Revolutionary method is used to remove asbestos

A team from ASR Ltd used innovative gel packs while working in a derelict shed at a property along Route de la Palloterie in St Peter’s.

The packs are made by French company EasyGel Protect BTP. ASR was given approval to trial them by the UK Health & Safety Executive.

Asbestos experts from the UK were also present at the property to carry out an audit of the work.

The gel packs were fixed on to clad pipes containing asbestos, before both the packs and pipes were slowly cut into with a blade by ASR staff who were covered head-to-toe in protective clothing.

The gel merged over the blade, creating a physical barrier between the asbestos dust and those carrying out the work.

The contaminated pipes were then securely disposed of in a specially-designed skip before being sent to landfill.

The work was completed in a few hours.

ASR managing director Paul Knight said the company was just the second in the British Isles to have used the packs. The technology is already used extensively in Europe.

‘UK asbestos standards and regulations are higher than those in Guernsey, so we are delighted to be able to have figures from the UK here today in order to view for themselves the high standards we hold ourselves to,’ said Mr Knight.

He was keen to use public interest in the project in St Peter’s to highlight the dangers of asbestos which is not dealt with correctly.

‘We get jobs in Alderney, Sark and Jersey, as well as here, and we are going to be applying for a UK licence soon which will make us the first Channel Islands company with such a licence.

‘Asbestos regulations in Guernsey are ancient and not at the UK standard, so we are determined to set the bar high over here in the hope that things change.’

The Faculty of Asbestos Assessment & Management and British Occupational Hygiene Society research project was headed up by Nick Garland of Assure360, who discovered the technique in France and wanted to explore how it could be adapted for use in the UK.

Asbestos & Environmental Safety Association chief executive Graham Warren, one of the experts from the UK who travelled over for the removal, said a host of safety measures had been put in place over the course of a couple of days to enable the trial.

‘The building was secured with protective panels and tape, but there are vision panels which allow those on the outside to observe what is being done inside,’ he said.

‘The protective gear that the guys inside are wearing also has to be disposed of safely, so as you can imagine a lot of thought goes into planning and executing something like this.’

In 2020, the States agreed a compensation scheme for people with diffuse mesothelioma, caused by exposure to asbestos, which was used extensively without safety measures for decades.

The scheme provides a single payment to islanders affected. Claims can be made through the Employment & Social Security Committee.