Widnes has a long industrial history, and many of its sheds, works and trade units date from the decades when asbestos products were standard building materials. If you are taking on, letting or maintaining one of these buildings, it is worth knowing where asbestos is typically found and what you are expected to do about it.
Where it is usually found
The roof is the obvious place. Corrugated cement sheets were used on thousands of industrial buildings, and wall cladding on the same buildings is often made of the same material. Inside, look at fire-protection boards around plant, older office partitions, ceiling tiles in welfare areas, lagging on heating pipework and gaskets in older machinery.
None of this is necessarily dangerous. Cement sheets in good condition that nobody drills or cuts are low risk. The problem comes when work starts without anyone knowing what is there.
What the tenant and landlord must do
Under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012, whoever is responsible for maintaining a non-domestic building must manage the asbestos in it. In a leased unit that can be the landlord, the tenant or both, depending on the repairing obligations in the lease.
In practice the steps are the same: commission a management survey, keep the resulting register on site, make sure contractors see it before they start, and re-inspect known materials regularly.
Before roof or cladding work
Replacing a roof or re-cladding a unit disturbs the very materials most likely to contain asbestos. A refurbishment survey of the roof and anything underneath that the work affects is required first, and if asbestos is confirmed, removal may need a licensed contractor. Surveying early keeps the programme realistic.
Related: Industrial & logistics site survey · Workplace asbestos management survey