Asbestos
removal of asbestos containing material at a
City office block.
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A lethal time
bomb has been detonated by decades of asbestos
use, which will kill as many as 10,000 people
a year in the UK by 2020, according to
government figures. In belated response,
stringent new laws are to be introduced this
summer, putting the onus for dealing with
asbestos firmly on landlords and employers.
"The issue
of asbestos is going to become increasingly
important for property professionals,"
argues James Lane, senior surveyor at NAI
Gooch Webster. "It will certainly become
part of the lending criteria for banks: it may
be difficult for owners to sell property
without remedial repairs."
Lane has
developed a detailed template for owners and
tenants to use in determining what action must
be taken to deal with asbestos.
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The
Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2002
will require every landlord and employer to
undertake at least an assessment of his property
(including a visual inspection) and usually an
asbestos survey to identify the type, location
and condition of the material. If asbestos is
present, a risk assessment shall be undertaken
and a written Plan prepared (an asbestos
register). This will implement management
procedures for monitoring the condition of
materials, maintaining them in good condition or
removing them safely and providing information
to both the emergency services and anyone liable
to disturb the asbestos.
Asbestos deaths
have already reached the alarming figure of
3,000 per year, equalling the number of deaths
from car accidents. Nothing can be done about
the rising numbers, since they relate to contact
with asbestos dating back many years. But the
new regulations will make it a criminal offence
if building owners fail to deal with the
material. Purchasers' solicitors will also have
a duty to ask whether a survey has been carried
out as part of their due diligence.
The template
developed by James Lane at NAI Gooch Webster
draws detailed conclusions from the type of
asbestos found, its location and condition. At
worst, where there is a 'severe hazard', the
affected area must be sealed off immediately and
the material removed within six weeks, or
encapsulated and removed at the first reasonable
opportunity.
"We will be
helping banks and purchasers work out how to
factor asbestos into their valuations,"
says Lane: "How much asbestos is there? How
much will it cost to remove it? If it's very
expensive to get rid of it, no-one's going to
want to be in there and it could make deals fall
out of the window."
Where other
consultants have compiled reports on asbestos,
Lane offers a more in-depth service, helping to
decipher reports and suggest practical steps for
landlords to take. "We can put the
information from reports into a more manageable
document and make it useful for end users,"
says Lane.
Contact: James
Lane
"NAI Gooch
Webster*, whilst exercising great care in its
preparation, provides this report on the basis
that it is a source of general information only.
It may contain unintended errors or may be
rendered inaccurate by events subsequent to its
publication and therefore the reader must not
act upon the report or any part of it as if it
were advice upon which the reader is intended to
rely." (*the trading name of Gooch Webster
Limited) |
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