CIRIA, the Construction Industry Research and Industry Association, will shortly publish ‘Asbestos in soil and made ground good practice guide’ (C765), on the practical management of asbestos risks in field conditions.
In the last few years, the construction industry has seen a plethora of guidance and documentation on asbestos in construction. Firstly the Control of Asbestos Regulations (CAR) were updated in 2012. The CIRIA guide ‘Asbestos in soil and made ground: a guide to understanding and managing risks’ (C733) was published in 2014 and SOBRA (The Society of Brownfield Risk Assessment) issued guidance on a conceptual framework for risk assessment of asbestos in 2015.
The contaminated land industry recognised that the CAR legislation was not easily or clearly adapted to groundworks. As a result, CL:AIRE – on behalf of the Joint Industry Woking Group (JIWG), a group comprised of construction, demolition, health and safety and contaminated land specialists – produced in 2016 CAR-SOIL™ (‘Control of Asbestos Regulation 2012: Interpretation for Managing and Working with Asbestos in Soil and Construction & Demolition Materials- Industry Guidance’). CAR-SOIL is certainly a useful document, but not very practical for site based groundworkers.
CIRIA sensed a need for a practical document to advise site workers who may come across soils which may contain asbestos on how to manage the risk, and to minimise the potential health risks and associated liabilities. So the focus of the latest guidance published this month, (CIRIA C765), is on the practical management in field conditions, building on C733.
Most of CGL’s brownfield projects involve practical advice or pragmatic recommendations with respect to asbestos or potential asbestos in the ground, to manage or reduce resulting risks or liabilities. If you have any queries on asbestos in the ground on your site, we would be happy to discuss them and potential solutions with you.
Regional Contacts:
Jo Strange, Godalming – 01483 310600
Jonathan Shaw, Harrogate – 01423 276000
Mark Creighton, London – 020 3096 7567
Steve Morgan, Exeter – 01392 439905
