Asbestos Survey at Camborne Community Church

Camborne Community Church is an independent, evangelical church based in Camborne, Cornwall. They have a warm, welcoming, friendly congregation. People of all ages and all backgrounds attend and learn about the Lord Jesus. They continue to see new people join and are in a period of growth as a church.

The church has existed in Camborne for over 100 years. Since the beginning, two things have been central to their ethos:

1. The preaching of the Gospel (Good News).
2. Meeting the needs of the local community.

The church runs weekly services on Sundays and a wide range of groups. Two parent and toddler groups provide indoor and outdoor play opportunities for babies and toddlers. They are also a great place for parents to meet and chat over coffee and cake. Youth groups provide safe, sociable environments for children ranging from five years in age through to sixteen. They are a great place to meet up and hang out, and also provide a meal. Other groups include the Bible Hub and a craft club.

Asbestos Management Survey

Those responsible for the maintenance or repair of non-domestic premises, including a church, have a statutory duty to manage the risk from any asbestos that might be present. This duty is set out in the Control of Asbestos Regulations (CAR) 2012: Regulation 4 - Duty to manage asbestos in non-domestic premises. To ensure their compliance with these regulations, Camborne Community Church appointed Scientific Services to undertake an asbestos management survey.

This survey type is fairly non-intrusive. Our surveyor examined everything that could be seen and did not need removing for examination. The survey completed will enable the church to create an asbestos management plan. It will safeguard the users of the church whilst they complete their normal activities.

The survey report that Scientific Services produced includes an asbestos register. This details the location of all identified asbestos containing materials (ACMs). It also confirms the product type, the asbestos type, the condition and the quantity. A material risk score is included within this register, along with recommendations. Our surveyors’ recommendations will inform the church’s next steps in effective asbestos management.

Scientific Services attended site at a time and date that was convenient. This kept disruption to the church’s services to a minimum. It enabled the facility to be used by the congregation when needed.

Further Advice

After Scientific Services issued the survey report, the church needed some further advice. Our Deputy Technical Manager talked through the findings. He provided advice and signposted the duty holder to useful reference material, which is available on the HSE website. He also agreed to drop asbestos warning labels to the church. Our mobile laboratories operate throughout Cornwall. A passing asbestos analyst was able to accommodate this request quickly. This enabled the church to begin to implement the survey’s recommendations.

Customer Portal and On-going Support

Our portal securely stores the church’s asbestos survey report and associated documentation. It will provide access to these documents at all times. Going forward, Scientific Services will schedule any required re-inspection surveys and ensure that asbestos reports remain up to date. This on-going support will enable the church to focus on delivering their valuable services to the community of Camborne.

“Scientific Services have provided the church with a friendly, professional asbestos surveying service. Their post survey advice and support has been most useful, and helped us to put in place effective asbestos management strategies.” Simon Barton, Chair of Trustees, Camborne Community Church.