Posted By paul harman Good afternoon everybody Although I have worked in Health & safety for 7 years, I have been asked a question today that I cannot find the answer to anywhere. I know the forum has been acused of giving free advice but here goes. We have been contracted to refurbish a single storey old peoples home where the occupants have been decanted. The local authority have supplied us with the asbestos register that identifies the soffit and fascia as Amosite. They have awarded the contract for removal to a licensed comapny but have asked us as the principal contractor to supply the access scaffold. The asbestos removal company have been to site and insisted that we use a scaffold company that is licensed to erected scaffold where asbestos is to be removed. Is this correct ? We would normally appoint a competent scaffold contractor to erect the scaffold ensuring that they do not disturb the ACM. Can anyone help ? Regards Paul

Posted By Peter MacDonald If the asbestos is to be removed under license then yes, the scaffolders need to be licensed also. Hertel and Cape spring to mind but there are plenty. Be aware though that you will need to ask the asbestos removal people to detail the exact requirements of access that the scaffold is to provide for them or you could be open to claims. One from the scaffold company to change the scaffold (subject to two week notification to HSE)and standing time from removal people. But I'm sure your project team will know that. Peter

Posted By Robert K Lewis The location of the ACM in this job means that you are unlikely to be within 1 metre of the material with the scaffold. The HSE guidance Asbestos Essentials would not, for me, put these scaffold works within the licenced work arena. If you needed to tie in close proximity to the material I could see an argument. Is the register backed up by a type 3 survey? If not ensure that you have type 3 done in areas which you will be breaking into/through. It is all to easy to fall into the inadvertant discovery trap. Bob

Posted By Chas I am under the impression that you only need to use an asbestos licensed scaffolder if the works themselves are licensable and if the scaffold is likely to damage the asbestos or if the scaffold forms part of the enclosure. Therefore if the soffit in question is asbestos cement (as opposed to insulation board) then you would not require a licesed scaffolder because work with asbestos cement is not a licensable activity.

Posted By Dave Wilson As I work for a Licensed Asbestos removal company and also deliver training for Ancillary licence holders Chas is Correct here. You do not have to use a Licensed scaffolder as the scaffold is only being used for access and it is unlikely that the ACM will be disturbed. However the AIB Soffit removal must have 1000 guage poly dropped down and a sheet on the floor to catch any debris, it does not have to be under negative pressure unless it is in a high risk area ie a school or hospital etc. The ops must wear full powered RPE and follow the correct decontamination procedures, an airlock is NOT required however a DCU must be positioned as close as possible to the work area. The preferred method of removal is 'Shadow Vac' with a killaspray with a suitable surfactant added in 1:10 ratio There is no requirement to have an airtest however the poly must be disposed of as Hazardous waste and not just skipped. this is the latest info from the ALU at the HSE