health

With Monday 5th June being World Environment Day, the focus will rightly be on how we preserve our planet’s fragile environment.

But never forget that other special mini-environment - the one within our homes.

Improving and managing air quality, both for new-builds and existing dwellings, will be a major priority as the EPC regulations change up to 2030.
 
Advice published by NICE, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, urges authorities to ‘embed a plan for improving indoor air quality in an existing strategy or plan to improve people’s health.’ It adds that ‘the emphasis should be a balanced approach to ventilation, insulation and heating to achieve it.’
 
The BRE Trust, an independent charity dedicated to improving the built environment, goes further. It estimates that poor housing is costing the NHS £1.4billion a year to treat those affected.

So what are the main problems that need to be overcome and the latest high-tech solutions that could help?

Property owners and managers should be aware of their legal duties regarding asbestos management, and the need for locating and assessing the risks from any asbestos-containing materials in a building.

Specifically relating to managing and working with asbestos is the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 (CAR 2012).  Regulation 5, requires employers to identify the presence of asbestos, and its type and condition, before any building, maintenance or other work, liable to disturb asbestos, begins. It also sets out the requirement to arrange an asbestos survey if existing information on the presence of asbestos in the premises is incomplete or appears unreliable.