Defining the environmental clean
Wednesday March 10th 2021
The so-called ‘environmental clean’ has long been open to abuse: too often used as a way to cut corners. But now the HSE’s Asbestos Network Technical Working Group is moving to define the term. Nick Garland examines what’s changing.
The rise of the independent auditor
Monday March 8th 2021
Enforcing and evidencing the digital licensing regime demands boots on the ground, but Health and Safety Executive is hamstrung by its budget. The conditions are likely to create a new generation of independent auditors – Nick Garland explains how Assure360 can support them.
DMD Environmental
Tuesday February 23rd 2021
“Being able to have instant, live connectivity is a game-changer for this industry. And anyone… that doesn’t realise that will fast become outdated.”
Discover how we helped DMD Environmental streamline and modernise its procedures, and unlock greater insight from its data.
Enforcement visits – without teeth, can the HSE clamp down on Covid infringements?
Wednesday February 10th 2021
Employers need to provide a safe workplace, even during Covid-19. But with the HSE struggling with budgetary constraints, and seemingly reluctant to take strong enforcement action, are employers getting away with risking their workers’ lives?
Assure360 Audit 3.0 – announcing the latest update to the Assure360 system
Wednesday January 13th 2021
Assure360 Audit was the beginning of the Assure360 system, and embodies all the experience of our team and our wider health and safety user base. After updates to Incident and Paperless, we’re excited to announce the imminent release of Audit 3.0 – read on for more details.
FAAM conference report – more than a virtual success
Thursday December 10th 2020
Who would have thought that a virtual conference could keep you glued to your seat? If I’m honest, not me. Times are busy for us at Assure360, and so when I looked at the programme for the BOHS/FAAM conference there were a few slots where I thought “I might be able to miss that.” More […]
2020: Covid, change, and cause for optimism
Thursday December 10th 2020
Few will mourn 2020, but as 2021 beckons, the changes brought about by Covid will help to drive newer, better ways of working for everyone. Nick Garland looks back on a challenging year, and discovers how a very old-fashioned industry has been propelled into a paperless future
Living and working in Covid times
Wednesday November 11th 2020
The pandemic will be with us for a while yet. But amid the misery of second-wave lockdowns, some of the changes forced on businesses will pay off in the long term. Nick Garland reviews the latest advice on safe working, and explains why some short-term fixes will give way to lasting change.
Virtually there – the BOHS and FAAM conference
Wednesday November 11th 2020
With the postponement of the Hazardous Materials Expo, it’s good that some other events are going online. Here we look forward to the BOHS and FAAM conference, happening virtually on 18-19 November.
Construction industry accidents – no room for complacency
Thursday October 15th 2020
This summer’s figures on workplace fatalities offer encouraging reading – for everyone except the construction industry. Against a lockdown backdrop of less activity, construction deaths rose by a third. So what can the data tell us about the reasons, and how can we apply it to keeping more people safe? Nick Garland looks behind the figures.
Coping with Covid – how we can help
Thursday October 15th 2020
The Covid-19 pandemic is likely to remain with us for some time yet. In this post, Nick Garland explains how we can help support your business through tough times ahead.
Personal monitoring – tackling the elephant in the room
Thursday September 10th 2020
If the Health and Safety Executive’s study of asbestos analysts revealed anything, it was that not everyone understood the purpose of personal monitoring. Now the HSE is trying to improve its understanding of how effective current guidelines and equipment are. Nick Garland explains how Assure360’s customers have been able to help.
The story of Assure360
Thursday September 10th 2020
Twenty-five-year industry veteran Nick Garland made the vision of Assure360 a reality. Here he discusses where we started, how we’ve evolved, and how we continue to help customers deliver exceptional services in difficult times.
Asbestos blasting gets a lifeline, but is there a better technique?
Thursday September 10th 2020
Despite tightening guidance, improving equipment has helped keep blasting in the LARC toolkit. However, as Nick Garland explains, the alternatives are improving too, and needle guns in particular are making blasting harder than ever to justify.
Confined spaces – the lack of understanding that could cost lives
Tuesday August 11th 2020
Confined spaces and asbestos removal often go hand in hand, yet the lack of understanding about risks and controls could be putting people in danger. Nick Garland highlights why it’s essential to address the specific hazards in a confined workplace.
Asbestech goes Paperless
Tuesday August 11th 2020
The first Covid lockdown posed challenges, but it also provided the opportunity to make lasting improvements. Discover how Asbestech seized the moment to introduce Assure360 Paperless, and dramatically improve its off-site analysis and management.
Greenair
Thursday July 23rd 2020
Greenair’s mission is to offer exemplary standards and competitive pricing, delivered through a partnership between experienced staff and cutting-edge technology. In this case study, discover how GreenAir chose Assure360 as a central component in its technology-led approach.
Webinar: Social distancing tools and tips for companies returning to work
Thursday July 23rd 2020
With the UK’s focus shifting toward restarting the economy, asbestos contractors face new challenges as they work on busier sites. In our free webinar, we’ll look at how you can continue to work safely and efficiently.
The new normal: how we work safely in the days of Covid-19
Thursday July 9th 2020
Work is resuming on construction and demolition sites across the country – and more trades are coming onto those where it never had to stop. But with the threat of the coronavirus very much remaining, it’s more important than ever to implement and enforce safe working practices.
Assure360 Paperless – improved, easier, and now on Android
Wednesday July 8th 2020
We’ve brought out a major update to Paperless, our digital support tool for site supervisors. Now even quicker and easier to use, the new version is also available on Android for the first time. Nick Garland has the details.
Hot under the collar – how hot environments are the confined space we should worry about
Wednesday June 10th 2020
When it comes to working in confined spaces, hot environments are the new challenge that the asbestos-removal industry needs to get its head around.
Asbestos licence renewal – the new regime turns one
Friday April 3rd 2020
The HSE’s new asbestos licensing system is a year old, but the first LARCs to experience it still bear the scars. Assure360 founder Nick Garland traces what changed, what went wrong, and where we are now.
COVID-19 and asbestos removal: can we carry on?
Wednesday March 25th 2020
We’re all trying to get our heads around the crazy new world that we are living in with COVID-19. Here are Nick Garland’s thoughts on whether we can keep working – and whether we should
Talking Asbestos – Nick appears on the Asbestos Knowledge Empire podcast
Tuesday March 10th 2020
What’s been lost in the move to the new evidence-based licensing regime? How deep should health and safety culture go? What are the particular problems posed by asbestos in schools, and what’s the story of Assure360? Nick’s covered all these topics and more in his appearance on the Asbestos Knowledge Empire podcast. Discover more.
Asbestech
Sunday February 23rd 2020
Asbestech was looking to do more with its auditing data, improving its analysis to provide fresher and more powerful insights. Discover what happened when it became an early customer for the Assure360 system, and how we’ve helped it demonstrate exemplary practice since.
Better Asbestos Removal – what to do when perfect isn’t possible
Wednesday February 12th 2020
When the asbestos industry deals with significant risks, why do we have ‘guidance’, and why does the UK’s key health and safety legislation leave room for interpretation?
Assure360 at the ACAD regionals
Monday February 10th 2020
Assure360 will be at three of the upcoming ACAD regional meetings in the first week of March. Why not come and join us!
DCU safety – reviewing the guidance for safe decontamination
Thursday January 16th 2020
The risks to asbestos-removal workers continue until everyone’s safely decontaminated and off-site. But how do you ensure safety in the DCU? Here’s Nick Garland’s review of the latest guidance.
Wrapping up the European Asbestos Forum (EAF) conference
Tuesday January 7th 2020
For too long, tech seemed like something happening to other industries. The European Asbestos Forum conference showed how innovation will transform ours.
Reviewing 2019 – a year of change in asbestos management
Tuesday December 10th 2019
2019 marked the 20th anniversary of the UK’s total ban on asbestos. A day to celebrate, but the year also saw upheaval in asbestos management, with the HSE’s long-overdue overhaul of the licensing regime becoming a talking point for the wrong reasons. Here’s our review of the year.
The FAAM conference and EAF
Wednesday November 6th 2019
Two major asbestos events for November with the European Asbestos Forum conference in Amsterdam and the second annual conference of the Faculty of Asbestos Assessment and Management (FAAM).
The European Asbestos Forum (EAF) – more than just another asbestos conference
Thursday October 3rd 2019
The conference season got off to a cracking start last month with the Contamination Expo at Birmingham’s NEC. The next stop will be the European Asbestos Forum conference, which this year returns to its roots in Amsterdam.
Getting ready for asbestos licence assessment – how Assure360 can guide you through the chaos
Wednesday September 18th 2019
Over the summer it has become clear that the HSE’s new asbestos licensing regime is, to put it mildly, challenging. In this article Assure360’s founder Nick Garland explains why his biggest piece of advice is to start the application process as early as possible.
Armac Group
Friday August 23rd 2019
As one of the UK leaders in demolition, ARMAC needed a better solution for retrieving and analysing asbestos data from projects that could last several months. A longstanding Assure360 customer, the company decided to roll out the Paperless app – with immediate benefits.
Contamination Expo 2019 – with asbestos licensing in meltdown, can you afford to miss it?
Thursday August 8th 2019
This year’s Contamination Expo takes place at a pivotal time for the asbestos industry, as repercussions from the HSE’s licensing shakeup make themselves felt. As the problems mount and the questions multiply, Nick Garland offers a solution to the chaos.
Sign up to our regular free webinars led by our team of experts
Saturday July 27th 2019
Sign up to our regular webinars that help leaders in the asbestos sector stay up-to-date with all our latest tools made available through Assure360 system.
Amianto Services
Tuesday July 23rd 2019
Amianto Services needed a system to help manage safety-critical checks and mandatory record-keeping. As a fast growing new company, it wanted a solution that would scale smoothly and minimise administrative overheads. Discover how we could help.
The new asbestos licence regime – and how Assure360 can help
Monday June 24th 2019
The HSE’s move toward an evidence-based asbestos licensing regime presents all licensed asbestos removal contractors with a new challenge. Nick Garland explains how Assure360’s paperless system lets LARCs exceed the HSE’s expectations.
Taking licence – how the HSE is shaking up asbestos removal
Thursday June 13th 2019
In its overhaul of the asbestos licencing regime, the HSE is doing away with one and two-year licences. That’s exactly what founder Nick Garland called for – here he explains why it’s the right move, what some of the benefits will be, and how we’re better placed than ever to help and support LARCs applying for a licence.
HSE asbestos licensing: is the system broken?
Wednesday May 29th 2019
With different licence durations and multiple conditions that can be attached, clients often use a LARC’s asbestos-removal licence as a shortcut to judging competence. Fortunately the HSE is giving the system a much-needed overhaul – here’s Nick Garland’s take.
Asbestos in schools: in a unique environment, why ‘manage in situ’ simply isn’t good enough
Wednesday April 10th 2019
The Department of Education knows that children are more at risk from asbestos exposure, and yet 85% of our schools contain some form of the material. With teachers and ex-pupils dying from continued exposure, is ‘manage in situ’ fit for purpose?
Confined spaces: when does the HSE guidance apply?
Wednesday April 10th 2019
When does the HSE’s confined spaces guidance apply to asbestos removal work? It may be more often than you realise, says Nick Garland
Dissecting the HSE’s asbestos analyst inspection report
Wednesday March 13th 2019
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has finally reported on its major project to monitor the work of asbestos analysts. Assure360’s Nick Garland has delved into the report to digest its findings: what did the HSE find, what does it recommend, and what’s going to change in the four-stage clearance? Read Nick’s analysis
Plans of Work – our review of the HSE’s new guidance
Wednesday March 13th 2019
The HSE has revised its guidance on how to assess a plan of work (PoW), with impacts for LARCs and principle contractors as they plan how to complete asbestos-removal safely. Our founder, Nick Garland, casts a critical eye over the guidance, pulling out some of the key changes, and explaining how LARCs, PCs and analysts may need to change and improve their procedures.
Assure360 Webinars explained: join our free demonstrations from anywhere
Wednesday February 20th 2019
Our webinars show you first-hand how our Paperless app eliminates tedious paperwork bottlenecks. We understand not everyone in our industry considers themselves technical, so if you’re wondering what a webinar is – let alone how the app works – read on to see our one-minute webinar explainer video…
Is an asbestos-free world possible?
Wednesday February 20th 2019
Over 19 years since it was banned in the UK, asbestos remains widespread. Asbestos disturbance and the related exposure to deadly fibres is not uncommon. In light of this, some have called for the complete removal of asbestos from public buildings. We ask the experts, is such extreme action necessary or achievable? And who would pick up the bill?
Horizon rolls out the asbestos removal Paperless app
Sunday December 23rd 2018
Assure360 had already helped Horizon Environmental benefit from wide ranging improvements to its record-keeping and auditing, but supervisors were still using paper-based records on site. Discover how Assure360 Paperless slashed the paperwork and admin burden, too.
FAAM brings us the latest developments in the asbestos world and inspiring Mavis Nye
Thursday November 29th 2018
The inaugural FAAM conference lived up to expectation with superb speakers and rigorous academic discussion with internationally recognised experts. Here’s our round-up.
Five ways to reduce accident risk in your business
Friday November 9th 2018
Why should accidents happen? As a licensed asbestos removal contractor, what can you do to manage and minimise the risks of a dangerous business? Here are five essential tips to reducing risk.
Events preview: the best events and conferences for asbestos and safety professionals
Friday October 5th 2018
Our list of the best asbestos and health and safety events happening in the UK over the next 6 months.