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Dealing with Asbestos
Asbestos in your home
St Georges Community Housing is committed to reducing and minimising any risk to the health of its employees, tenants, contractors and the public from Asbestos in its premises.
We maintain an Asbestos Register for all the properties that we manage and have specialist staff and Asbestos Removal Contractors to deal with any reported incidents.
Asbestos Contacts
If you think you have an asbestos problem in your home please report it to our Asbestos Team
Useful links
Identifying Asbestos
You cannot tell whether a product contains asbestos just by looking at it. Since 1976 British manufacturers have labelled all products containing asbestos.
However, these labels are often removed after purchase or concealed when the products are put into position. Products that contain asbestos can look identical to those that don’t.
Where asbestos might be found
Asbestos is a natural mineral found in rocks all over the world. The following table explains the most common asbestos-containing products that might be found in the home.
External
- Rainwater pipes and guttering
- Roof cladding
- Roofing felt
- Roofing sheets (corrugated and flat)
- Roofing slates
- Roof tiles
- Soffit boards - (found underneath the roof overhang between the brickwork and the roof)
- Wall cladding sheets.
Internal
- Bath panels
- Ceiling tiles
- Cold water tanks
- Electric storage heating bricks
- Fire blankets
- Fire surrounds
- Floor tiles
- Flue pipes
- Lagging (for pipes and boilers)
- Insulation (for warm air or central heating systems)
- Artex wall and ceiling finishes
- Wallboards such as internal partitions
- Airing cupboard linings.
Asbestos and Home Improvements
If you are planning home improvements and think you may have asbestos in your home, always talk to us first. We can check our records and tell you if any asbestos is present or arrange for our specialist contractors to carry out anasbestos survey.
Asbestos and DIY rules
- Do not drill, saw, scrub or sand anything you think may contain asbestos
- Keep activities to a minimum in any areas where material may contain asbestos
- Do not dust, sweep or vacuum debris that may contain asbestos
- Take every precaution to avoid damaging asbestos material or asbestoscontaining products
- Always wear a protective face mask if you are doing any DIY work
- Soak wallpaper before removing it. If possible use a steam stripper and gently peel away the paper before re-decorating
- Don’t try to remove old floor tiles or linoleum. Leave them in place and lay new floor coverings over them.
When is asbestos a problem?
Even if there is asbestos in your home, it is not usually a problem. Asbestos only becomes a problem if it is disturbed, damaged or deteriorates with age. If this happens asbestos releases tiny fibres into the air, which are easily inhaled.
What are the health risks?
The body’s natural defences can break some of these particles down but others stay in the lungs for a long time. This can lead to cancer and thickening of the lungs. The most common diseases caused by inhaling asbestos particles are asbestosis and mesothelioma.
Things to remember about asbestos
- Asbestos does not usually pose a risk unless it is damaged or disturbed
- It is often best to leave asbestos-containing products where they are if they are in good condition and unlikely to be disturbed
- Try to make sure anything containing asbestos remains in good condition
- Do not drill, saw, scrub or sand anything you think may contain asbestos
- Asbestos is no longer used in construction or in goods such as toasters or hairdryers in this country. However, imported goods may still contain asbestos
- There is no evidence to suggest that the use of asbestos cement in cold water tanks poses any risk of contaminating the water supply.
What we will do about asbestos
To gather information about asbestos in the homes we manage, we will be working with specialist contractors to survey all our rented properties.
We will hold the details of these surveys and any asbestos materials we find on an Asbestos Register. If any asbestos found poses a high risk we will remove it immediately.
Our approach meets the requirements of the Government and the law
Properties will be inspected again from time to time depending on the types of asbestos found and the level of risk.
Remember, if the asbestos is in good condition and is unlikely to be disturbed or damaged, it does not pose a risk to your health and we will leave it in place.
We may seal materials containing asbestos to stop any fibres escaping.
We will inspect the material from time to time to monitor any changes and take action if necessary.
If we need to remove asbestos from your home we will keep you informed about the work and what you need to do to ensure the safety of your family.
Asbestos-containing materials will remain in social housing for some time yet.
No council or housing association has the money or staff to remove it all.
Disposal
As your landlord, it is our responsibility to contain or remove all materials which may contain asbestos from your home. Do not try to remove or disturb items which you think may contain asbestos yourself.
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