Inspection 3

Question 1

West Denton: What information did you collate in your desktop study?

Answer 1

• Building information (age, type etc)
• Likelihood of deleterious materials
• If the buildings had extensive MandE for a specialist inspection.

Question 2

West Denton: What defects did you encounter?

Answer 2

• Damp thermal insulation
• Cut edge corrosion
• Damaged cladding
• Stepped crack to a wall within vicinity of a drain.

Question 3

West Denton: What cost information did you provide?

Answer 3

Main issues such as:

Decoration to steelwork as flaking.
Cut edge corrosion treatment
Window upgrades as they were single glazed.

Question 4

West Denton: Where did you source your cost information?

Answer 4

SPONS

BCIS - Price Book

Question 5

Kingsway House: What is regulation 4 of CAR 2012?

Answer 5

Regulation 4 of CAR requires the duty holder to produce, use and maintain the plan to manage ACMs that are known or might reasonably be suspected to be in their demise.

Question 6

Kingsway House: Do you know any other regulations of CAR?

Answer 6

Reg 5 – Must assume materials are Asbestos if they cannot be proven otherwise and that they aren’t just Chrysotile.

Reg 10 – Training (requirement for annual training)

Reg 15 – Incidents, accidents and emergencies etc.

Question 7

Kingsway House: Where might you find acms?

Answer 7

Coatings
Flues
Plasterwork
Roof felts
Cladding
Floor tiles

Question 8

Kingsway House: What are the types of asbestos? And when were these banned?

Answer 8

Chrysotile – 1999 banned.
Amosite – 1992 banned.
Crocidolite – 1985 banned.

Question 9

Kingsway House: Why would additional asbestos testing be needed?

Answer 9

If further works were carried out in other areas which weren’t tested.

Question 10

Kingsway House: Why did you provide this information to the PD and PC?

Answer 10

One of the requirements of being a duty holder under CDM ‘to provide information’

Question 11

West Denton: How did you know the structural frame was mismatched?

Answer 11

The cross-sectional bracing and part of the frame did not match the other side which was irregular and not standard.

Question 12

West Denton: What are the consequences of a mismatched frame?

Answer 12

May be unsafe, therefore:
economic loss
social loss (i.e. CSR)
physical loss i.e. life.

Question 13

West Denton: What is a built-up cladding?

Answer 13

A built-up cladding is cladding which is built up on site using sheets, rails, liner panels and insulation.

Cheap, more flexibility with cladding finishes, longer to install.

Question 14

West Denton: Why would you choose built up cladding appose to a composite system?

Answer 14

Composite panels are a cost effective and robust solution for cladding a building where speed of installation is paramount to the solution. Easier to obtain functional performance too such as fire, thermal etc. as the manufacturer will supply this appose to built-up where this is either indicative or need to be specifically tested together.

Site assembled built-up cladding system can be used to create a cost-efficient wall finish, and can be varied by the use of differing external profiles, ranging from trapezoidal to sinusoidal or standing seam. Systems are more customisable.

Question 15

West Denton: Why was wool thermal insulation Significant?

Answer 15

Non-combustible unlike some old composite/ sandwich panels utilising the polyethylene insulation which can be combustible.

Question 16

West Denton: What were the consequences of damp wool thermal insulation?

Answer 16

Inefficient building due to poor performing insulation.

Could lead to further failures such as corrosion to steelwork and sheets.

Could lead to defective finishes.

Question 17

West Denton: What was the failure within the building which caused water ingress?

Answer 17

Extensive redundant holes to the cladding.

Question 18

West Denton: What is a steel portal frame?

Answer 18

Simple frame construction, rafters which are supported by columns at either side.

Question 19

West Denton: What foundation would a steel portal frame have?

Answer 19

Pads would be likely due to the increased point loads of the frame.

Question 20

West Denton: Whats the pros and cons of a solid concrete floor?

Answer 20

Floors which bear directly onto the ground.

Pros:
Robust - fit for purpose for industrial use, Cost effective.

Cons: Difficult to repair, Cracks over time, Labour intensive. May not be suitable for sloping sites or ones having a poor topography.

Question 21

West Denton: Whats the pros and cons of a suspended beam and block floor?

Answer 21

Pros: Quick, Good acoustic properties, robust.

Cons: More expensive, Requires a screed to level the floor due to the various beams used which may be at a slightly different height.

Question 22

West Denton: Whats the pros and cons of a suspended timber floor?

Answer 22

Pros: Speed, lightweight, cheap

Cons: Not as strong as others, longer erection time.

Question 23

West Denton: Whats the pros and cons of a suspended floor (generally)?

Answer 23

Floor which is suspended from the walls.

Pros: Speed, reduces contact with ground.
Cons: More expensive.

Question 24

West Denton: Whats the pros and cons of a suspended pre-cast concrete floor?

Answer 24

Pros: Quick and robust.

Cons: Expensive, Crane required which could be extensive or may not always have the access. This is a safety risk in high rise buildings as works get higher.

Question 25

West Denton: Types of thermal insulation and their pros/cons?

Answer 25

Wool - Cheap, non-combustible

Polystyrene - Cheap, quick install, combustible (remember 18m)

Phenolic - Expensive, good thermal qualities, lightweight, non-combustible