Page 27 - Paragon Housing Association - H&S Handbook

8 Asbestos
Information on Asbestos
Asbestos has a reputation as a dangerous substance. It can have health consequences – but only if it is disturbed.
When materials that contain asbestos are disturbed or damaged, fibres are released into the air.
When these fibres are inhaled, they can cause serious diseases. These diseases will not affect you immediately; they often take a long time to develop, but it is often too late to do anything once diagnosed. This is why it is important that you protect yourself now.
For that reason, you should never undertake work on your property if you think asbestos might be present.
If you suspect asbestos in your house, the best thing to do is not disturb it. Call the Association and we will check it out for you.
Paragon has a rolling programme of sample surveys carried out of all buildings constructed before the year 2000, to check for the presence of asbestos. If we find any, this is put down on a register so we know where any asbestos might be.
Before we let any properties, we do a sample check for asbestos fibres in any artex that may be in the property. Most of the time, there is no content detected, but if we find it, we’ll deal with it before reletting the property.
If we need to remove asbestos from any property it will only ever be carried out by properly qualified contractors and a risk assessment will have been carried out.
It is important that you do not dump any materials you think have asbestos content. If in doubt, contact us for advice.
Loft hatches in communal areas are padlocked and secured to avoid dumping in them and to preserve fire protection. If you suspect anyone is dumping in a loft space from their own flat or via the common hatch, please report this to us.
It could be dangerous. If you spot a broken padlock on a hatch, let us know as soon as possible.
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