1 year later... oh btw your house has ASBESTOS!!!!!!

[arknor]

Stop worrying you will be fine. Just don't go making Swiss cheese of your ceiling with a drill or go mad sanding it all to a gloss finish.

already drilled the ceiling without a mask lol...
to stick curtain rails up because there was none at all in any rooms

 

[darael]

so if you have young children you are allowed to play the child card? omg can't have my children around asbestos.
but if you have a legitimate mental disability you are able to have this taken into consideration?

What if I had been licking the walls instead of the window?

The wink in my post would indicate that my post wasn't serious. However, it was you who mentioned "that card".

I have a mental health problem that means by law I am "disabled" if it helps to play that card.

 

[MooMoo444]

already drilled the ceiling without a mask lol...
to stick curtain rails up because there was none at all in any rooms

here lies arknor

may he find eternal haribo in the afterlife

 

[MooMoo444]

I love a bit of mesothelioma in the morning

She a foreign girl I take it?

 

[abbotsmike]

already drilled the ceiling without a mask lol...
to stick curtain rails up because there was none at all in any rooms

Don't know why you're worrying then, you're done for already

 

[BuffetSlayer]

the only things they did for this place was install new kitchen worktops and tiles.
Painted the living room.

now I guess I know why they didn't paint anywhere else with fresh white paint.


Interestingly I'm supposed to have a new boiler installed into one of these mentioned store rooms.

I wonder if the workmen realise

Yes, the housing association has to make them aware of it by having testing done - which it seems they already have done. Likewise the contractor also has a duty under the health and safety at work act to minimise risk to it's employees.

So there are several ways to approach it.

They can - either have the artex removed by an asbestos contractor (time consuming and expensive + you probably have to move out for a few days).

They can have any holes or intrusions into the artex drilled by an asbestos contractor or suitably trained staff with the right equipment and PPE (IE h-vac, FFP3 mask, overalls etc)

They can route any pipework in a way that avoids contact with the artex completely. If it is all over the walls and ceilings though, this is hard. That said, you may find the artex on the walls is non-asbestos and the stuff on the ceiling is asbestos.

Often, only the ceilings would be artexed in the original building spec so the stuff on the walls is often newer and non asbestos. That said, you used to be able to buy artex with asbestos in it from places like B&Q, so it is not always the case that newer stuff is asbestos free.

Thirdly? You can strip artex containing asbestos quite easily like wallpaper and then pay to have it disposed, you don't need OSHA gear for that but I'd recommend a P3 mask and a change of clothes/ good hoover afterwards.

Do not do this wihout the express consent of your housing association (which they will not give). Otherwise you could cause them to be in breach of CAR 2012. They won't thank you for that and may decide to evict you.

Do not do it in your clothes - buy the paper overalls that are specifically designed for particle resistance. They should be Cat 3 type 5/6 overalls. Use an FFP3 disposable mask and make sure you are clean shaven and familiar with how to get an adequate face seal with the mask.

Do not use your household hoover - that is bad advice. Also, use polythene on the floors to catch the artex, and to cover furniture and dispose of it along with the artex that has been removed.

Do not put it in your bin - you are breaking the law and unless you use proper waste sacks a third party company may not take it away for you, or they will charge extra.

As a housing association tenant, I would leave it alone because messing with it, whilst not overtly dangerous, can cause problems for your landlod.

Drilling holes is not ideal, but again not the end of the world. You would have to have breathed in a lot of the dust over a long period of time to be at any risk. White asbestos (Chrysotile) is the lesser of the six evils, and prolonged exposure to high concentrations would be needed to cause real harm. One off short duration exposures (if you even were exposed) is nothing to worry about.

 

[Deleted member 651465]

Yes, the housing association has to make them aware of it by having testing done - which it seems they already have done. Likewise the contractor also has a duty under the health and safety at work act to minimise risk to it's employees.

General duties of employers and self-employed to persons other than their employees.

• (1)It shall be the duty of every employer to conduct his undertaking in such a way as to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that persons not in his employment who may be affected thereby are not thereby exposed to risks to their health or safety.
• (2)It shall be the duty of every self-employed person to conduct his undertaking in such a way as to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that he and other persons (not being his employees) who may be affected thereby are not thereby exposed to risks to their health or safety.
• (3)In such cases as may be prescribed, it shall be the duty of every employer and every self-employed person, in the prescribed circumstances and in the prescribed manner, to give to persons (not being his employees) who may be affected by the way in which he conducts his undertaking the prescribed information about such aspects of the way in which he conducts his undertaking as might affect their health or safety

General duties of persons concerned with premises to persons other than their employees.


(3)Where a person has, by virtue of any contract or tenancy, an obligation of any extent in relation to—

• (b)the safety of or the absence of risks to health arising from plant or substances in any such premises

Information for employees

10. (1) Every employer shall provide his employees with comprehensible and relevant information on—

• (a)the risks to their health and safety identified by the assessment;
• (b)the preventive and protective measures;
• (e)the risks notified to him in accordance with regulation 11(1)(c)

Persons working in host employer's or self employed persons undertakings

12. (1) Every employer and every self-employed person shall ensure that the employer of any employees from an outside undertaking who are working in his undertaking is provided with comprehensible information on—

• (a)the risks to those employees' health and safety arising out of or in connection with the conduct by that first-mentioned employer or by that self-employed person of his undertaking; and

Capabilities and training

13. (1) Every employer shall, in entrusting tasks to his employees, take into account their capabilities as regards health and safety.

(2) Every employer shall ensure that his employees are provided with adequate health and safety training—

• (a)on their being recruited into the employer’s undertaking; and
• (b)on their being exposed to new or increased risks

Identification of the presence of asbestos



5. An employer must not undertake work in demolition, maintenance or any other work which exposes or is liable to expose employees of that employer to asbestos in respect of any premises unless either—

• (a)that employer has carried out a suitable and sufficient assessment as to whether asbestos, what type of asbestos, contained in what material and in what condition is present or is liable to be present in those premises; or

Assessment of work which exposes employees to asbestos

6. (1) An employer must not carry out work which is liable to expose employees of that employer to asbestos unless that employer has—

• (a)made a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risk created by that exposure to the health of those employees and of the steps that need to be taken to meet the requirements of these Regulations;
• (b)recorded the significant findings of that risk assessment as soon as is practicable after the risk assessment is made; and
• (c)implemented the steps referred to in sub-paragraph (a).

Plans of work

7. (1) An employer must not undertake any work with asbestos without having prepared a suitable written plan of work detailing how that work is to be carried out.

Notification of work with asbestos

9. (1) For licensable work with asbestos, an employer must notify the appropriate enforcing authority of—

• (a)the particulars specified in Schedule 1 in writing at least 14 days (or such shorter time before as the appropriate enforcing authority may agree) before undertaking any licensable work with asbestos; and

........and the rest

 

[Belmit]

My parents had their kitchen ceiling redone a few years ago and it had the same kind of white asbestos in it. When we asked the guy if it was particularly dangerous he said 'only if you were to accidentally eat the entire ceiling'. Point made!

 

[Gammawolf]

Blown totally out of proportions. OP is more likely to die from a banana.

 

[Storm3y]

Move house.

 

[rubberduck]

but if you have a legitimate mental disability you are able to have this taken into consideration?
What if I had been licking the walls instead of the window?

Actually I would think licking asbestos would probably be OK as the fibres would form a slurry with your saliva and thus would be unlikely to get air-born and enter your respiratory system through inhalation.

 

[Pabl0]

You should sue them, how dare they!

 

[Schlong&Stable]

Blown totally out of proportions. OP is more likely to die from a banana.

An asbestos banana?

 

[Something Else]

If you are really concerned then write a letter to the housing provider and ask for some way to resolve the matter.

Or just dont disturb it, follow the guidelines and dont be silly and you will be fine

 

[mattyprice4004]

there is not a textured coating in all those rooms unless you count the ceiling

No, if it's on the ceiling it doesn't count and is no longer asbestos.
Of course it includes the ceiling!

 

[ShakenNstirred]

most if not all older houses have it somewhere.
as long as its not being disturbed its fine

 

[Spook187]

I think you're missing a real opportunity here.

Order real asbestos dust off the internet. Snort it. Develop cancer. Collect large compensation payout.

For remaining two months of life... LIVE TO THE MAX!

Bad taste, i would rather not here jokes about asbestos, do you realise on what a horrible death they go through.

I love a bit of mesothelioma in the morning

Please no, once you see what mesothelioma does to a person. i am finding all these comments sad what i am reading having dealt with mesothelioma in the family, it's not nice at all.

 

[delta0]

Pretty much all Artex upto 1990 has asbestos. Just don't disturb it unless you have a professional do it. Most just plaster over it.

 

[Mark A]

I wouldn't be able to live there knowing there was asbestos. Even if it was fine if undisturbed, I still wouldn't be able to stop thinking about it. It's probably due to my mild OCD.

 

[Deleted member 651465]

Bad taste, i would rather not here jokes about asbestos, do you realise on what a horrible death they go through.





Please no, once you see what mesothelioma does to a person. i am finding all these comments sad what i am reading having dealt with mesothelioma in the family, it's not nice at all.

I know what it does to people, it was a joke that wasn't meant to cause offence.

I've deleted the message now.