What's Hiding in Your Roof?

Halloween may be a distant memory, but is there still something nasty lurking in your roof? Possibly, if your home was built between 1930 and 1985.

Asbestos was a popular building material used in UK homes before it was banned in 1999. You can still find it hiding in cement, floor tiles, walls and roofs.

Something ABS Home Improvements are all too aware of.

Close encounter

Last week we had a roofline job in Wortham. During the preliminary roof inspection, our fitter spotted Asbestos Insulation Board (AIB).

To be sure, we carefully took a sample and sent it for laboratory analysis. The test came back positive.

What is AIB?

AIB is a flame retardent board that contains up to 45% asbestos (Asbestos Removal Contractors Association).

Is AIB dangerous?

Yes, inhaling asbestos fibres can cause deadly lung diseases, including Asbestosis and lung cancer.

What happens next?

All our trained fitters are:

• Asbestos Awareness Trained (Category A) 
• Non-Licensed Asbestos Trained (Category B)

This means that they know the risks associated with asbestos and can work with less harmful cement-based asbestos, such as chrysotile.

However, AIB must always be removed by a licensed asbestos removal company following strict Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Regulation.

We quickly arranged for an accredited contractor to carry out the work.

And finally...

At last, our team could start work again on the roofline. We fitted smart white fascias, soffits, cladding and black guttering.

It was a job well, and safely, done.

Useful Links

HSE - https://www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/essentials/aib.htm

Gov.UK - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/asbestos-properties-incident-management-and-toxicology/asbestos-general-information

RICS - https://www.rics.org/uk/upholding-professional-standards/sector-standards/building-surveying/asbestos-legal-requirements-and-best-practice-for-property-professionals-and-clients/asbestos-insulating-board/