Maintenance - Dealing with Asbestos

What is Asbestos ?

Asbestos can be found in all types of property e.g. housing, commercial, industrial etc. in both the private and public sectors. Asbestos is a glassy rock which occurs naturally in different parts of the world. The rock is formed in strands or fibres which, when processed, can split down in size until they are invisible without the aid of a microscope.

cartoon of heating boiler Asbestos fibres are strong and resistant to heat and chemicals. This has led to there use in a wide range of building material and products, often as fireproofing.

Homes built since the mid 1980’s are very likely to contain asbestos in the fabric of the building. Homes built after 1990 are extremely unlikely to contain asbestos anyway in the building. Asbestos cement has been widely used as a cladding material and can still be found in garages and sheds.

Where will you commonly find Asbestos ?

picture of ironnig board Asbestos is found in many areas in the home and is commonly found in the following areas:

Insulation—pipework
Asbestos Insulated Boards
Textured Coatings—ARTEX
Thermoplastic floor tiles and coverings
Asbestos cement—garages, roofing soffitts, ironing boards.

How Tees Valley will deal with Asbestos ?

Tees Valley is setting up an Asbestos Register for all our buildings with information from surveys carried out by specialist asbestos surveyors. This register will enable us to alert tenants, contractors and people who work in our visit our schemes.

cartoon of information book Do not panic if you have asbestos in your home because if the asbestos is in good condition, removal will not be necessary and disturbing these materials can in fact cause more risk to your family’s health.

Seeking Advice

Tees Valley Housing Limited has trained our Customer Staff and Housing Officers to answer any queries you may have regarding the presence of asbestos in your home.

REMEMBER

Avoid disturbing or damaging asbestos materials in good condition.
If you have damaged or deteriorating asbestos materials in your home then SEEK ADVICE.
Do not keep using oven gloves or other small items containing asbestos - dispose of them safely.
Take care when doing “Do –it-Yourself”
If you have asbestos materials in your home, extra care should be taken when doing DIY. DO NOT attempt to carry out work before contacting Tees Valley for advice.
If you think you may have asbestos containing products in your home, SEEK ADVICE by telephoning our Customer Service Centre on 01642 261100.