Jargon Buster

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:

1. 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
2. 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
3. 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.
4. 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:

1. Stage 1: Preliminary check of site condition and job completeness;
2. Stage 2: A thorough visual inspection inside the enclosure/work area;
3. Stage 3: Air monitoring;
4. Stage 4: Final assessment post-enclosure/work area dismantling

Friable – easily crumbled. It is used to describe the properties of an ACM and the ease at which fibres are released to air from an AC

Guidance Notes (HSE): Guidance issued by the HSE and, if followed, you will normally be doing enough to comply with the law.

See below for list of asbestos Guidance Notes.

HEPA Filter: High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter is a type of air filter. A HEPA filter must satisfy certain standards of efficiency and is a trademarked and generic term for highly efficient filters. It is used to remove any asbestos fibres in the air.

HSE: The Health and Safety Executive is the government agency responsible for the regulation of almost all health and safety risks arising from work activity in Britain.

HSG227: A comprehensive guide to managing asbestos in premises

HSG247: Asbestos: The Licensed Contractors Guide

HSG248: The analysts’ guide for sampling, analysis and clearance procedures

HSG264: Asbestos: The survey guide

L143 (second edition): Managing and Working with Asbestos is an approved code of practice and guidance. Two ACOP’s L127 (The management of asbestos in non-domestic premises) and L143 (Work with materials containing asbestos) have been consolidated into this single revised ACOP.

Licensable Work (with asbestos): Higher risk work with asbestos must only be done by a Licensed Contractor. Refer to HSE’s guidance on what work is Licensable here. See also HSE’s Asbestos work categories here.

Licensed Contractor: Most higher-risk work must only be done by a Licensed Contractor who has been assessed, authorised and licensed by the HSE Asbestos Licensing Unit as being competent to work with Licensed Materials. There are different types of License and the License should be checked to ensure it is current and valid for the type of work being carried out.

The Licensed Contractor is sometimes referred to as the LARC (Licensed Asbestos Removal Contractor).

Management Survey: A property is inspected and any suspect materials are sampled and analysed for asbestos content.  A register documenting the location, extent and condition of the material is produced.  Recommendations are also provided to ensure that areas of concern are made safe and that all asbestos containing materials are safely managed. This is the basic/ minimum type of asbestos survey carried out.

Method Statement: A document outlining the method by which the Licensed Removal Contractor will remove and dispose of the ACMs, often included in the Plan of Works.

MDHS100: MDHS100 is now obsolete (Methods for the Determination of Hazardous Substances – Surveying, sampling and assessment of asbestos-containing materials.) This has since been replaced by HSG264 (Asbestos: the survey guide).

Negative Pressure Unit (NPU): This is used in Licensable works to achieve negative pressure in an enclosure, sometimes also referred to as an ‘Air Mover’. The purpose of an NPU is to ventilate the enclosure and stop asbestos fibres escaping. The NPU incorporates a HEPA filter to remove any airborne asbestos fibres.

Non-Licensable work: This is defined as work with asbestos containing materials that does not require a license as the products are deemed to be lower risk. Refer to HSE’s Non-Licensed Work with Asbestos here. See also HSE’s Asbestos work categories here.

Notifiable Non Licensed Work (NNLW): Some Non-Licensed Work with asbestos requires the employer to notify the HSE and is known as Notifiable Non Licensed Work (NNLW). An employer or contractor can notify the HSE via an online form: ASB NNLW1-Notification of Non-Licensed Work with Asbestos. Examples of NNLW can also be found on the HSE website here.

Notification Period: The HSE require that a two week notification period is given prior to licensed works.The Licensed Asbestos Removal Contractor submits this to the HSE. However the HSE Notification Form ASB5 must be accompanied by a Method Statement and it will take a few days to prepare.

Realistically, one should therefore allow a minimum of three weeks from the date of order for the work to commence.

Personal Air Test: An air test affixed to a person and carried out to assess the individual’s risks and confirm the adequacy of respiratory protection. It is recommended that personal monitoring is performed in 10% of jobs involving enclosure entry. Used to check;

1. The effectiveness of control measures, i.e. that engineering controls are working as they should, to their design specification and do not need maintenance or repair;
2. To find out whether a control limit is exceeded so that appropriate RPE can be selected;
3. To confirm that the RPE in use is capable of providing the appropriate degree of protection;
4. To determine whether the action level is likely to be exceeded;
5. For medical surveillance records;
6. To support current and future risk assessments.

Plan of Works: The plan by which the Licensed Asbestos Removal Contractor (LARC) will define the transit routes, enclosure area, skip location, Negative Pressure Unit location etc. It is usually in the same document as the Method Statement.

PPE: Personal Protective Equipment, such as masks, overalls, gloves, footwear.

Phase Contrast Microscopy (PCM): This is the method used for assessment of air samples. After air sampling, the Analyst will check the final flow rate and collect samples for phase contrast microscopy analysis. Fibres of appropriate dimensions on a measured area of filter are counted visually using phase contrast microscopy (PCM) and the number concentration of fibres in the air calculated and a pass/fail given relative to the clearance indicator level (0.01f/ml).

Polarised Light Microscopy (PLM): The principal method used to scientifically identify which of the six asbestos types is present on the basis of their exact optical properties.

Project Management: Term often used to manage a particular project on behalf of a Client e.g. removal works.

Reassurance Air Test: Air sampling which 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.

Refurbishment / Demolition Survey: This type of survey looks beyond the surface of the property and its aim is to find asbestos materials hidden within the structure of the building. It is an intrusive method of inspection and sampling and should be undertaken prior to any demolition/major refurbishment works, to prevent accidental exposure of maintenance and demolition workers to asbestos.

Respirator Zone: Where the airborne asbestos fibre level is likely to or does exceed the Control Limit the area affected must be designated as such and RPE must be worn.

RPE: Respiratory Protective Equipment: the different types of face masks worn appropriate to the risk.

RICE: Regular Interlaboratory Counting Exchanges. The RICE scheme tests proficiency in the use of the optical microscopy method of counting asbestos fibres as described in the Health and Safety Executive publication HSG248.

Site Clearance Certificate for Reoccupation: Following asbestos removal, the premises must be assessed to determine whether they are thoroughly clean and fit for reoccupation (or, as appropriate, demolition). The clearance certification process is a vital component in asbestos removal work. The issue of a Certificate of Reoccupation by an impartial and competent organisation provides the crucial reassurance and security to the subsequent building users. The multi-stage certification process is designed to allow the inspection and assessment to be performed in a structured, systematic and consistent manner. Sampling for certification of reoccupation should take place only when the enclosure is dry and a visual inspection confirms that it is free from debris and dust.

Scope of Works: A detailed plan of works, including site plans containing the extent and nature of the works.

Specification: A precise and detailed description, e.g. how work should be done or what materials must be used

Type 1 Survey: A type of survey and term no longer in use or considered compliant, referred to as a ‘visual or walkround’ survey completed without disturbing the fabric of the building. Samples were not usually taken.

Type 2 Survey: A type of survey and term no longer in use or considered compliant, refers to a more intrusive survey including areas such as suspended ceilings, accessible ducts and other accessible voids. Samples were almost always taken and required for the asbestos register. Also referred to as a sampling survey, now superseded by a Management Survey.

Type 3 Survey: A type of survey and term no longer in use or considered compliant, a pre-demolition survey taking core samples from partitions, lifting floorboards and investigating back to the structure, where possible. Required prior to any refurbishment or demolition projects, now superseded by a Refurbishment/ Demolition Survey.

Visual Inspection: An inspection of the enclosure or site by the Analyst to see if all the ACMs specified have been removed before carrying out an Airborne Fibre Count within this area, as part of the Four Stage Clearance. The Analyst must check:

• completeness of the removal of the ACMs from the underlying surfaces;
• presence of any visible asbestos debris left inside the enclosure and airlocks or work area;
• presence of fine settled dust.

UKAS: United Kingdom Accreditation Service is the sole National accreditation body for the United Kingdom. Recognised by the Government to assess, against Internationally agreed standards, organisations that provide certification, testing, inspection and calibration services. Accreditation by UKAS demonstrates that an Asbestos Consultancy has the competence, impartiality and performance capability.

UKATA: United Kingdom Asbestos Training Association. This trade association was established in 2007 with a remit from the HSE to set standards, audit and manage a list of asbestos training providers. Starting with just 41 members, UKATA now has over 200 members of which Enquin Environmental was among the first to participate and become an approved training provider.