CASE STUDY Barts Health NHS Trust Following a competitive tender, in October 2013 we were appointed by Barts Health NHS Trust to carry out an extensive R&D asbestos survey of a number of buildings to be demolished and/or renovated at the site of the Central London Hospital. This followed a competitive tendering process involving 5 other UKAS-accredited asbestos consultants. We believe that our innovative value-engineered approach to accessing the external areas contributed to our success. During the tender process we investigated various access options and researched the feasibility of using abseil methods as an alternative to scaffolding the buildings. This, we estimated, would save the Trust more than £50k and reduce the programme by 2-3 weeks. Following our appointment a pre- start meeting was attended by our Project Manager and representatives of the Hospital’s facilities and properties teams. Discussions centred on the need to maintain infection control, areas which needed to remain operational, out-of-hours working and the use of building operatives from Skanska Facilities Services to provide specialist ‘opening-up’ of concealed or remote areas. We prepared a series of detailed programmes of work which highlighted out of hours works to enable the client to arrange access in advance and synchronise the attendance of Skanska Facilities Services. The two buildings, Residential Staff Quarters (RSQ) and the Outpatients Dept were surveyed sequentially. Our proposed 5-person team consisted of a Project Manager, one lead-surveyor, an assistant surveyor (both P402 accredited), a skilled labour operative (for opening-up works and re- instatement) and an independent air analyst. We were unable to find an abseiling company that employed P402-trained asbestos surveyors so we decided to train one of our team to carry out the external works. This involved enrolling him on a 5-day training course to become accredited to IRATA Novice Level (Level One) for rope access. GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL KEY FACTS Client: Barts Health NHS Trust Location: St Bartholomew’s Hospital, London EC1 Value: £58k Duration: 3 months Completed: December 2014
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CASE STUDY
Barts Health NHS Trust
Following a competitivetender, in October 2013 wewere appointed by BartsHealth NHS Trust to carry outan extensive R&D asbestossurvey of a number of buildingsto be demolished and/orrenovated at the site of theCentral London Hospital.
This followed a competitivetendering process involving 5other UKAS-accredited asbestosconsultants.
We believe that our innovativevalue-engineered approach toaccessing the external areascontributed to our success. Duringthe tender process we investigatedvarious access options andresearched the feasibility of usingabseil methods as an alternative toscaffolding the buildings. This, weestimated, would save the Trustmore than £50k and reduce theprogramme by 2-3 weeks.
Following our appointment a pre-start meeting was attended by ourProject Manager andrepresentatives of the Hospital’sfacilities and properties teams.Discussions centred on the needto maintain infection control, areaswhich needed to remainoperational, out-of-hours workingand the use of building operativesfrom Skanska Facilities Services toprovide specialist ‘opening-up’ ofconcealed or remote areas.
We prepared a series of detailedprogrammes of work whichhighlighted out of hours works toenable the client to arrange accessin advance and synchronise theattendance of Skanska FacilitiesServices.
The two buildings, Residential StaffQuarters (RSQ) and theOutpatients Dept were surveyedsequentially.
Our proposed 5-person teamconsisted of a Project Manager,one lead-surveyor, an assistantsurveyor (both P402 accredited), askilled labour operative (foropening-up works and re-instatement) and an independentair analyst.
We were unable to find anabseiling company that employedP402-trained asbestos surveyorsso we decided to train one of ourteam to carry out the externalworks. This involved enrolling himon a 5-day training course tobecome accredited to IRATANovice Level (Level One) for ropeaccess.
GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL
KEY FACTS
Client:Barts Health NHS Trust
Location:St Bartholomew’s Hospital,London EC1
Value:£58k
Duration:3 months
Completed:December 2014
The works commenced inDecember 2012 with areassurveyed in a logical sequenceaccording to the programme ofworks. Large areas of the buildingsneeded to remain occupiedthroughout so a majority of thework was undertaken “out ofhours” i.e. between 8pm and 4am.
A formal handover process wasused in which areas were signed-over to Global Environmental forsurveying and signed-back to theHospitals Facilities Team.
Reassurance air testing wascarried out throughout thesurveying programme. Works werecarried out with full protection andon a few occasions small
enclosures were erected toconduct the intrusive work inisolation. A mobile high-levelaccess platform was used toaccess ceilings etc.
The external elevations of thebuilding were surveyed over thecourse of two 2-day shifts usingabseiling techniques. The abseilingrig was set-up and supervised byan IRARTA-accredited contractor,Industrial Access Limited.
Our Project Manager was a semi-permanent presence on-site andliaised continuously with theHospital’s Facilities Manager, SteveEames. Informal communicationwas supported by monthlymeetings which were attended by
THE PROJECT IN NUMBERS
498 - Areas inspected
490 - Target areas inspected
98.7 - % Target areascompleted
853 - Samples taken
196 - Positive Samples
20.5 - % Positive Samples
the Hospital’s Building Managerand the entire professional teami.e. surveyor, CDM coordinator,H&S etc.
We prepared Status Reports tofacilitate these progress meetings.
Over 850 samples were takenduring the 3-month programmewhich was completed on-programme and on-budget.
In the spirit of the project, weoffered to provide them with a halfday training in asbestosawareness. They took us up onthe offer and the seminar wasdelivered by our Quality ManagerRichard Gravenor in Feb 2013.
We estimate that our value-engineered approach to accessthe external areas i.e. abseilingsaved the trust over £50,000 incosts of scaffolding the buildings. Asummary document, providing abrief commentary on ourmethodology, keys statistics andan inventory of areas for “urgentattention” was prepared andcirculated to all team members atthe project de-brief meeting.
THE PROJECT TEAM
Project Surveyors:Castons
CDM Coordinator:Flood Partnership
Asbestos Removal Contractor:Fleet Insulation
Principal Contractor:Skanska
Bulk sample analysis:LAB / Scopes
Analytical Consultant:AirTec
Licensed waste operator:Clifford Devlin
Following the works we wereretained by the Trust to provideconsultancy during the tender anddelivery of the removal phase. Wewere tasked with providingassistance to the Trust in selectinga licenced contractor to carry outthe remediation. We supplied
consultancy on the specificationsfor the ITT.
We were also retained to providean additional level of qualityassurance during the removalworks. Our surveyors carried outadditional investigations of areasthat could not be accessed during
the initial works i.e. areas thatrequired structural opening-upworks to access.
We were also required to carry outaudits of each area followingcompletion of the removal works.This entailed a visual inspection tocheck that all ACMs identified inthe surveys had been removed,involved additional sampling andanalysis to ensure that the buildingwas free of all asbestos materialwhich was documented in a close-out report for the Trust.
Barts Trust worked closely with Global Environmental toundertake an intrusive asbestos survey in a fully occupiedOutpatient building. Their understanding of the issuesinvolved in operating in clinical environments together withtheir organisation of out-of-hours working, reassurance airtesting, re-instatement and liaison with the clinical andoperational interfaces all contributed to a well planned andexecuted project.
Martin Lee, Project Director, Barts Health NHS Trust
