Safety in Your Home

Asbestos in the home

What is Asbestos?

Asbestos is a natural mineral that is strong and resistant to heat and chemicals.
In the past,after processing, most asbestos was made into building materials and was used in building work for many years.

Properties built since the mid-1980s are very unlikely to contain asbestos.

Asbestos materials are present in many buildings across the country and are perfectly safe if they are not damaged.
When asbestos materials age or become damaged, fibres are released into the air and very high levels of these fibres can cause harm.

There is a very low level of fibres in the air everywhere, but this low level is extremely unlikely to cause harm.

Where You Might Find Asbestos in the Home

Building materials containing asbestos were widely used from 1930 to around 1980 so houses and flats built or refurbished at this time may contain asbestos.

Asbestos can be found in some, but not all, of the following materials.

• Decorative textured coatings and paints applied to walls and ceilings (Artex)
• Floor tiles
• Toilet cisterns
• Heating and ventilation flues and parts of heaters
• Bath panels
• Old electric fuse boxes
• Access panels to service ducts
• Screen panels under windows,fascia boards,soffits,roof tiles,rainwater gutters and pipes

Asbestos has been used in some heat-resistant household products, such as oven gloves and ironing boards.It is not always easy to tell whether a product contains asbestos, as modern asbestos-free materials often look similar.
It is usually older materials that contain asbestos.

Building materials which contain asbestos and are in good condition will not be a risk to anyone living in the property.
They are generally best left undisturbed rather than being removed because removal can lead to high levels of fibres in the air for some time.

Asbestos materials which have been painted, covered by other materials, or enclosed in ducts or in cupboards also pose no risk if they are not damaged.

All asbestos is potentially dangerous but health risks only happen if asbestos fibres are released when materials containing asbestos are damaged or disturbed.

If asbestos material is slightly damaged it can be repaired by sealing the material.

Asbestos materials that are badly damaged or deteriorating can release fibres and should be examined by professionals to decide if they need to be removed.

Things You Can Do To Help

If you suspect that there is damaged asbestos material in your home please contact the Housing Repairs Service.
We may arrange for a sample of suspected material to be taken for analysis and will give you advice on what action,if any, you need take.

If you are planning DIY or maintenance work which could involve disturbing materials that may contain asbestos, please contact the Housing Office.

You should not drill, cut, or disturb any material you suspect may contain asbestos.

You should not scrape or sand any material you suspect contains asbestos.

Bogus Callers

All of our workers, contractors, and Council officials carry identity cards which they will always show to any resident before entering their homes. Cards have a telephone number to contact the District Council so residents can confirm the employee is genuine.

Utility companies and other organisations also operate similar identity card or password systems.

If you have any doubt about the identity of anyone calling at you home, then call the Housing Office or your local police.

Gas Safety

The Council, as landlord, need to ensure that tenants are living in a safe property, especially for homes with gas central heating and other gas appliances.We are legally required to carry a yearly service of all the gas appliances in your property.

This service must be carried out to make sure that your appliances are working safely.

If an appliance is not working properly it can give out carbon monoxide fumes, which you will not be able to notice as they are odourless and colourless.If you are exposed to carbon monoxide for a long period of time, it can cause serious injury, or even death.

What To Do if Gas Appliances are Not Working Properly.

You should turn them off immediately and open doors and windows for ventilation.

Then you should contact the Housing Repairs Service and let them know what is happening.

If you can smell gas, or think you have a gas leak, then first you should ring the National Grid free of charge on 0800 111999.

Service Appointments

A letter will be sent to you from our gas service contractor with a proposed appointment date and a free-phone number to contact them to confirm or change the date. This will happen approximately ten days before the proposed appointment. If our service contractors fail to gain access, a calling card will be left with another proposed date.

Because the check is a legal requirement, and because carbon monoxide poisoning is deadly, we always take tenants to court if they do not allow us access to carry out the service.

During the Servicing

The annual gas servicing to your appliances will be carried out in accordance with manufacturers instructions, The engineer needs to be aware of all gas appliances in the property.

A visual check of any gas cooking appliance that is owned by you has to be carried out by law. If the contractor finds a problem with your cooker, or any other gas appliance you own, they have a legal obligation to disconnect that appliance for your own safety. Whilst we appreciate this could be extremely inconvenient for you, there is nothing we can do about this. You also need to know that the Council is not responsible for any repairs to gas appliances you own that may have had to be disconnected.

The engineer will leave you with a copy of the gas safety certificate to keep for future reference.