DRAFT ANALYST GUIDE HSG 248 12 October 2015

244 Pages·2015·3.8 MB·English

ANALYST GUIDE DRAFT DOCUMENT

Asbestos: The Analysts’ Guide 2016
HSG248
RR988

Prepared by the Health and Safety Executive 2015

DOCUMENT FOR PUBLIC CONSULTATION
12 OCTOBER 2015

Comments and suggestions on this document should be made
to the e-mail address below by 20 November 2015

e-mail address: [email protected]

Please use the attached sheets for your comments and suggestions.

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NEW ANALYST GUIDE: HSG 248 Main Section:
COMMENTS by 20 November 2015 to
[email protected]
(Increase length of Sections as necessary)
Name Date

Organisation and Contact details:

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SECTION 1

SECTION 2

SECTION 3

SECTION 4

SECTION 5

SECTION 6

SECTION 7

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SECTION 8

SECTION 9

SECTION 10

Any other Comments/Suggestions

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NEW ANALYST GUIDE: HSG 248 Appendices:
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APPENDIX 1

APPENDIX 2

APPENDIX 3

APPENDIX 4

APPENDIX 5

APPENDIX 6

APPENDIX 7

APPENDIX 8

APPENDIX 9

Any other Comments/Suggestions

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ANALYST GUIDE DRAFT DOCUMENT

Asbestos: The Analysts’ Guide 2016
HSG248
RR988

Prepared by the Health and Safety Executive 2015

DOCUMENT FOR PUBLIC CONSULTATION
12 OCTOBER 2015

Comments and suggestions on this document should be made
to the e-mail address below by 20 November 2015

e-mail address: [email protected]

This guidance has been prepared by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). HSE wishes to recognise
the contributions of others in the preparation of this document:

CFM members to be listed

HSE Books
Health and Safety
Executive
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© Crown copyright 2016

First published 2005
Second Edition 2016

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free
of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the
Open Government Licence. To view the licence visit
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/,
write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew,
London TW9 4DU, or email [email protected].

Some images and illustrations may not be owned by the
Crown so cannot be reproduced without permission of the
copyright owner. Enquiries should be sent to
[email protected].

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CONTENTS

Preface

1 Introduction

2 Quality assurance and accreditation schemes

3 Training and qualifications

4 Bulk sampling and analysis of materials for asbestos

5 Sampling and analysis of airborne fibre concentrations

6 Cleanliness of premises and plant: Site assessment for reoccupation

7 Sampling and analysis of soils and made ground for the presence of asbestos

8. Supervision and management work carried out by Analysts

9 Personal protective equipment

10 Decontamination procedures

11 References and further information

APPENDICES

1 Fibres in air: Sampling and evaluation of by phase contrast microscopy

2 Asbestos in bulk materials: Sampling and identification by polarised light
microscopy

3 Water absorption test

4 Fibre discrimination

5 Four stage clearance procedures

6 Templates for Certificate for Reoccupation and the inspection certificate for
the Decontamination Unit

7 Surveying and sampling for asbestos in soil and made ground

8 On-site sampling and measurements of airborne fibres and dust for risk
assessment

9 Core competences for asbestos training modules

References and further information

Glossary of acronyms
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PREFACE:

INFORMATION AND GUIDANCE FOR “CLIENTS” ENGAGING

ASBESTOS ANALYSTS (for 4-stage clearance and other work)

Clients can engage Analysts for a whole range of asbestos sampling and

analysis activities and to provide advice and consultancy services.

For 4-stage clearance work as part of licensed asbestos removal, it is

recommended that clients engage Analysts directly rather than through an

asbestos licensed contractor (see paragraph 1.32). Details of Analysts can

be found in the phone directory and on the UKAS website

(www.ukas.com).

The Analyst should explain how long the thorough visual inspection part of

the 4-stage clearance will take. The time should be inserted in the front

page of the Certificate for Reoccupation (CfR).

Check that the Analyst organisation is Accredited (Analysts must be

accredited to carry out 4-stage clearance work, air sampling, and bulk and

air sample analysis). Details of Accredited Analysts can be found on the

UKAS website

Check Analyst references and examples of previous work.

Discuss:

 Your asbestos sampling needs and other requirements carefully

with the Analyst

 The reasons for sampling and the aims and objectives

 How results will be presented and the nature of the report (a CfR is
required for 4-stage clearance work). The report should be specific
to your needs.
 Where samples will be taken from, how many will be taken and any
arrangements that will be necessary for access or at height
 Arrangements for “making good” bulk sampling points
 What photographs will be taken and presented in the report
 Any health and safety issues for your staff.

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1 INTRODUCTION

What is the purpose of this guidance?

1.1 This document is a revised version of the Analysts Guide first
published in 2005. It contains guidance for Analysts* involved in asbestos
work and is the authoritative source of analytical procedures. The guide has
been updated to take account of changes in legislation, developments in
analytical procedures and methodology, provide clarification on technical and
personal safety issues and to consolidate guidance from a number of HSE
sources (including MDHS87 and the water absorption test). The document
also introduces new guidance on asbestos in soils in response to industry
requests.

1.2 The guidance is also designed to help Analysts and their clients comply
with the Control of Asbestos Regulations (CAR) 20121. and the associated
Approved Code of Practice (ACOP) and guidance L143 (Second Edition)2.
The guidance should be used in conjunction with other current HSE guidance
for asbestos, such as: Asbestos essentials3, HSG 247, Asbestos: The
licensed contractors’ guide4 and information on the HSE website5

1.3 .All references to “the regulations” in this guide are references to the
current version of CAR and references to ‘the ACOP’ are to L143 (Second
Edition).

1.4 Analysts have a key role to play in the protection of people’s health and
it is essential that they act competently and professionally. The document
details the methods to be used by Analysts for the measurement and
identification of asbestos. It also provides instructions on other matters
including: clearance procedures for asbestos removal work; and information
on personal safety for Analysts including the use of personal protective
equipment (PPE) and respiratory protective equipment (RPE) as well as
decontamination processes. The full range of topics covered by the guide is
listed in the contents page.

(*Footnote: the term “Analysts” is used in this document. Depending on the
context, it may refer to individual Analysts or it may refer to the Analyst
organisations as employers. Analysts are individuals or organisations involved
in the sampling, analysis and assessment of asbestos under the regulations).

1.5 Each of the topics listed in the contents page is covered in individual
sections within the document. In addition, the detailed information on methods
and procedures, and examples of template and forms are provided in the
Appendices. Information on methods is given in Appendices 1-5 and 7.
Examples of templates for clearance procedures are shown in Appendix 6 and
information on sampling and measurement, and core competencies for
training modules is given in Appendices 8 and 9 respectively.The details are
as follows:

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 Appendix 1 contains details of the approved analytical method for the
evaluation of fibres in air based on the World Health Organisation
(WHO) method.6
 Appendix 2 gives the analytical method based on light microscopy for
the identification of asbestos fibres in materials.
 Appendix 3 describes the water absorption method used to distinguish
between asbestos cement and asbestos insulating board (AIB)
products.
 Appendix 4 updates and replaces MDHS87 and gives guidance on
methods for the discrimination between asbestos and other fibre types
in air samples Appendix 5 describes the procedures for carrying out 4-
stage clearance and DCU clearance.
 Appendix 6 Templates for certificate for reoccupation and the
inspection certificate for the DCU
 Appendix 7 Surveying and sampling for asbestos in soil and made land
 Appendix 8 On-site sampling and measurements of airborne fibres and dust
for risk assessment
 Appendix 9 Core competencies for asbestos training modules.

1.6 Although this guidance covers the sampling and analysis of suspected
asbestos containing materials (ACMs), it does not go into detail about the
surveying and assessment for asbestos. Surveying of premises is
comprehensively covered in HSG 264 Asbestos; The Survey Guide7. In
addition, further guidance on the assessment and management of asbestos in
buildings is given elsewhere (ie the HSE website**, INDG 223* and HSG2278
(Note that HSG227 will be withdrawn in due course). For the first time
however, the Analyst Guide does now contain in Appendix 7 the basic
strategies for assessing the presence of asbestos in soils and made-ground.
This guidance is designed to be compatible with further industry based
guidance, being prepared by the Joint Industry Working Group on Asbestos in
Soils9 , CIRIA and the “Blue Book (EA 2015).

Who is this guidance for?

1.7 The Analyst Guide is designed for a technical audience eg asbestos
Analysts, asbestos consultants, occupational hygienists, safety professionals
etc. It may also be useful to asbestos removal contractors and supervisors,
employers, building owners and people with responsibility for managing
properties and estates. Certain parts of the guide will also be useful to clients
(and/or duty holders) who have asbestos removal work carried out on their
premises or who engage Analysts to conduct asbestos sampling. The
guidance provides specific pieces of information designed especially to enable
clients to know what to expect from Analysts and to assess the standard and
quality of work. This information is set out in the preface to this document. In
addition, the template for the Certificate for Reoccupation (CfR) has been
redesigned to allow it to provide further information for the client (See Section
6 and Appendices 5 and 6).

Legislation

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