BHS Lewisham

Clifford Devlin won a competitive tender to strip-out a vacant retail outlet in South East London back to shell.

The works involved removal, under fully controlled conditions, of asbestos insulating board (AIB) ceiling tiles from a kitchen and storeroom at the vacant former British Home Stores (BHS) retail unit at Lewisham Shopping Centre.

The enabling works for Landsec included extensive asbestos removal at the site which started in mid-March, with the refurbishment of the retail unit expected to be completed in early August.

The works were observed by the Fibres and Minerals Team of the HSE's Health & Safety Laboratory (HSL) as part of a research project to assess the effectiveness of control measures used for licensed asbestos remediation.

Two scientists monitored the entire process from set-up of the enclosures to the removal process, environmental clean-up and four stage clearance. They performed air and swab testing throughout to analyse the efficacy of the removal process from a health and safety perspective. This project aimed to assess whether current practices within the industry are sufficient to reduce the risk of exposure to asbestos to as low as reasonably practicable. The information we gathered from this and nine other sites were used to update HSE guidance for the asbestos industry.

Testimonial:

As a member of the HSE's Asbestos Liaison Group (ALG), we were keen to volunteer asbestos works managed by Landsec for observation by the HSL. Clifford Devlin's diligence and efficiency contributed to a successful inspection.
David Tucker, HSS Business Partner, Landsec