Welsh Government issues warning to councils
Welsh Government Minister, Lesley Griffiths, has written to the leaders of local councils and registered social landlords directing them to tighten up their procedures for dealing with asbestos.
Following meetings between UCATT, the construction union and Ms Griffiths, the Minister has written to local councils and social landlords to remind them of the following:
- Ensure that information on asbestos be passed to maintenance workers and contractors doing maintenance work on a tenant’s property before work begins
- Caution against over-reliance on sample surveys
- Ensure a fully trained workforce which can identify asbestos and act accordingly
In her letter Ms Griffiths said: “I would like to emphasise the need for action to minimise the risk for both tenants and for those who work in the repair and maintenance of social housing. Where contractors are used by a social landlord for improvement works, it is important for information from surveys and the asbestos register to be passed to the contractor in a timely and accurate manner.”
UCATT Regional Secretary for Wales, Nick Blundell, welcomed the intervention: “If you don’t take asbestos seriously, more and more people will continue to die from exposure. Our members in the social housing maintenance sector face this danger on a daily basis. Poor and inadequate surveying can leave maintenance workers up to their eyeballs in asbestos dust – without any protection.”
UCATT also raised concerns about the presence of asbestos in private rented accommodation where asbestos surveys of people’s homes are extremely rare. Ms Griffiths has said: “The Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 will additionally require landlords to ensure rented properties are fit for human habitation. Whilst the regulations detailing this requirement are yet to be drafted, the presence of asbestos would almost certainly be taken into account as a part of assessing whether or not a property is fit for habitation.”
Stephen Jones, Technical Manager at Enquin Environmental commented “It is important to mention that both the Duty Holder and Works Contractor have a legal duty in relation to asbestos. The Duty Holder must ensure adequate and sufficient information is supplied to the Contractor – a Refurbishment and Demolition survey may be required prior to any intrusive works. It is also the Contractor’s responsibility to check this information is available prior to any work starting.”
Ref: The Construction Index UCATT
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