Asbestos
Most people won’t think about asbestos until they discover it themselves. It’s hard to believe, but the use of the substance was only banned in the UK in 1999 and so there are still hundreds of industrial buildings with asbestos in their roofs. According to the government’s Health and Safety Executive report, Great Britain has one of the world’s highest rates of the cancer caused by asbestos.
PIRC are fully trained and authorised for asbestos removal and over-cladding and offer various solutions to make your industrial or commercial building safe.
What is Asbestos?
If you’ve been told your commercial or industrial roof contains asbestos, you’ll want to know exactly what you’re dealing with. Asbestos is a natural substance that is resistant to fire and electricity as well as chemical and thermal erosion. It’s stronger than steel and doesn’t biodegrade, dissolve in water or evaporate. The minerals have strong fibres and can be woven and are used as a binding agent. Because of its strength, it has been used widely in the building and roofing industry since the 19th century.
There are six different kinds. Amosite, crocidolite, chrysotile, tremolite, actinolite and anthophyllite and these appear naturally as different colours. Brown asbestos (amosite) is strongest and white (chrysotile) was typically used in buildings as is softer and more flexible and therefore ideal for use in industrial roof tiles and insulation.
What harm can it cause?
Asbestos is known as a silent killer and for good reason. Exposure to asbestos dust can cause a deadly cancer called mesothelioma and so there is an obvious worry with people working in affected buildings. Although the substance has been banned from use in UK construction for over 20 years, there are still many commercial and industrial buildings in the UK with asbestos in their roofs. Knowing of the presence of asbestos in the roof of your place of work is enough to make anyone feel uneasy.
With asbestos in industrial roofs, problems occur when the roof sheets or tiles deteriorate with age and become more brittle. There is then a risk of the mineral fibres becoming exposed and loose which can be inhaled and become dangerous.
What can be done?
If asbestos is discovered in your commercial or industrial roof, there are options to make it safe. PIRC pride themselves on being experts on asbestos removal and are on a mission to make as many industrial roofs in the UK as safe as possible.
Many people will worry that asbestos removal is a costly job, but it doesn’t have to be the only way. PIRC offer a cost-effective over cladding to minimise time and disruption to a site.
Over-cladding the roof is completely safe and seals in any dangerous fibres. This option is much cheaper than asbestos removal from the roof and normal work can continue inside the building while work is being done. PIRC can also install roof lights or extra insulation while working on the over-cladding to save heating and energy costs. The over-cladding will ensure the building is completely safe. PIRC can also provide a roof refurbishment using the over clad process. This is installed by the team using the clip and bar system.
No matter what option you chose, you can rest assured that your industrial or commercial roof will be in good hands with PIRC.
Find out if your roof has asbestos
The simplest way to find out if your industrial or commercial roof contains asbestos and needs attention is by contacting PIRC for your FREE roof survey.