Epsom General Hospital provide services to 490,000 patients a year to people across south west London and north east Surrey. Following a scheduled asbestos management survey, the hospital had taken the decision to remove asbestos sprayed coating and asbestos insulating boards in various places of the hospital.
Project managers had already appointed an asbestos removal contractor to complete the removal works; however, they needed to appoint a suitably experienced and qualified asbestos consultancy to deliver air testing and four-stage clearances to ensure the safety of patients, staff and contractors.
The works were more complicated than usual, due to the removal methods specified – a quilling method of sprayed insulation removal, combined with an air- line bottle fed system for the respirators used within the enclosures. To ensure that the client and hospital had a transparent trail of information documenting our works, we uploaded air monitoring reports to our on-line portal system, where they could quickly and easily be accessed.
We understood the importance of delivering a service that would be as unobtrusive as possible in this unique environment. The scheduled removal works had been planned to take place during both weekdays and weekends to ensure that reduced impact on the normal operations of the hospital and that the safety of patients, hospital staff and visiting contractors was guaranteed.
To minimise as far as possible the interruption the works would likely cause, we coordinated with our client prior to commencement, an optimal programme of leak testing, personal air monitoring and four stage clearance works in a phased approach. When dates needed to be shifted due to a change in the works programme – we were able to respond flexibly.