A new training seminar which has been devised to tackle the specific issues and challenges for those managing asbestos in healthcare environments has proved useful to a number of Trusts in London and the South East.
Hospitals are a typical example of the large public buildings where asbestos was widely used during the second half of the Twentieth Century. Its fire proofing and heat resistant qualities as well as its soundproofing advantages seemed to make it a sensible choice of building material. Asbestos is still being found in roofing panels, floor tiles, pipe insulation and boiler seals. Buildings within a hospital campus are often linked by pedestrian tunnels, and these too were sometimes lined with asbestos before the ban on its use in 1999. Just normal occupation and weathering of the buildings can cause the hazardous fibres to be released creating a danger to those who work there as well as patients and visitors.
The half-day course, which is delivered by asbestos management specialists, Global Environmental and Clifford Devlin is directed at Estates and Facilities Managers, Health and Safety Professionals and Property or Asset Managers. While an asbestos management plan will cover ongoing asbestos maintenance a one-off project or refurbishment can throw up more specific problems making the course required learning for a number of departments within a hospital.
Topics include:
The presenters both have specific experience of working in healthcare environments which gives them a good working knowledge of where asbestos was most widely used in hospital buildings as well as an understanding of the best ways to minimise disruption during surveys and removal.
The training has recently been delivered at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (where the entire Estates and Facilities Management teams attended), and South West London and St George’s NHS Mental Health Foundation Trust.
If you are interested in booking one of these specialist training seminars you should call Fergus McCloskey on 020 7300 7288 or email [email protected]. The seminar can be delivered at your premises, is three hours in duration and provides two CPD points.