25 April 2017

Glossary of asbestos terms (A-F)

Asbestos terminology may be second nature to us, but we appreciate it may be unfamiliar to many people.

Over the next few months, we will list the most common words/terms and explain their meaning.

Abatement works – refers to the procedures used to control asbestos fibre release in a building or to remove ACM’s completely, including removal, encapsulation, encasement, repair and decontamination

ACM – Asbestos Containing Material. Any product that contains asbestos ranging from 100% concentration to less than 1% and can be found in thousands of different products.

ACOP – Approved Code of Practice, a document giving practical guidance on compliance. ACOP L143, ‘Managing and working with asbestos’, specifically relates to the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012.)

AIB - Asbestos Insulation Board. Commonly used as fireproofing, thermal protection, partitioning, ceiling tiles, soffits. Strict controls are in place in the UK for those working on AIB. Refer to HSE here.

Air Monitoring – a process which must be undertaken by an impartial UKAS accredited laboratory and can be undertaken before, during and after asbestos removal works. A known quantity of air is sampled over a known period of time using a specialised air pump fitted with a filter. The fibres are then counted and a calculation used to assess the quantities of asbestos fibre in the air.

There are four categories of air monitoring:

Background / Reassurance; to establish fibre concentrations before any activity which may lead to airborne asbestos contamination. Reassurance sampling may be conducted in certain circumstances to confirm that the residual asbestos fibre concentrations are <0.01 f/ml. For example, after the removal of an enclosure
Leak testing; to ensure that the steps taken to prevent the enclosure leaking are, and remain, effective and it is not releasing airborne respirable fibres
Personal; the fibre levels obtained in personal sampling will reflect the nature of the work performed by the operator and the circumstances and conditions at the time of sampling.
Four stage clearance; including Certificate of Reoccupation – see definition below

Amosite – Mineralogical name for ‘brown’ asbestos, named after the ‘Asbestos Mines Of South A frica.’

Amphibole – a group of minerals which includes Amosite and Crocidolite asbestos.

Asbestos Cement – Can contain a mix of all asbestos types, but mainly Chrysotile (white asbestos) and usually contains up to 15% asbestos content. The cement is moulded and compressed to produce a wide range of pre-formed asbestos cement products. Asbestos cement products are generally classed as non-licensable and do not normally have to be removed by a licensed contractor, but must be transported and disposed of as hazardous waste, avoiding breakage as this will lead to fibre release.

Asbestos Register – Where asbestos is present or suspected to be present in a commercial premise, the person with management or control of that premise is required to have a competent person assess and identify locations where asbestos is present. Details of any ACM’s must be recorded in an Asbestos Register which must be made available to a variety of persons. An asbestos register template example can be found on the HSE website here.

Bulk Sample – A sample of material, suspected to contain asbestos, such as boarding, textured coating, insulation or debris taken by an accredited surveyor to be tested for asbestos by a UKAS accredited laboratory.

Chrysotile – Mineralogical name for ‘white’ asbestos.

Certificate of Reoccupation– This is issued on site to the Client confirming successful completion of asbestos removal works. Once satisfactory results are achieved the Analyst will issue a Certificate of Reoccupation, which confirms people can safely re-enter the area.

Control Limit – The control limit for asbestos is 0.1 f/ml of air. Worker exposure to asbestos fibres should be reduced to as low as is reasonably practicable and in any case below the control limits. Suitable Respiratory Protective Equipment (RPE) must be worn where exposure has the potential to exceed the control limit.

CAR 2012 – Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012.

Crocidolite – Mineralogical name for ‘blue’ asbestos.

Duty Holder – The Duty Holder is the owner of the non-domestic premises or the person or organisation that has clear responsibility for the maintenance or repair of non-domestic premises, for example through an explicit agreement such as a tenancy agreement or contract. They therefore have the ‘duty to manage’ the asbestos in the premises, as per Regulation 4 of the Control of Asbestos Regulations (CAR) 2012.

Decontamination – Refers to the removal of dangerous substances (asbestos) from an area, object or person. All personnel (workers and others) who enter enclosures or designated work areas are likely to become contaminated with asbestos and therefore need to decontaminate themselves when they leave.

DCU – The main decontamination facility often referred to as a hygiene unit or DCU which can be a fixed, mobile or modular facility.

Encapsulation – the term used to enclose or seal asbestos materials by a variety of methods dependent upon the asbestos product type and condition.

Environmental Clean – This term is widely used in the asbestos removal business. However, it is a descriptive industry term with no legal definition and not mentioned in Approved Codes of Practice or by the Health and Safety Executive.

Four Stage Clearance – Four stage clearances are a legal requirement for all licensed asbestos work and are carried out by a UKAS accredited organisation. The process allows for impartial, expert confirmation that asbestos within an enclosure has been removed or remediated to the agreed scope and that the area is safe to re-occupy. On completion, a ‘Certificate of Reoccupation’ is issued on site to the Client confirming successful completion of the works.

The four stages of the Four Stage Clearance process are as follows: