asbestos professionals, take a look at the aftermovie of the previous EAF conference at https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=gI9N_ ZZj1jw&t=95s.

Two very special excursions The first day, Thursday November 10th, will start with lunch at the venue, followed by a bus trip to enjoy two private, guided excursions: first to the Asbestos Museum in Rotterdam and then to the nearby Asbetter/ AC Minerals denaturation factory.

The Asbestos Museum houses a unique collection of asbestos artefacts and asbestos related objects, which will positively delight and educate even the most experienced of asbestos professionals. The denaturation factory specialises in the denaturation of asbestos cement and uses two very different methods to do so: one uses industrial acid waste, while the brandnew second method uses the chemical opposite, water and heat. It is surely a privilege to witness something that is truly so state of the art and has such huge potential towards true eradication of asbestos.

Nikolaj Villumsen will present the Opening Speech, critically discussing the plans of the European Commission for a new Asbestos Directive and offering new ideas for its improvement.

Continuing the plenary morning session, renowned professor Arthur Frank will speak of ‘New and old sources of exposure to asbestos: and the manipulation of science by vested interests’.

Next, you will hear the heartbreaking story of how an Asian asbestos activist and his family tried to fight the asbestos industry, only to have to flee for their very lives to the other side of the world and ask asylum.

Delivering the Keynote Speech, Nathalie van de Poel will discuss the hopes, trials and tribulations

The conference The second day, November 11th, consists of the classic conference model, with two simultaneous sessions in the afternoon in order to offer something of particular and useful interest to asbestos professionals of every kind. In the morning, European Parliamentarian

asbestos hub magazine | 43

of the Purified Metal Company, which is the first factory in the world to denature asbestos contaminated steel and recycle the cleansed steel.

During the various breaks, visitors will be able to enjoy an exhibition of spectacular asbestos photos by Tony Rich, well-known under his pseudonym Asbestorama. It will be possible to buy them, too.

For the first time, Tony will show the use of new photographic techniques that show asbestos fibres off to an amazing effect.

In the afternoon, visitors will be able to quickly switch between the simultaneous Social and Technical Sessions after every presentation and afterwards engage in a panel discussion with the speakers. The Social Session will start off with Robin Bennett (Start Software) explaining on the importance of asbestos data sharing through OpenAsbestos. Liz Darlison of Mesothelioma UK will present on the National Support Service for mesothelioma victims. Andrew Paten will speak on the recent developments of the UK National Asbestos Register, while Charles Pickles will discuss the need for better asbestos management.

Belgian Sven de Mulder (OVAM) will be presenting on the latest legislative and policy efforts of the Flemish government with regard to central registration of mandatory asbestos surveys.

From Australia, Justine Ross (ASEA) will share what Artificial Intelligence technology has to offer in understanding and

managing her country’s vast asbestos legacy, while well known American lawyer Brendan J. Tully will bring us up to date on the ‘asbestos in talc’ developments.

Simultaneously and strictly timed, presentations of a more technical nature will be held in the next room. ‘State of the Art’ is very much the motto here, too. Rikard Högberg (INASCO Asbestos Converting AB) and Angelo de Jong (AC Minerals) will both be discussing their respective methods of asbestos cement denaturation. Mark Wilkes (Greenwall Environmental Evolution Ltd.) and Loretta King (Alert) will present their respective hand-held, real-time asbestos detection devices.

Jordan Grubervof Australia/ United States has much to tell how the latest developments in portable robotic microscopy will revolutionise asbestos laboratories. Sundström Safety AB will discuss the new ISO standards to meet diversity problems with RPE, very much a current-affairs topic; and EvaJohanna Herrlich (BCL Invent) will talk about an innovative way to improve health and safety while performing asbestos removal work.

Nearing the end of the conference (and plenary again),

there will be a European Asbestos Forum Lifetime Achievement Award. And, becoming an EAF tradition, also a group photo of all the speakers and sponsors and the entire conference group! I will also explain about a global project that will involve very many of you… Are you curious? Last but not least, drinks and an excellent dinner will provide plenty of opportunities to meet the people who you really want to know!

Of course, I am always willing to provide introductions anytime, too.

Come and join in!

What is fascinating about the EAF is that the diversity of asbestos professionals gives rise to innovations and collaborations right on the spot: the atmosphere is simply electric.

I hope to welcome you soon to the EAF 2022 in beautiful Amsterdam!

For the full conference programme, please see https://www.europeanasbestosforum. org/programme2022/

44 | asbestos hub magazine

UKNAR Announces New OpenAsbestos® Protocols and new National Asbestos Register at 2022 Contamination Expo

With enough support from the asbestos industry and other major stakeholders it was proposed that these 3 innovations together could: 1. Help employers and dutyholders fulfil their legal responsibilities more effectively 2. Prevent thousands of asbestos exposures 3. Save hundreds or thousands of lives 4. Save everyone time and money

As part of a panel chaired by Dr Yvonne Waterman at the recent Contamination Expo 22, UKNAR CIC discussed how their new national asbestos database platform and Asbestos SMART® approach could combine with new Open Asbestos® protocols in ways that could revolutionise and simplify the management of asbestos in situ in the UK.

UKNAR CIC Supports Mesothelioma UK UKNAR is in charity partnership with Mesothelioma UK who do an amazing job in support of the 2,700 victims who die of this deadly cancer every year. Mesothelioma is the deadliest of all

the UK’s 29 common cancers with a 94% lethality rate. It is also the most preventable of all cancers (94%).

Mesothelioma UK receive 5% of all UKNAR’s Asbestos SMART® annual licence revenues.

46 | asbestos hub magazine

Not-for-Profit Collaboration for the Common Good: UKNAR CIC and OpenAsbestos® UKNAR CIC UKNAR (UK National Asbestos Register) CIC is a not-for-profit organisation established in 2020 to protect the public health through the prevention of avoidable exposures to asbestos.

Having successfully raised almost £500,000 in crowdfunding late last year, UKNAR has now built the IT platform that will allow the creation of a national register of all buildings with asbestos in the UK. Asbestos SMART® By using UKNAR’s simple Asbestos SMART® system dutyholders can ensure the latest, most up-to-date asbestos register is instantly and FREELY accessible to people on site 24/7 365 days a year. This is particularly helpful for visiting contractors and tradespeople who can get this information by scanning a QR code without requiring a password on appropriately located onsite asbestos management notices. This will instantly reveal the latest register in a short, readable format they can quickly understand - as opposed to the lengthy, almost incomprehensible documents they are often presented with.

Andrew Paten

Andrew Paten Co-Founder of UKNAR CIC says: “Not only do contractors often fail to get the asbestos information they need to ensure they can work safely, too often what they get is in a lengthy hard to read format that only experts can understand. We need to make it easy for people to protect themselves and others from accidental asbestos exposures. Such a straightforward approach means accidental asbestos exposures can be prevented much more easily, saving many lives and much wasted time and money.”

OpenAsbestos® OpenAsbestos® is an open, collaborative, not-for-profit initiative for the asbestos industry.

Based on web standards and commonly agreed data exchange formats it enables different software systems to exchange asbestos related data and documents safely and securely for the common good. This means live asbestos information can now be accessed more readily despite often being held in disparate unconnected systems.

Robin Bennett

Robin Bennett, Alpha Tracker® asbestos software designer and founder of the OpenAsbestos® initiative says: “Millions of asbestos registers already exist in just a handful of systems including Alpha Tracker, Teams and Micad. Once the software companies make their systems OpenAsbestoscompliant, and permission from the relevant duty holders is given, there is the potential to access most of the UK’s asbestos information. Put together, with UKNAR’s national database and Asbestos SMART approach plus effective co-operation from the key stakeholders, OpenAsbestos® could massively simplify and revolutionise how easily good quality, up to date and readable asbestos information is made available to those who most need it, when they need it.”

Appealing for industry support with win:win:win opportunities for all Everyone in the industry knows that widespread ignorance of

If you are interested in discovering more or you have some key clients that you would like to impress and who might benefit from being introduced to UKNAR or OpenAsbestos® please contact: Stuart Towers, Head of Research & Sales

the dangers and whereabouts of asbestos endangers everyone.

Today’s inexpensive, simple, widely available technology creates a great opportunity to change this to the benefit of everyone. Even 5 years ago what is now being proposed would not have been technologically and economically practicable.

So far, both UKNAR’s Asbestos SMART® approach and the OpenAsbestos® protocols have been very well received by a wide range of stakeholders.

They include major dutyholders, leading asbestos consultancies, campaigning bodies and professional associations such as UKATA, IATP, BOHS, CIOB, Mavis Nye Foundation, Mesothelioma UK – plus media such as TWIFM (This Week in FM) and of course, Asbestos Hub. Andrew Paten says: “Now we have the technology and have built the platform, we are calling on all key stakeholders to engage and help us fully realise this huge opportunity to make such a positive social difference. Whether you are a an asbestos company, a dutyholder, a responsible employer sending people into buildings, a health & safety or property professional, a professional or trade association, or a major employer, this is a win:win:win scenario for everyone. No one should be exposed to asbestos in UK workplaces and die painfully and unnecessarily, simply through sheer ignorance, lack of information or misinformation as has been the case for too many decades.”

– 07912 268 613 - stuart.towers@uknar.org You may also be interested in attending one of UKNAR’s popular short 45minute free webinars – for more details visit: https://uknar.org/join-our-live-events

asbestos hub magazine | 47

Her Majesty the Queen Elizabeth II 1926 - 2022