Porthtowan Surf Life-Saving Club - Asbestos

Porthtowan Surf Life-Saving Club (Porthtowan SLSC) is based on the north coast of Cornwall. The Club was founded in 1955 and is the third oldest surf club in Britain. Active throughout the year, it operates beach activities throughout the summer months and pool side training in the winter.

The Club currently has more than 100 members. They range from Nippers as young as seven through to veterans in the seventies. Regardless of their age, all members enjoy a relaxed, family atmosphere. There is plenty of of camaraderie to be enjoyed by all. Members are encouraged to take part in fundraising and community activities, along with the occasional competition.

The Club’s main aim is ‘to save life’ – either through prevention or rescue from the sea. Their training and advice in beach activities, actively promotes water safety. Many of the Club’s members go on to become professional lifeguards. Over the years a number of these have been awarded for their bravery.

The Club is affiliated to the Cornish Region and the Surf Life Saving Association of Great Britain. Their surf boat crews were also founding members of the U.K. Surf Rowing League.

Scientific Services assists with the Club’s management of asbestos and Legionella.

Managing asbestos at the club

Management Survey

The Club’s headquarters can be found on the western side of the beach. A non-domestic property built before 2000, it needed an asbestos survey. It is a busy place, so Scientific Services attended site at an agreed, convenient time when disruption to the club’s activities would be minimal. We have a team of dual trained surveyors and consultants throughout Cornwall and Devon. This enables us to book urgently required surveys and to offer a range of potential appointment slots.

There were no planned refurbishment works, so a management survey met their needs. Our thorough UKAS accredited survey, assessed both the internal and external areas. Whilst on site our surveyors labelled any asbestos identified. This practice informs and protects.

We transported the samples collected during the survey to our UKAS accredited asbestos testing laboratory. Our ability to test the samples in-house, enabled the results to be available on the day of the survey. The Club were compliant and informed within a couple of days of contacting our team.

Our survey report created a detailed site plan which the Club can use in the future. It also includes an asbestos register. This confirms asbestos locations and summarises clear recommendations for its management.

On-going support

Working with Porthtowan SLSC, our surveyors will re-check the materials as required. We will identify any changes to their condition and re-assess the risk it presents. Together we will ensure the safety of its members.

Customer portal

The Club’s management survey report is available on our customer portal. The committee can rest assured that they can access it whenever needed. Our portal reduces administration duties. This enables the focus to be on training, competitions and fundraising.

“We are not experts in the management of asbestos and Legionella. Having a knowledgeable, responsive company that could take care of both issues for us has been very beneficial. We only had to arrange one site visit for the surveys to be completed. This freed up my time and minimised disruption, whilst providing a more cost effective solution.” Adam Richards, Porthtowan Surf-Life Saving Club.