More Bad Weather On The Way – Batten Down The Asbestos Hatches

We’ve had some absolutely dreadful weather in the UK in recent months and it looks likely to continue with more severe weather and flood warnings being posted on a regular basis.  As we reported in a recent blog post, seaside towns were particularly badly affected by high tides and this has led to small businesses all over the UK suffering damaged premises.  This risk is just as likely for business premises in areas that are prone to flooding and weather reports are promising more severe flooding to come in the coming weeks.

The UK is not the only country being affected by severe weather.  The Pilbara and Kimberley regions of Australia have been hit with torrential rain and cyclonic winds in the past week which have brought added danger in its wake – asbestos.  Residents of the areas are being warned of the risks of asbestos exposure when they clean up their homes, properties and businesses that were battered by ex-tropical cyclone Christine.  They are being warned that any structure built before the mid 1980s must be assumed to contain asbestos or ACMs which may have suffered damage during the storms.  This means that those involved in the clean up will need to be aware that asbestos fibres may have been released into the air (especially when the affected materials have dried out again) and that they will need to protect themselves from breathing in these fibres.

Although we can’t stop the weather when it comes there are some things we can do to minimise the risks to property (and so minimise the risk of having to deal with badly damaged asbestos in the aftermath of the coming storms).  If you have business premises that are likely to be in the path of the forecast bad weather, then you’ll want to do all you can to protect the property and avoid as much damage as possible.  Disastrous weather means that any asbestos or asbestos containing materials (ACMs) in the building could deteriorate and present a hazard during the clean up operations.

Sandbagging the properties at risk is one of the most effective ways of preventing premises being flooded.  However, sandbags are probably in pretty short supply in much of the UK at the moment.  If you have business premises at risk of flooding why not take a look at some of the flood defence solutions that are entering the market.  These are effective methods of providing a barrier against the rising waters and many supersede sandbagging methods of flood protection.

There are flood defence products available that are suitable for both homes and businesses, some of which will provide a rapid and simple flood protection that can be deployed by just two people – this is much more convenient than finding enough helpers to form a chain and lift heavy sandbags into place.

With the UK set to undergo increased flooding in coming years, a dedicated flood defence product will be a wise business investment that could protect your premises over and over in the future.