Asbestos

* Please Note *

The Asbestos Team are moving offices week commencing 10th March.

Our new address from 10th March is as follows:

Asbestos Team
Somerset Scientific Services
Community Protection Department
Chelston
Wellington
TA21 9HP

Tel: 01823 666548


The Asbestos Team provides a comprehensive service covering the following areas:

The County Council has its own laboratory that is accredited by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) and is subjected to annual inspections. We participate in external proficiency testing schemes including the Regulatory Inter - Laboratory Comparison Exercise (RICE), an Asbestos Fibre Counting proficiency-testing scheme, and the Asbestos In Materials Scheme (AIMS) which is an inter-laboratory comparison exercise. The analysis of samples is carried out by a team of fully trained analysts and we are supported by a dedicated analytical quality control section. The County Council has been serving a variety of major clients, including Local Authorities and Private Companies since the late 1970’s.

Our Aim:

Asbestos is of particular concern due to the well-documented health problems associated with exposure to it. Our aim is to give advice, educate and provide scientific monitoring to ensure the protection of Somerset County Council employees and the public from exposure to asbestos. The majority of samples taken are by members of the asbestos team during survey work, although samples are received from many public and private sources. Because of the widespread use of asbestos in all types of buildings, the service we offer in this area of work is important to a wide cross section of the community, e.g. employers (especially safety officers), employees, safety representatives, builders, plumbers, decorators, architects, surveyors, and householders, as well as specialist asbestos removal companies.