The UK's first asbestos in soils identification aide in development

CIRIA is producing the first UK interactive aide to assist site workers when managing asbestos contaminated materials on site, helping to widen accessibility to good practice and improve safety on site.

The aide will guide workers through the identification of asbestos process and provide good practice guidance and advice on the steps to take when asbestos is found (expected and unexpectedly), all from a tablet or smart phone.

Dave Cooper, Commercial Director, Lucion Services Ltd said; “Everyone now carries a smart phone and as a practical and handy first stage tool the app will help users to become more aware of asbestos and provide some basic instructions on what to do when they think they have encountered asbestos unexpectedly.”

The project is being led by a team of leading industry experts and asbestos specialists and will address current issues surrounding the lack of accessibility to guidance for site workers. For those interested in helping to drive industry forward there are still opportunities to get involved with the development and delivery of the aide, find out more by visiting www.ciria.org/asbestosaide.

David Lambert, Senior SHE Manager, Kier Group said; “Kier is committed to ensuring the safety of all workers on site. We welcome this aide, which will help us to deliver on this commitment and help us to protect the health of those who work on our projects. It will become a very useful addition to our site toolkits, providing effective support and confidence for users and employers. It is suitable for all site personnel from site investigation teams to groundwork’s contractors.”

Claire Dickinson, Project Steering Group Chair and Director at Geo-Environmental Matters Ltd said; “This project is a great opportunity for industry to come together to work collaboratively to produce a tool which will revolutionise the way site workers identify and manage contaminated soils on site, not only encouraging safe working practice but also helping to support businesses in mitigating negligence and risk.”

The aide complements CIRIA’s existing suite of publications and other activities which promote good practice for managing asbestos from soil. Find out more about CIRIA’s asbestos guidance and activities by visiting, www.ciria.org.