Keltbray Group; the UK leading specialist contractor, which offers engineering, construction, demolition, decommissioning, remediation, rail, environmental services and reinforced concrete structure solutions, today announced the launch of a unique Asbestos in Soils training course which is the first of its kind in the UK.
It sets out to combine theory and practice in Keltbray’s new training centre at Silvertown in east London, where the company has built a specially designed practical training area that has been modelled on a typical brownfield site. This means delegates can test their newly acquired theoretical skills in practice and carry out mock excavation exercises to assess and monitor for asbestos contaminants in soil.
The course has been designed by Keltbray Remediation; a specialist division of Keltbray Group, which provides remediation solutions for brownfield sites, in partnership with the leading engineering, design, and environmental consultancy, Ramboll.
“The Asbestos in Soils module can be attended as a stand-alone one-day module”.
The Asbestos in Soils training course is targeted at contractors that operate in the areas of earth works, demolition, civils and housebuilding, as well as consultants that undertake intrusive works through site investigation, and Environmental Health Officers from regulators, such as the Environment Agency and local authorities.
The course has been extensively piloted, combining a half day desk-based theory session that covers legislation, decontamination, testing, permitting and best practice handling followed by a half day of practical workshops using role play and ‘real life’ scenarios covering decision making and disposal options which has been well received.
“Dealing with asbestos in soils is an increasing challenge as we start to remediate brownfield sites that pre-date year 2000, when asbestos was widely used in the construction of industrial or residential buildings and refurbishments. The most hazardous forms of asbestos were used in fireproofing, insulation, pipe lagging and corrugated roofing sheets and other exterior cladding materials, and they were often just buried as part of demolition works before asbestos prohibition laws came into force,” explained Keltbray Remediation Managing Director, Joe Jackson.
Every week approximately 20 tradespeople in the UK die from diseases caused by exposure to asbestos fibres. With experts predicting the UK’s annual death rate from asbestos of around 5,000 (Health & Safety Executive Asbestos Danger) is set to soar in the next five years.
“Asbestos is deadly if not handled correctly. As experts in the handling of asbestos-containing materials, we are therefore pleased to launch this training facility to help highlight the dangers of asbestos in soils and provide training to those who are likely to come into contact with these materials, so they know how to handle it,” Joe continued.
ENDS
More information:
Click here for high res images of the practical training area
For more information, please contact Keltbray’s head of communications, Marit Meyer-Bell, on tel. 0786 765 3392 or by email to [email protected]
Keltbray Group
Keltbray Group is the UK’s leading specialist business, which offers engineering, construction, demolition, piling, decommissioning, remediation, rail, reinforced concrete structures and environmental services. The company dates back to 1976, employs more than 1500 people, and is a key player in developing and maintaining Britain’s built environment. Keltbray provides services to meet the needs of diverse and complex projects, and its well qualified people take pride in delivering projects safely and efficiently, on time and to budget, and with care for the environment and our communities. Keltbray has contributed to a range of high profile construction projects including The Shard, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park Stadium, St Pancras International, Crossrail, Earls Court, Battersea Power Station and HS2.
