Asbestos is the name given to a group of minerals that occur naturally in the environment as bundles of fibres that can be separated into thin, durable threads. It has been used in the building and construction industry in a variety of forms, from strengthening cement and plastics as well as for insulation, roofing, fireproofing and sound absorption.
If products containing asbestos are disturbed, tiny fibres are released into the air. When the fibres are breathed in, they may get trapped in the lungs and remain there for a long time. Over time, these fibres can accumulate and cause scarring and inflammation, which can affect breathing and lead to serious health problems including mesothelioma. The symptoms of asbestos related diseases may not become apparent for many decades after the exposure occurred.
If you own, use or modify commercial or domestic premises, you may well have a responsibility to manage asbestos within those buildings, and therefore must comply with the legislation below.
There are four important main pieces of legislation that are applicable:
- Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012
- Health & Safety at Work etc. Act 1974
- The Management of Health & Safety at Work Regulations 1999
- The Construction (Design & Management) Regulations 2007
This legislation places a great deal of responsibility on duty holders, employees, employers, contractors and clients to ensure all practicable measures are taken to minimise exposure of asbestos containing materials (ACMs).
For Further details about asbestos, dangers, health effects and more please visit our Asbestos FAQ page.
Asbestos Services
Gully Howard Technical offer a variety of Asbestos services to help clients safely manage any potential asbestos containing materials and comply with legislation. We provide a comprehensive service that can be tailored to each individual clients’ requirements:
Asbestos Surveying
Surveys are designed to identify, risk assess and recommend any further actions required. Asbestos surveys will be tailored to the specific needs of the client by consultation prior to survey, to establish the exact nature of the requirements. All surveys are carried out in accordance with HSG 264 the Survey Guide. Asbestos Surveys include: Management Survey, Pre-Refurbishment Survey and Pre-Demolition Survey.
Asbestos Consultancy
Consultancy and advice is offered in all aspects of asbestos management. We can help ensure all activities to manage the presence of asbestos are undertaken such as; designing a strategy to periodically inspect and monitor known ACMs, maintenance of known materials or facilitating removal if deemed necessary.
Asbestos Training
We offer extensive training courses related to asbestos, ranging from basic awareness to complex management training. Our courses can be delivered bespoke to large organisations or available to individuals wishing to gain additional qualifications.
Air Testing & Monitoring
Gully Howard Technical provides all aspects of asbestos related air testing for both tendered and private clients alike. Services include simple reassurance monitoring and full four-stage clearance testing for re-occupation, right through to the overseeing of entire projects.
Material Analysis
Gully Howard Technical analyse all the samples it receives in our purpose built UKAS Accredited laboratory using the approved methods of Polarized Microscopy as per the Health and Safety Executives guidance published in the HSG 248 Analyst Guide
About our Laboratory
Gully Howard Technical’s UKAS accredited Asbestos and Materials Analysis Laboratory is able to offer one of the most thorough, competitive and cost effective analysis facilities to all our clients.
Our team of P401 qualified analysts work in a modern and well equipped environment. We are able to process one-off or large sample batches in a quick and effective manner maintaining the highest level of quality. We ensure full traceability of materials and reporting from sample receipt to final invoice.
Dedicated team of Asbestos Analysts and Surveyors
Our motivated teams of Asbestos Analysts and Surveyors respond to planned and reactive callouts all year round and are able to offer cover to clients with out of hours requirements. Our Asbestos Analysts and Surveyors are all able to draw on the scope of a large client base, offering them experience through diversity, and enabling them to be able to perform in any work situation.
Accredited and Client Focused
By ensuring we not just satisfy the exacting standards of our UKAS Accreditations, but challenge ourselves to better it, and combine that with compliance to various ISO Accreditations, clients can rest assured that quality is at the absolute centre of every service we offer.
Asbestos – Why Choose Us
If you are looking for peace of mind, or to safeguard the health of people whom you have responsibility for, then you should be talking to the team of Asbestos experts at Gully Howard Technical.
Highly Experienced
We are highly experienced in Asbestos Surveying and Analytical Services. We provide these services to a broad client based, who understand that we have accumulated a vast range of experience based knowledge with regard to asbestos products and the numerous locations that these materials are found.
UKAS Accredited Laboratory
We are a totally independent UKAS accredited laboratory and employ only BOHS or equivalent qualified personnel, all of whom fit within the culture of working within domestic, commercial and Industrial settings alike. We ensure that the client feels secure and always informed, with the added benefit of our advice as duty holders falling in line with current asbestos and Health and Safety legislation.
As an independent company, whom do not actively remove asbestos products, we retain impartiality. This means we can ensure that the client has confidence that not only do we offer value for money, but can also remain safe in the knowledge that the results we supply are correct, and not biased towards abatement.
Our in-house laboratories offer a quick and efficient service. By adhering to UKAS accreditation standards you can be assured of a service that is fully complaint.
Client Focused
Our team of Surveyors undergo rigorous training in both customer care and technical ability, thus offering our clients a service linking the culture of themselves to ensure that the customers feels valued. Our experience exceeding 10 years enables us to offer a complete process management from desktop study through manually surveying and management to remedial actions, all forms of air testing and training within our own facilities.
