Gel cutting in Guernsey

Earlier research suggested that gel-cutting could be a faster and safer way to remove asbestos-lagged pipework. But could new teams pick it up and get similar results? Nick Garland recounts a second investigation in Guernsey.

The HSE calls out training malpractice

The HSE has ruffled more than a few feathers with a statement naming two training organisations. But behind the brouhaha, Nick Garland writes, there are urgent questions about whether asbestos training is fit for purpose.

Five takeaways from the new exposure guidance

The entire asbestos industry has struggled to get to grips with personal exposure over the years, so the Asbestos Network’s monitoring guidance is both welcome and overdue. It’s a crucial area to understand, so here’s Nick Garland with five essential takeaways.

In case you missed it: our personal exposure webinar

Nick hosted a webinar to talk in detail about the Asbestos Network (AN)’s personal sampling and exposure guidance.

A look back at 2023

We don’t always look back at the previous year, but 2023 is one that demands a bit of reflection. In particular, writes Nick Garland, we’ll need to carry forward its spirit of innovation to embrace the new personal exposure guidance and the EU’s Asbestos at Work Directive .

A webinar on the new exposure guidance

I’ve written quite extensively about the new personal sampling and exposure guidance from the Asbestos Network. It’s an important topic, and one that the industry has struggled to get a grip on. That’s why we’re hosting a free webinar to go through it on 16 January 2024 at 10am.

Exploring the Asbestos Network guidance on personal sampling and exposure

The Asbestos Network’s personal monitoring guidance has been some time in the offing, but now it’s finally been published. Nick Garland examines the guidance, looks at what it means for LARCs, analysts and clients, and shows how Assure360 can help.

It’s asbestos, not just RAAC that schools need to be concerned about

The announcement from the government that multiple schools will have to close or partially close due to the long known presence of RAAC has further ramifications.

Asbestos in schools: is the awareness building?

The government rejected Work and Pension Committee recommendations for a 40-year asbestos removal programme in public buildings. Now the Times has picked up the baton, launching a campaign to have ACMs removed from schools, as Nick Garland reports.

Overhauling the four-stage clearance

Informed by Nick Garland’s recent FAAM 4SC workshop, we’re redesigning the way Assure360 handles and supports the process. The goal is to make things quicker, help improve working relationships, and provide even greater insight to make things better still.

Reducing the asbestos exposure limit: a tough act to follow

Different EU groups are advocating up to 100-fold lower asbestos exposure limits. It might sound a good idea, but removalists will need new techniques and protection to get there. Nick Garland explains why.

The Retained EU Law Bill – is sense prevailing at last?

As it was drafted, the Retained EU Law bill could have seen the wholesale repeal of EU legislation - including vital law like the Control of Asbestos Regulations. Fortunately it seems there’s been an outbreak of sense, as Nick Garland explains.

Approaching the cliff edge – unknown asbestos

It’s rare to see a great article on asbestos in the mainstream press, but a recent Times special report serves to highlight our biggest challenge: ageing, inefficient buildings, hiding a deadly asbestos legacy.

Asbestos in cosmetics – why are we still using talc?

It’s reported that at least 100 British women have joined legal action against US cosmetic firms over the risk of asbestos exposure from talc in makeup. Nick Garland looks at the links between talc and asbestos, and asks why we’re using it at all.

An update on the Asbestos Network monitoring guidance

It won’t be long now before the Asbestos Network releases its updated guidance on personal monitoring. A lot’s changed since we last looked at the draft, so we’ve put together some updated analysis.

Something new: FAAM’s first four-stage clearance workshop

Assure 360’s founder, Nick Garland, took the lead in arranging FAAM’s new workshop, bringing together analysts and removalists to look at the four-stage clearance from both sides of the divide. What happened, and what did we discover? Here’s Nick with the lowdown.

Sorry for the inconvenience – the HSE cracks down on site facilities

Site welfare doesn’t always mean a Portaloo and a couple of picnic tables. Now the Health and Safety Executive is tightening up its guidance, with real consequences for contractors who don’t meet suitable standards. Here’s Nick Garland’s summary.

Revisiting the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012

The Health and Safety Executive has just completed its second review of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012. Are they working? Are they achieving the stated aims? Have they had any unintended consequences? Nick Garland looks at the regulator’s conclusions.

How well are duty holders managing asbestos?

The asbestos industry is stepping up to implement some of the Work and Pensions Committee recommendations that the HSE has opted not to pursue. This month, Nick Garland gives us an overview of ATaC and NORAC’s joint research into asbestos management.

The 100% clean – comparing blasting and needle guns

When you absolutely, positively have to get rid of every trace of asbestos in a room, you’re probably looking at blasting or needle guns. What are the risks and issues with using both, and how do you mitigate them?

Asbestos Network guidance on personal monitoring, health, and exposure records

The Asbestos Network is working on guidance to cover personal monitoring, and health and exposure records. Here we look at how the draft guidance stands, and what it means for analysts and operatives.

Positive changes to improve personal safety in the DCU

Colette Willoughby’s powerful talk on the safety of female analysts stunned many of us who heard it. I’m pleased to see that it continues to make an impact, and that our industry is beginning to make the changes that our female colleagues demand and deserve.

The Work and Pensions Committee asbestos report: five key recommendations

The Work and Pensions Committee has published its report on how the HSE manages asbestos in the UK. It’s full of well-balanced recommendations - here we look at the details, and focus in on five recommendations that could transform UK asbestos management for the better.

The HSE’s new risk assessment guidance, and where it misses the point

The HSE is issuing new guidance on risk assessments. But the current text seems to be missing the point about what they’re for, and how to translate them into safe working environments. Read our analysis.

Nominations open for the FAAM Committee

The Faculty of Asbestos Assessment and Management (FAAM) recently decided to expand its Faculty committee with the addition of five new members. Nick Garland reminds us what FAAM does, what the committee’s role is, and why he’s honoured to have been put forward for election.

When to visual in the four-stage clearance

The Analysts’ Guide clearly states that analysts shouldn’t enter a ‘live’ enclosure, but this sensible instruction is leading to misunderstandings with big cost and program repercussions. While it may seem confusing on the surface, Nick Garland explains what it actually says, and why.

“It’s only an asbestos enclosure” – why temporary works are a problem

Everything a licensed asbestos contractor builds or installs comes under the temporary works guidance, but there’s little understanding of what this means in practice. Nick Garland explains how to keep within the rules.

Probing the subtleties of the new Analysts’ Guide

We’ve already covered many of the big changes in the HSE’s updated Analysts’ Guide, but look long enough and you’ll spot other, subtle changes with surprisingly big effects. Nick Garland continues his analysis.

The four-hour time-weighted average – a deeper dive

Anyone who’s worked out a four-hour time-weighted average will know they can be confusing. Nick Garland has more help on calculating them, and explains why we’re making Assure360 do it all for you.

Personal monitoring and the four-hour TWA

The Health and Safety Executive is again trying to improve the quality of personal monitoring, but one of its biggest challenges is that not everyone understands how to calculate the current tests. Nick Garland runs through calculating the dreaded four-hour time-weighted averages, then explains how Assure360 can do it all for you.

2020: Covid, change, and cause for optimism

Few will mourn 2020, but as 2021 beckons, the changes brought about by Covid will help to drive newer, better ways of working for everyone. Nick Garland looks back on a challenging year, and discovers how a very old-fashioned industry has been propelled into a paperless future

Living and working in Covid times

The pandemic will be with us for a while yet. But amid the misery of second-wave lockdowns, some of the changes forced on businesses will pay off in the long term. Nick Garland reviews the latest advice on safe working, and explains why some short-term fixes will give way to lasting change.

Virtually there – the BOHS and FAAM conference

With the postponement of the Hazardous Materials Expo, it’s good that some other events are going online. Here we look forward to the BOHS and FAAM conference, happening virtually on 18-19 November.

Coping with Covid – how we can help

The Covid-19 pandemic is likely to remain with us for some time yet. In this post, Nick Garland explains how we can help support your business through tough times ahead.

Personal monitoring – tackling the elephant in the room

If the Health and Safety Executive’s study of asbestos analysts revealed anything, it was that not everyone understood the purpose of personal monitoring. Now the HSE is trying to improve its understanding of how effective current guidelines and equipment are. Nick Garland explains how Assure360’s customers have been able to help.

Asbestos blasting gets a lifeline, but is there a better technique?

Despite tightening guidance, improving equipment has helped keep blasting in the LARC toolkit. However, as Nick Garland explains, the alternatives are improving too, and needle guns in particular are making blasting harder than ever to justify.

Asbestos licence renewal – the new regime turns one

The HSE’s new asbestos licensing system is a year old, but the first LARCs to experience it still bear the scars. Assure360 founder Nick Garland traces what changed, what went wrong, and where we are now.

Talking Asbestos – Nick appears on the Asbestos Knowledge Empire podcast

What’s been lost in the move to the new evidence-based licensing regime? How deep should health and safety culture go? What are the particular problems posed by asbestos in schools, and what’s the story of Assure360? Nick’s covered all these topics and more in his appearance on the Asbestos Knowledge Empire podcast. Discover more.

The new asbestos licence regime – and how Assure360 can help

The HSE's move toward an evidence-based asbestos licensing regime presents all licensed asbestos removal contractors with a new challenge. Nick Garland explains how Assure360's paperless system lets LARCs exceed the HSE's expectations.

Taking licence – how the HSE is shaking up asbestos removal

In its overhaul of the asbestos licencing regime, the HSE is doing away with one and two-year licences. That's exactly what founder Nick Garland called for - here he explains why it's the right move, what some of the benefits will be, and how we're better placed than ever to help and support LARCs applying for a licence.

HSE asbestos licensing: is the system broken?

With different licence durations and multiple conditions that can be attached, clients often use a LARC’s asbestos-removal licence as a shortcut to judging competence. Fortunately the HSE is giving the system a much-needed overhaul - here's Nick Garland's take.

Dissecting the HSE’s asbestos analyst inspection report

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has finally reported on its major project to monitor the work of asbestos analysts. Assure360's Nick Garland has delved into the report to digest its findings: what did the HSE find, what does it recommend, and what's going to change in the four-stage clearance? Read Nick's analysis

Plans of Work – our review of the HSE’s new guidance

The HSE has revised its guidance on how to assess a plan of work (PoW), with impacts for LARCs and principle contractors as they plan how to complete asbestos-removal safely. Our founder, Nick Garland, casts a critical eye over the guidance, pulling out some of the key changes, and explaining how LARCs, PCs and analysts may need to change and improve their procedures.

Is an asbestos-free world possible?

Over 19 years since it was banned in the UK, asbestos remains widespread. Asbestos disturbance and the related exposure to deadly fibres is not uncommon. In light of this, some have called for the complete removal of asbestos from public buildings. We ask the experts, is such extreme action necessary or achievable? And who would pick up the bill?

FAAM brings us the latest developments in the asbestos world and inspiring Mavis Nye

The inaugural FAAM conference lived up to expectation with superb speakers and rigorous academic discussion with internationally recognised experts. Here's our round-up.

Hazardous Materials Expo – what we did, what we learned, and why we’re going next year

Some exceptional talks, an opportunity to meet our customers, and the official launch of Assure360 Paperless. Here's Nick Garland with his Hazardous Materials Expo rundown.

Beyond Grenfell – Welcoming the Hackitt review

The Grenfell disaster was, among many other things, a failure of building regulations to protect residents. Assure360 founder Nick Garland says it's clear the Hackitt Review had to re-learn the lessons of work health and safety - so did it deliver?

Project Analyst: a peek at the HSE’s findings

Nick Garland shares what he learned from Martin Gibsons’ talk at October’s BOHS roadshow about the long awaited investigation into analyst performance.

Asbestos Analysts’ Guide White Paper

Download our new white paper - essential reading to help you unpick the significance of the changes coming our way, by Nick Garland, CEO of Assure360.

New analyst guide part 4: soils

In the fourth part of his summary of the new draft Asbestos Analyst’s Guide from the HSE - Nick Garland is concentrating on soils.

The shadow of Grenfell and Aberfan – what building regulation can learn from workplace H&S

With the shock of the Grenfell Tower fire still raw in our minds, Nick Garland look to echoes of the past for lessons to relearn.

New analyst guidance part 3: reoccupation certificates and clearances

In the third part of my summary of the new draft Asbestos Analyst’s Guide from the HSE - I’m concentrating on reoccupation certificates and clearances.

New analyst guidance part 2: testing for asbestos

Part 2 of Nick Garland's review of the draft asbestos analyst guidance from the HSE.

Appointing the right asbestos analyst: new analyst guidance

Read Nick Garland's summary of the draft of the new Asbestos Analyst’s Guide from the HSE and what it suggests for hiring the right analyst.

Asbestos blasting techniques – is the end nigh?

Read our summary of the draft guidance on asbestos blasting techniques from the latest ALG meeting minutes.

Competence in the asbestos removal industry

Read our summary and critique of the latest ARMI guidance on competence in the asbestos industry.

Asbestos removal and transiting – why do they always get it wrong?

Why is transiting guidance so often disregarded in asbestos removal? Here's what we think.

Why the Brits are best at health and safety

We take a look at European health and safety regulations and where we can take learnings for Britain.

Confined spaces – an under the radar asbestos update

The Confined Space ACoP was amended in December last year - find out what we think the impact will be.

Asbestos removal and CDM – the elephant in the room

Read our thoughts on changes in asbestos CDM removal regulations and how they relate to our industry.

Asbestos training – change by stealth? (Part 2)

We explain what changes are going to happen within the training architecture and what this will mean.

Asbestos training – change by stealth? (Part 1)

Many people know the current asbestos training architecture but is that going to change?

Extra red tape or what you’re doing anyway? ALG competence guidance

Read our expert take on the ALG draft guidance on how to design a competence scheme.