Duration: March 2019 to August 2019
Type of Work: Removal of various licensed asbestos products throughout vacated areas of the factory.
Lady Haig’s Poppy Factory (LHPF) in Edinburgh employs disabled ex-Service personnel who manufacture all items for the Scottish Poppy Appeal and make all communally bespoke remembrance wreaths throughout the year. Founded by Lady Haig, wife of the famous Field Marshal, in 1926, the first poppies were made by two ex-Servicemen and a pair of scissors. The original Lady Haig Poppy Factory opened in March 1926 employing service men who had been injured and/or disabled during World War 1. The factory moved to its current location in 1965 and today, around 40 ex-Servicemen, with conflict experience ranging from Korea to the first Gulf War, continue to make poppies for the whole of Scotland.
As part of a major renovation of the factory there was a requirement to carry out some enabling works, primarily, the removal and disposal of asbestos containing materials from various locations, prior to commencement of the refurbishment works.
Enviraz submitted our tender on 25th January 2019 and were appointed as Principal Contractor for the Asbestos Removal and Associated M&E Works on 8th February 2019.
The works constituted the removal and disposal of asbestos sprayed coatings and over spray from ceilings and beams, AIB panels, associated debris from surfaces and various non-licensed asbestos products. The most technical aspect of the contract was in relation to the removal of asbestos sprayed coating, which required to be subject to wet injection prior to removal, to ensure asbestos fibre release is minimised and ensures safe working levels are maintained for our employees.
LHPF appointed Hardies Property & Construction Consultants as the Employers Agent and Principal Designer for the Project, working alongside Lee Boyd Architects, from Edinburgh. Hardies initiated a competitive tender process, from which Enviraz were appointed as principal contractor to undertake the removal of asbestos containing materials (ACM's).
Working in partnership with LHPF and Hardies, Enviraz assisted in developing a programme for dealing with the removal of the Asbestos Containing Materials.
Enviraz assumed the role of Principal Contractor, taking full control of the site in March 2019, establishing security, site welfare facilities, exclusions zones and emergency plans. This process required liaison with the client and their agents to ensure access/egress and waste transfer routes were established without negatively impacting on the continued operations of the factory and offices.
Our 24/7 delivery model enabled us to meet our client’s strict schedule while our quality, environmental and safety management systems ensured works were carried out to the highest standard, resulting in client satisfaction.
LHPF is a high-profile client with a reputation for quality therefore works had to be conducted with the utmost sensitivity and without causing disruption to staff, visitors or other stakeholders at the Warriston Road facility.
The factory at Warriston Road operates as office headquarters for Poppy Scotland and some areas of the building were required to remain open during the works. This would require to be reflected within the works programme and the working hours on site. The majority of the work to be undertaken was situated within the section of the facility, which was vacant however, some sections of the work required particular sequencing to ensure that pieces of equipment, services and controls in specific areas were rendered inaccessible for the minimum period possible.
All works took place while the factory was 100% operational. Enviraz utilised a mixture of discretion and extensive project management to ensure that our works were undertaken with minimal knowledge of any asbestos removal taking place.
Throughout this project, Enviraz were aware of the sensitive environment we were operating within and made relevant changes to our working methods and practices to ensure minimum disruption and inconvenience to staff and visitors.
The Enviraz Service Delivery model places Client Satisfaction at its core and the buy in across our organisation enables us to regularly surpass our client’s expectations while our quality, environmental and safety management systems ensured works were carried out to the highest standard. By continually exceeding customers’ expectations Enviraz can maintain its market leading position as Scotland’s largest, independently owned licensed asbestos removal specialist.
By utilising the appropriate resources and establishing positive working relationships with all stakeholders, Enviraz completed the project within budget and in line with the client's programme.
Enviraz spare no expense in ensuring our operatives are provided with premium plant, equipment and consumables. This ensures we are always at the cutting edge of new technology and innovation in the asbestos removal industry. We regularly take part in regional meetings with our trade association, ARCA, to discuss forthcoming legislation and industry “best practice”. This enables us to implement new techniques and technologies before their introduction via legislation and ensures we are always on the frontline for innovation.
Enviraz strive to ensure our operatives are provided with premium plant, equipment and consumables, and this project was no exception as we utilised the latest Asbestostrip Safestrip (Red Box) wet injection technology to successfully remove the asbestos sprayed coatings.
The utilisation of the Red Box system is an innovative way to safely and comprehensively remove asbestos sprayed coating as it penetrates, and thoroughly saturates asbestos materials, ensuring removal can take place with minimal fibre release and ensuring a safe working environment for our operatives.
All site operatives are trained in the use of Red Box wet injection equipment and participated in familiarisation toolbox talk training conducted by our site supervisor, highlighting both, safety protocols and troubleshooting exercises to ensure competence.
During the 1st phase of the removal works it became apparent that the asbestos containing sprayed coatings were adhered directly to the underside of the existing 1st floor and not just the underside of the false ceiling as originally envisaged within the pre-construction information.
Acting swiftly Enviraz provided the client, via its agent, with a selection of methods for dealing with this issue to allow an informed decision to be made. It was decided the most effective method would be to undertake a fine clean the underside of the 1st floor and associated structural timbers on completion of the removal of the asbestos sprayed coatings. Upon completion of the fine clean, to further ensure safety, all joints and gaps were filled and encapsulated with ET-150 encapsulation paint.
This additional work added 2nr weeks to the original 12nr week programme which was acceptable to the client as the additional time spent on the enabling works had no adverse effect on the overall refurbishment programme.
Enviraz Contracts Manager, Robert Whitehill was responsible for the successful delivery of the project. Robert has over 10 years’ experience within the asbestos industry, at operational and managerial levels and is a key member of Enviraz Operations Team. Robert had overall responsibility for delivering the project on behalf of Enviraz and day to day tasks included management of the site staff, resource management, coordination with tradespeople and client liaison. Throughout the contract our Quantity Surveyor, John Kennedy, Health & Safety Officer, Jonathan Green, Compliance Officer, Tony Donnelly, and back office support team were available to provide additional support to all areas of the contract.
Our Senior Supervisor, Alan Hay, was our designated site contact for the works responsible for the day to day running and coordination of site activities including overseeing of works within the Asbestos enclosure and ensured operatives conducted operations methodically and safely.
All on-site operatives held the relevant certifications including Asbestos removal training (relative to their position within the company), PASMA, IPAF, Red Box Wet Injection Systems, Falcon Quill Operators Training and CSCS.