A dart-board on the back of an asbestos covered door
Richard Cordery writes:
I have spent the bulk of my interim working life trying to make a difference for housing providers with issues big and small. Be it staff, asset, processes, policy, or financial performance, I keep telling myself I’ve seen it all, but time and time again the sector manages to surprise me and take me on a new journey into the unexpected, and often unbelievable
Here is another short memory from my past.
I once had the chance to do some work in the commercial field working as part of a national team of estates surveyors ensuring compliance across a wide range of buildings and structures. I took the role to widen my experience and to take a holiday from my usual social housing fare.
Part of the role was to carry out periodical asbestos re-inspections following expert recommendations to retain and monitor; this meant visiting a number of National Property Treasures around the country and carrying out visual inspections capturing condition in the form of report and photos, and recommending the next periodical visit date. All fairly simple stuff but for a building geek like me the chance – no better, the excuse – to look about some of the most well-known structures in our capital city, sort of “Open House Weekend” but every day.
Anyway, one day I was looking at lagging above a historic ceiling to ensure that it remained in an acceptable condition, when I was offered a cup of coffee by one kind member of the office staff. Having finished my inspection, I went to find my drink in the breakout area and discovered a couple of guys playing a game of darts. All very nice and relaxed, the only problem being they had fixed the dart-board to the asbestos panel attached to the heating cupboard door. I suggested that their place of fixing was far from appropriate, only to be told that they were fine as nobody missed the dart-board. This was clearly a lie from the evident pinprick holes around the edge of the dart-board. I’ll finish by saying that the dart board was removed to another place and the door swiftly fitted with a lock, and provision of early day air testing showed no issues to be present at that time. This little episode for me highlights why we should always be aware of the chance actions of others causing us unforeseen issues, and it demonstrates the importance of a regular and well-planned reinspection programme.
Today, Cordery Castle has developed a compliance system which captures reports and re-inspections including photo and video, allows monitoring against dates and provides performance data at the touch of a button for Asbestos and any compliance issue. Now that is the type of bullseye I like to see!
Please contact me to discuss the Castle Management System (CMS) or if you feel we can be of assistance with any housing matter.