Asbestos

Asbestos - meeting the 40-year deadline

The Work and Pensions Committee recently published the Government response to its report on the HSE’s approach to asbestos management. The UK Asbestos Training Association (UKATA) was invited to attend as a witness to the recent UK Parliament, Work and Pensions Committee on “The Health and Safety Executive’s approach to asbestos management”

One recommendation posing huge implications for the asbestos industry is to “remove asbestos from all nondomestic buildings within 40 years”.

With many rebuilding their organisations coming out of the pandemic, which could take many years, and the current cost to businesses increasing, it is well acknowledged that asbestos removal poses a risk, albeit low when undertaken correctly. However, with the cost of asbestos removal, some may decide to take this work on themselves without the correct knowledge and skills, thus increasing the risk. Another consideration is where the hazardous waste will go? Currently, it is deposited in landfill, but with a huge increase in removal, these landfill sites will become full, and there are other environmental impacts to consider.

Asbestos removal, other than removing the hazard, doesn’t save businesses money and in some cases, they are paying twice as much, one for the removal and then reinstatement costs.

HSE approach

The HSE approach has always been to leave asbestos in place if it is in good condition and unlikely to be disturbed, which may need to be a factor in the decision to remove asbestos within 40 years.

The committee recommended the implementation of a “central digital register for non-domestic buildings, highlighting its location and type”. One of the key roles in effective asbestos management has always been to share information with all those that need to know the location of the asbestos containing materials (ACMs). With this ideology, it ensures all those that are likely to come into contact with asbestos will be informed and instructed as to its location and condition. This will assist in their work assessments with the ultimate objective in preventing exposure to asbestos being met.

This recommendation would need to be adequately controlled, ensuring only the correct people can access such data and be used to prevent asbestos disturbance. However, caution would need to be considered with access by members of the public, as they may not be aware of the risk of asbestos and are un-trained and often ill-informed about the risk of asbestos, especially when it is being adequately managed in a managed environment, which could raise unnecessary concerns and fears of those accessing nondomestic buildings, especially public buildings.

Increased inspections

With regards to the recommendation for more “sustained increase in inspection and enforcement”, UKATA believe this is required. With government ensuring that it provides “adequate funding”, this can only result in more inspections and identification of non-compliance with all aspects of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012.

HSE have actively inspected licensed asbestos removal contractors for many years. However, with an increased programme, HSE could focus on areas such as Duty Holders, ensuring the duty to manage is being complied with and duty holders are actively managing asbestos, rather than just ensuring they have an asbestos survey. Many believe this meets the requirement, falling short of compliance, with no up-to-date asbestos register, no active and utilised action plan and more importantly no communication plan.

From increased inspections, HSE would be better placed to assess the competency E

 of the duty holders and “whether it needs to specify minimum knowledge, training or other requirements for people performing this critical role.” In 2006, HSE released the ACoP L143, and specified the minimum training for trade operatives and others likely to come into contact with asbestos during their dayto-day work activities would need to have, as a minimum, asbestos awareness training. This was a game changer for the construction sector. All that are employed are provided with the basic asbestos awareness, informing them as to the location of ACMs and what to do in the event of accidental disturbance, with an ultimate aim to prevent their exposure and prevent others from becoming exposed to asbestos. This additional requirement had a huge positive effect on the construction sector, as prior to this, many were not aware of what asbestos was, the dangers of the material and where it could be found in premises. With this increased knowledge, workers were asking the correct questions and identifying asbestos, or what they presumed to be asbestos, before they disturbed the fabric of the building, thus resulting in a reduction of exposure to asbestos across the sector.

Unfortunately, there was no minimum standard of information, instruction, and training for duty holders. Because of this lack of standard and the need for a specific course for duty holders and appointed persons, UKATA developed the UKATA Duty to Manage – Appointed Person (DTMAP) threeday training course which covers in detail the duties required to actively manage asbestos within premises. Since its launch in 2018, the DTMAP has been an enormous success and the uptake for this training continues to increase.

Campaigns

The recommendation that the HSE should commit to investing more in sustained campaigning work, is very much supported by UKATA. Over the past 14 years, UKATA has supported and promoted many HSE campaigns and will continue to support future campaigns through its own platforms and media channels to its nearly 200 members and 10,000 monthly website visitors.

There are thousands of asbestos surveys undertaken in the UK daily, the majority of these are undertaken by accredited organisations that have met a strict quality and technical standard set down in ISO 17020 and HSG264. However, many asbestos surveys are undertaken by organisations and individuals with no accreditation. For many years, this standard hasn’t been a mandatory requirement, unlike the clearance testing following on from asbestos removal works, any organisation undertaking the certificate of reoccupation is required to hold accreditation in the UK.

Accreditation

With the recommendation that the HSE “makes it mandatory for all people conducting asbestos surveys to be accredited”, this is a huge leap forward in ensuring that all organisations or individuals meet the quality standards that have been in place for many years. This would ensure that the quality of surveys and inspections would increase and reduce the likelihood of missed asbestos containing materials, which inevitably will have an adverse increase in exposure and spread of asbestos. UKATA fully supports this recommendation. L Established in 2008, UKATA is a highly respected, leading authority on asbestos training. Its passion is to both maintain and improve asbestos training, ensuring the highest standards are upheld by means of continual quality assessment.

UKATA continuously works within current legislation as a minimum, whilst collaborating with industry partners to ensure that the UK has the highest standards of asbestos safety.

UKATA freely shares knowledge and information both online and across social media, demonstrating that education remains their top priority.

FURTHER INFORMATION

To find a UKATA approved asbestos training provider near you, visit www.ukata.org.uk or for free advice call their team on 01246 824437.

National Data Strategy two years on: the will, but not yet the way

Two years on from the publication of the much-anticipated National Data Strategy, Civica’s Steve Thorn looks at what progress has been made and where there is still some way to go

Published at the peak of the global pandemic in December 2020, the UK Government’s National Data Strategy could not have come at a more critical juncture, both for our public services and the people they serve. From the rapid rollout of the COVID vaccines to remote learning, civil servants and citizens alike could appreciate first-hand, the true power of data-driven digital technologies. When launching the National Data Strategy, ministers set a high watermark – “to drive the collective vision that will support the UK to build a world-leading data economy”. At Civica, we wanted to understand just how far down the track government departments are on the missions set out in the National Data Strategy. To do this, we interviewed more than 800 UK civil servants at all levels of seniority across Whitehall during the month of July.

Data standards: getting the foundations right

Our survey revealed a very clear shift in attitudes towards data across the Civil Service. 60 per cent of the 800 officials we surveyed felt that the perception of data had improved within their department, with around 55 per cent feeling that data-driven decision-making was on the increase. While this is certainly positive, problems persist around data quality, with only 9 per cent of civil servants saying that “significant progress” had been made in this area. A building, as any architect will tell you, will never stand the test of time or live up to its intended purpose unless it is built upon solid foundations. The same is very much true for public services and data. By defining and applying robust rules for the collection, storage and re-use of data, the Civil Service can concentrate on understanding and interpreting data without having to constantly check what it means or where it came from.

Data sharing: breaking down the silos

Another issue which came across quite strongly was data sharing – or rather the distinct lack of it, as our survey reveals. Almost half (49 per cent) of our respondents said that data sharing between their own department and others had remained “unchanged” in the wake of the pandemic. Perhaps even more concerning is the fact that less than a third (28 per cent) of our respondents were aware of data sharing within their departments. The good news, however, is that most of our respondents were of the same mind when it came to the solution: joined up systems and processes across all departments to enable data sharing.

A smarter Civil Service needs skilled people

Data of course, is of little use unless you have the right mix of skills within departments to exploit it and on this front, the picture was quite mixed. The development and retention of skilled staff emerged as the top key challenge to achieving data priorities, with around 56 per cent of officials saying there had been no change in this area. Civil servants also emphasised to us that even though tools and technology exist within departments, there is a considerable skills gap in leveraging data-driven solutions meaningfully. To keep pace with the relentless advancement in data-driven technologies, there must be a culture of continuous education, training, and upskilling right across the Civil Service.

Old technologies, new problems

The lingering issue of legacy IT also came across quite strongly in our survey. Right across our public services, there exists a plethora of ageing, perhaps obsolete systems and processes which are increasingly no longer fit for purpose, either in terms of functionality, connectivity, compliance, integration or supported technology. 54 per cent of civil servants felt this along with “resource capability and capacity” (53 per cent) would be the next two top challenges in achieving data priorities in the next 12 months.

Harnessing data: a journey, not a giant leap

Finally, we were keen to understand how civil servants view the National Data Strategy itself. Where does it rank amongst the many competing priorities and objectives they face within their departments? Surprisingly, only a quarter of those we surveyed felt that their department’s data priorities were either “quite closely” or “very closely” aligned with the National Data Strategy (NDS), whilst the majority (68 per cent) said it was “somewhat closely” aligned. This would seem to suggest the lack of a uniform approach across departments. The five missions set out in the National Data Strategy are each worthy endeavours in their own right. Collectively, they could completely transform the relationship between citizen and government. This, however, will only happen if the five missions are seen as a transformative journey which the whole Civil Service is taking together.

About Civica:

Civica is the UK’s largest software company focused on the public sector. With over 30 years of proven expertise, we hold an undisputed leadership position in our markets around the world. L

FURTHER INFORMATION

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Steve Thorn, Executive Director, (Central Government) Civica

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