21 August 2018
Following a routine asbestos inspection of the South Hill building, debris was found above the ceiling tiles of several rooms on the second floor.
As a precautionary measure, and to reassure staff working in the area, air sampling was performed. The results in eleven of the rooms recorded a level below the Clearance Indicator Level of < 0.01 fibres/ml. This is well below the acceptable limit.
In one room a sample level was slightly raised, but two further samples recorded a level below the Clearance Indicator Level of < 0.01 fibres/ml. Due to the initial raised count the final sample was sent to the UK to identify the fibres and provide further assurance.
The reception area was closed to the public to allow staff to move out of offices so that the air samples could be taken. The reception has no asbestos-containing materials in it.
Plans are already in place to relocate staff from November as part of the office move programme.