The asbestos menace: how fire and security installers can protect themselves

The dangers of asbestos exposure have been known for decades, yet fire alarm engineers continue to be put at risk due to a lack of basic precautions.

The failings stem from their employers, from principal contractors and from clients.

When asbestos is accidentally disturbed, not only are workers and others put at personal risk, but there are potentially severe consequences for the businesses who end up in court over their failings.

Asbestos fibres close-up (SEM micrograph)

Unleashing asbestos fibres into the wider environment brings with it a tide of misery: lifelong health worries as a minimum (and potentially a nasty death); businesses closed down for expensive clean-up; prosecutions resulting in heavy fines and more. And all this can result from the simple act of an engineer going about his normal businesses, running in a few cables, or drilling into a ceiling tile, etc.

For example:

• In August 2015, EKS Tyres Ltd was prosecuted after it installed a new alarm system on its own premises, disturbing asbestos containing materials (ACMs). It was fined £6,000.
• In December 2015 Digital Fire and Security (NI) Limited was charged over its installation of a new fire alarm system at premises in Cookstown, Northern Ireland. The company’s employees had cut into a ceiling that was constructed of asbestos insulation board. In court, the firm was criticised because it had not asked the client for asbestos information before starting work. A £1,000 fine was issued.
• In 2013, Romag Ltd was prosecuted after two fire alarm installers spread asbestos fibres throughout its premises. Some 200 people were exposed because of a number of mistakes, including the fact that the sub-contractors had been informed that the building was asbestos-free and that a normal vaccuum cleaner was used in an attempt to clean up debris which later turned out to be hazardous. The company was fined £20,000 and ordered to pay £12,638 in costs.
• Recently, General Motors (UK) Ltd was fined £120,000 after it was deemed culpable for allowing contractors and others to be exposed to asbestos fibres during the installation of pipework. The asbestos register included information about the asbestos insulation board which was disturbed in the incident but the register was not made fully available to the contractor.

Client duties

As the General Motors case illustrates, even large companies which apparently have strong health and safety systems don’t always get this right. There are also enough prosecutions of NHS Trusts and education authorities for us to know that they make mistakes too.

Therefore installers and maintainers need to be ever-vigilant of the potential for ACMs to be present, somewhat regardless of the information they have been given.

When working on third-party premises built before the year 2000, installers should always ask to see the asbestos register. (Premises constructed from 2000 onwards can be assumed to be asbestos free). They should do so even if you don’t expect to drill or cut materials as there may be areas of a premises, such as service tunnels or ceiling voids, which should not be entered.

Ideally, companies should ask at the tender stage for such information.

All those involved in site work must have asbestos awareness training. This knowledge should be refreshed once per year.

Asbestos awareness training usually takes a few hours and is the minimum level required. However, if workers need to carry out minor work on asbestos such as putting in fixings, they’ll require additional training and written safe systems of work to follow.

Workers should be told to stop work and report immediately to their supervisor and the client, if they find suspect materials. Companies should also issue instructions to staff on the action to take if they think they may have disturbed ACMs.

Further information can be found on the HSE’s website.

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