Asbestos safety
Contents:
2. What do we do about asbestos?
3. What we do if your home has asbestos?
4. What to do if you’re worried about asbestos in your home
1. What is asbestos?
Asbestos is a natural material that was used a lot in buildings in the UK from the 1950s to the mid-1980s. Any homes built before the year 2000 might still have asbestos in them as its use was not banned until 1999.
It was used because it’s strong and good at stopping heat and fire. You might find it in things like:
- Roofs and floor tiles
- Ceiling coatings (like artex)
- Boxing panels around pipes
- Header Panels above doors
- Pipes and pipe coverings
- Fire doors
- Cement and plastic materials
Is it dangerous?
Asbestos is safe?if it’s in good condition and not disturbed. It only becomes dangerous if it’s damaged, because tiny fibres can get into the air and be breathed in.
2. What do we do about asbestos?
As your landlord, we have rules to follow to keep people safe from asbestos. We keep a list of where asbestos is found in our homes, and we can share this list if someone asks with enough notice.
We check our homes to find out where asbestos is and what type it is. We also have a plan for how to manage it safely.
We don’t usually remove asbestos unless:
- It’s damaged
- It might get damaged during normal use
- It could be affected by building or repair work
This follows the official safety rules about asbestos.
3. What we do if your home has asbestos?
If we think there might be damaged asbestos in one of our homes, we treat it as a priority. We may take a small sample to check if it really is asbestos and decide what needs to be done.
If the asbestos is damaged, we will either?repair it?or?remove it. If it can be made safe, we will usually?seal it?or?cover it up. If it needs to be taken out, we will ask a trained contractor to do the job safely.
If the asbestos is in good condition, we usually leave it alone. But if you later think it might be damaged, we will come back and check it again.
4. What to do if you’re worried about asbestos in your home
If you want to do work in your home, or you think there might be asbestos, you must?contact us first. We can tell you if asbestos has been found in your home or in similar homes.
Do not touch or disturb?anything you think might be asbestos. Don’t let anyone else do it either, not even a builder, until we’ve checked it and confirmed it’s safe.
If you think asbestos in your home has been damaged, call our?repairs team straight away?on?01395 517458. You can also email us at?asbestos@eastdevon.gov.uk.
For more information, you can visit the?Health and Safety Executive?website.