Potteries Museum & Art Gallery

Start Date :

May 2021

End Date :

August 2021

Site :

Potteries Museum and Art Gallery, Hanley, Stoke on Trent

Sector :

Commercial & retail

Survey Type :

Refurbishment

Purpose of Survey :

Fire and life safety compliance.

Case Study

Built between 1950 and 1979, the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery required varying degrees of regulatory compliance upgrade works – such as smoke and fire alarms and firebreak installations.

In May 2021, our experienced team carried out a comprehensive refurbishment survey – so the council could then procure the required removal of any asbestos. Following the removal, we were also appointed as the independent UKAS accredited analytical laboratory to verify the standard of clearance.

This case study discusses the project complexities and how we navigated them.

19 P-32763 s11 013 Panels forming the beam cladding within the ceiling void

The Client

As a public sector building, it was paramount that the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery adhered to the latest regulatory compliance in fire and general life safety. To do this, Stoke-on-Trent City Council needed to tackle asbestos compliance work – and therefore closed the museum to the public during the project.

The brief : complete refurbishment asbestos survey

The brief was to complete a refurbishment asbestos survey to the ceiling voids of the whole site.

Locate and describe

As far as reasonably practical, we had to find all the asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) in the area. This included identifying asbestos installations such as firebreaks, associated debris etc.

Destructive inspection

As necessary, we gained access to all areas of the suspended ceiling voids using a scissor lift.

Asbestos removal specification

Following the survey, we produced an asbestos removal specification which the client used to procure the removal of the asbestos identified in the surveys.

Verify standard of clearance

An independent HSE licensed contractor was appointed to remove the asbestos from the councils framework and our role was to confirm this was completed in accordance to an excellent standard and as in accordance with CAR 2012 regulations. We were appointed as the independent UKAS accredited analytical laboratory to verify the standard of clearance. We issued the clearance certification records once we were satisfied the project was complete.

Challenges we overcame

Council Instructed the removal of asbestos

Once this was removed, WES were appointed as the nominated UKAS body (legal requirement) and undertook and completed all of the certificate for re-occupation process.

Museum artefacts

The client didn’t remove or protect any artefacts and most of the ceilings were 5 metres high. There were priceless items left in situ, some, being the only ‘ones in the world’. Therefore, we had to inform our insurance provider about the project to ensure our level of cover was adequate.

Liability complications

We had to highlight on drawings the position and extents of the asbestos to allow for asbestos removal enclosure design planning.

Access issues

Some areas were difficult to access due to the presence of artefacts and difficult to remove suspended ceiling grids.

The results

After we completed the survey and issued the clearance certification, the museum could complete their refurbishment work – and reopen to the public.

Meet legal requirements of refurbishment

When refurbishing older buildings, you must ensure asbestos identification and removal is carried out in accordance with ‘Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012’.

Westland Environmental Safety has worked with various public-sector clients to ensure the comprehensive identification of asbestos risks – so that contractors can be appointed to follow a clear asbestos removal specification.

Not only do we ensure all asbestos removal is strictly conducted in accordance with CAR 2012 and supported HSE guidance documents, but we ensure that we complete projects within our clients’ timescales and other demands.

For more information on our asbestos consultancy and management services, contact us on: info@westlandes.co.uk or call us 01782 624642 to discuss your specific requirements in more detail.