Gareth A Posted September 11, 2006 Share Posted September 11, 2006 As of 1st September the Wyvern Theatre in Swindon was shut due to asbestos being found in the auditorium roof. Not in unaccessable places but where the catwalks are and rigging points, lighting points etc. I have since found out that the local council think that it may be the worst possible type and have now shut down the auditorium, foyer and restaurant which may be up to six months. From tomorrow it will be decided if they are to shut the whole building. I am just letting everyone know in case anyone else has been up in their voids etc. The council I believe are setting up a helpline for all persons that could have been affected. I will add the number when this becomes available. Like myself many staff have been through the building and left. I myself was there for six years spending far too many hours up there.! And now we find this out. I will as I said add the number in due course for anyone else that may have been exposed This strory can also be found in the Stage newspaper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulears Posted September 11, 2006 Share Posted September 11, 2006 First thing is not to panic. Asbestosis is horrible, but plenty of venues have had this kind of thing happen to them. The councils are quite intense about it. What they will have done is a number of free flow readings in the roof, and in many other places. Now what they are doing is looking for the asbestos fibres in the filter. They treat any as bad, a few really serious and this is when things get bad. The readings may be bad enough to close the venue till the spread is solved- this doesn't mean everybody is going to get asbestosis - and whatever you do don't panic. If the contamination is severe enough that health is likely to be affected, then council will insitigate the necessary procedures. A theatre near me, owned by the company I do lots of work for (and formerly leased by Jim Davidson) had a roof space full of asbestos dust from the safety curtain that rolled up - each time it was used, the turns rubbed and there was white dust all over the roof space area. The theatre had been there for years and plenty of people, me included, have walked through the area. Removing all this cost a fortune and the theatre is now just a pile of girders! The councils now tend to not treat asbestos as a major snag, unless it is disturbed and the fibres waft around the building. So don't panic, unless the council have suggested you seek treatment. The mention of the helpline sounds bad - but if their tests showed a dangerous level, they would have shut the place down immediately - so this could just be a case of over cautiousness until they've taken advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete McCrea Posted September 12, 2006 Share Posted September 12, 2006 Asbestos is ok. Until it's disturbed and the fibres released into the atmosphere. So chances are what you all thought was plasterboard was in fact asbestos sheet. If you leave it in place at don't raise the dust then the issue shouldn't be too bad. However if there was quantities of dust that were raised everytime you went into the catwalks, then I'd be concerned. IIRC the way in which asbestos in buildings is handled has changed in the last few years, from a very lax attitude to risk assesment and management of it. So previously people might not have known it was there and to be honest that was ok as it wasn't disturbed. Now I believe the building owner has the onus on them to survey for asbestos, then if it's found take appropriate measures. In many cases this is simply slapping a sticker on it to make it obvious that it's asbestos then making sure it's not shedding fibres. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulears Posted September 12, 2006 Share Posted September 12, 2006 The sticker system seems to work well. All panels are identified and marked. It does mean a few snags, maintainance wise - we have some emergency lights attached to some asbestos panels, but if they need replacing or removing then appropriate measures have to be taken. In Norfolk, asbestos has to be bagged, labelled and taken to designated sites. In suffolk it goes into landfill with the other rubish,you can do it yourself, subject to a few rules. Norfolk is far more expensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest lightnix Posted September 12, 2006 Share Posted September 12, 2006 FWIW, white asbestos is actually quite safe - it's the blue and brown varieties where a single fibre can cause asbestosis. However, white asbestos is included with blue and brown in the regulations, so has to be disposed of in the same way. OT - Tiger Eye (the semi-precious stone) is actually a form of asbestos :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suzette Posted September 12, 2006 Share Posted September 12, 2006 The theatre website has more information - part of the statement is below. They have issued a telephone number for anyone who is concerned about their health due to working at the theatre. Nearly all of the asbestos found at the Wyvern is contained within the roof space, although very low amounts have also been found within the auditorium itself. Extensive air testing within the auditorium has shown that the asbestos levels are well within the acceptable range set by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Members of the public who have visited the Wyvern can therefore be reassured that they have not been at risk during their time in the building. Air tests within the roof space and other non-public areas have also shown airborne asbestos levels to be within the acceptable range set by the HSE.Expert advice to the Council is that the risk of any theatre or Council staff who have been in the roof void contracting an asbestos-related illness is very low. However, given that these areas are where most of the asbestos have been found, we fully understand any concerns that people may have and all are being given appropriate help and advice about their level of exposure to asbestos and its potential effects. Some members of the public connected with amateur productions at the theatre, and outside contractors, have also been inside the roof space. Initial advice is available to anyone with concerns about this on 01793 463000. The full statement can be found here - Wyvern Theatre Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Lewis Posted September 12, 2006 Share Posted September 12, 2006 In suffolk it goes into landfill with the other rubish,you can do it yourself, subject to a few rules. are you referring to asbestos cement panels, or any form of asbestos? If its the latter, I'm sure I've got a few tons of amosite that's saturated with anthrax, various mutagens and a radioactive carcinogen that I could dump for free in Suffolk ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob_Beech Posted September 12, 2006 Share Posted September 12, 2006 If its the latter, I'm sure I've got a few tons of amosite that's saturated with anthrax, various mutagens and a radioactive carcinogen that I could dump for free in Suffolk ;-) <<insert comment here>> around this area it has to be bagged and taken to specific places as with Norfolk. Although for larger amounts there are of course certain other limitations. This often leads to a firm coming in and doing the work at a very high cost.But, if it has to be done.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulears Posted September 12, 2006 Share Posted September 12, 2006 I'm talking about sheet stuff - as for anthrax....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruce Posted September 12, 2006 Share Posted September 12, 2006 The sheet stuff is generally asbestos cement. My garage roof is made of that. In general, it's one of the less hazardous forms, as long as it's not broken up. I plan to dispose of mine soon; the professional advice I have received is to cut the bolts rather than try to remove them or break the sheet, to dampen the sheets down before starting work, to double-wrap in yellow polythene, and dispose off (free, cos it's domestic) at council "specialist tip", not the local one. However, if I follow the letter of the law, I am not allowed to take it to that tip unless I am a registered waste carrier... Bluffer's guide to asbestos: If you want to give the impression that you know what you are talking about, drop the word "friable" into conversation. The more "friable" that the asbestos is, the greater the hazard. "Friable" is the technical term for "crumbly". The "sticker system" is all very well, but (a bit like PAT testing) the absence of a sticker is fairly meaningless. Does it mean "this panel is safe to drill?" or "this sticker has fallen off?" At work, we have an "asbestos register". It cost a huge amount of money to generate, involving full surveys of almost 100 buildings. The printed version runs to 7 volumes, each about 3 inches thick, and a copy is available at the security office 24x7, for reference by contractors or the fire brigade. The electronic version, which most "routine users" use, contains autocad drawings, photos, and details/lab reports of all areas that either contain asbestos, or which "may contain asbestos". All contractors working on site are advised of this, and offered a CD copy. No building or maintenance works are allowed to start unless the register has been checked. In some cases, this is a formality - there are whole buildings where there is no asbestos - but in other cases, there's enough of the stuff to make even the simplest cable installation a nightmare. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew C Posted September 12, 2006 Share Posted September 12, 2006 The Asbestos Watchdog site is worth a read prior to spending huge amounts of cash dealing with a problem that may need no action. In some cases of course, action is needed, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ynot Posted September 12, 2006 Share Posted September 12, 2006 As of 1st September the Wyvern Theatre in Swindon was shut due to asbestos being foundYou have my profound sympathies.3 years ago, whilst putting the finishing touches to our theatre rewire, we had a council inspection - they were doing a borough-wide check on all council owned facilities (they own the building shell, we maintain and run the place as a theatre).They found both white and blue asbestos in several places, but mostly around the control room and dimmer/power areas. However, because we'd had a query about 6 months prior when we had the new mains feed installed, the council building services man visited and took away a sample - said it MIGHT have been asbestos sheet, but he didn't think so - was most likely an asbestos substitute. No word back from him in 6 months, so we'd took that as a 'safe to ignore'.So when, as part of the rewire job we decided to cut a new window for the LX desk and open up a follow spot port, when we thought we were cutting into safe material, we were actually cutting asbestos sheeting!! Anyway, LONG story shortened, it took us six months of closure to get back on track, during which time the council contractors ripped out the double-skinned wall right across the control room, the ceiling there, walls & ceiling in the power room and various other panels. THEN they dumped the nearly new Strand 300, 5 dimmer racks, (incl 2 new ETC Smart Packs) 2 sound desks, all amps and most sound gear, 2 follow spots and LOADS of other tech gear!!! :( We eventually replaced most of what went into the ground, but for a while it was touch and go whether we'd get through! If you're interested in the saga, go to our web site and take the 'news' and 'history' links. Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm Gordon Posted September 12, 2006 Share Posted September 12, 2006 On a point of information, your website says white and brown asbestos, not blue. Still nasty though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gareth A Posted September 12, 2006 Author Share Posted September 12, 2006 Welll, finally spoke to them today to get an update. They said dont worry! But could be adviseable to contact my doctor.! But she did say she didnt want to alarm me. I believe that most of the Asbestos is actually Cladding around RSJs and the roof space. I did explain that a few years ago we were told to remove some of this. So was this at safe levels then! Scaringly they couldnt answer. So watch this space, I believe that they have now sealed up the foyer and restaurant as well and as of today they were deciding whether to shut the whole building down now. This obviously isnt on the website but was informed by a friend in their management. Scary to think as well that they missed to searches of the building.! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Lewis Posted September 12, 2006 Share Posted September 12, 2006 Gareth, Sorry to hear this tale of woe - and my apologies if my comments above appear flippant. I spent many years working in an environmental impact consultancy, where this was our bread and butter work. Consequently, we got very blase about such things. Paulears - I was pulling your leg about the mutagens ... ;-) Simon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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