Good morning

Thank you for your Freedom of Information request re the above.

I apologise for the delayed response to you. This is due to the changes
that have been taking place within the college as we merged with UHI West
Highland and UHI Outer Hebrides.  From 1 August 2023 we are now UHI North,
West and Hebrides (UHI NWH).

Your request will be dealt with shortly.

For any future FOI requests please email [1][email address]

Kind regards

Julie Knapp

Compliance Manager
   

01847 889000 [2]nwh.uhi.ac.uk

07385 029896
UHI North, West and Hebrides is the trading name of The Board of
Management of UHI North, West and Hebrides which is a registered charity,
number SC021215.

’S e UHI a Tuath, an Iar agus Innse Gall an t-ainm malairt a th’ air Bòrd
Stiùiridh UHI a Tuath, an Iar agus Innse Gall a tha na charthannas
clàraichte, àireamh SC021215.
 

The North Highland College UHI is a registered charity (SC021215) The
contents of this message are intended for the addressee only and may
contain personal views which are not the views of the North Highland
College UHI unless specifically stated. The College does not accept
liability for any such views. Please note that all email traffic is
monitored for the purposes of security and spam filtering. As such,
individual e-mails may be examined in more detail to ensure that all
College employees are compliant with the College’s E-Mail Policy.

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]
2. http://nwh.uhi.ac.uk/

Dear Dorothy

I refer to your request for information under the Freedom of Information
(Scotland) Act 2002 and The Environmental Information (Scotland)
Regulations 2004, received by UHI North Highland on 3 July.

Please note that UHI North Highland is now UHI North, West and Hebrides, a
newly formed college following a merger that took place on 1st August
2023. I am responding as FOI Officer for UHI North, West and Hebrides -
the answers relate to buildings owned by what was UHI North Highland.

Please find our response as follows:

Question 1: Can you outline: Whether asbestos is present at any of these
sites - Thurso Main Campus, Castle Street ERI, Burghfield Campus, Dornoch.

Response:

Thurso Main Campus: Yes

Castle Street ERI: Yes

Burghfield Campus, Dornoch: Yes

Question 2: Whether asbestos was historically present at any of these
sites?

Response:
Thurso Main Campus: Yes

Castle Street ERI: Yes

Burghfield Campus, Dornoch: Yes

Question 3: If asbestos is or was present, what forms does it take (i.e.
wall insulation, roof/floor tiles etc.)

Response:

Thurso Main Campus: Chrysotile / Amosite Insulation, Chrysotile Gasket and
Rope Seal, Textiles, Vinyl Floor Tiles, Bitumen, Cement and Mastic;
Ceiling Tiles; Insulation Board

Castle Street ERI: Chrysotile Pipework Gasket

Burghfield Campus, Dornoch: Chrysotile / Crocidolite Residue; Socket Paper
Lining, Pipe Insulation, Door Panels, Infill Panels, Cistern, Support
Cladding, Cement, Boiler Insulation

Question 4: Whether asbestos was ever reported as being disturbed at any
of these sites between 2013 and 2023, and if so, what action was taken to
remove or otherwise deal with any disturbed material.

Response:

Thurso Main Campus: yes, unplanned disturbance was reported as having
occurred while a leak on a construction roof was being repaired. The job
was immediately stopped, and removal was carried out to make safe.

Question 5: If asbestos is present, what mitigation plan in place.

Response:

Asbestos Management Surveys conducted on eligible sites on a regular
basis. A new contractor has been procured with an agreement to continue
this on an annual basis, as well as support the production of a formal
Asbestos Management Register and Plan. Relevant contractors, prior to
attendance on site, are provided with a copy of the most recent asbestos
management survey(s). However, prior to invasive works on eligible sites –
a refurbishment / demolition survey is carried out prior to commencing
works. Where the task is minor and there are known or presumed asbestos
containing materials (ACMs) present, a trained individual may do
non-licensed work to encapsulate or remove ACMs. 

The college has three major scopes of work pending. These will likely
involve appointment of removals contractor to address the vast majority of
asbestos (planned completed in the next 6 months) remaining. Includes work
on: Burghfield and Main Campus. 

Locations with significant ACMs present – are completely restricted,
signposted and doors always locked. 

Your right to seek a review of our decision.

If you are not satisfied with our response or our reasoning set out above,
you have forty working days in which to request a review of our decision.

Any request should be put in writing and should be sent to me at
[1][email address] (the new email address for all FOI enquiries for UHI
North, West and Hebrides).

Your request should: 

(a)        describe the nature of your original request; and 

(b)        explain the reasons why you are not satisfied with our
response.  

You can read more about your rights in relation to the review process at
the Scottish Information Commissioner’s website here: [2]Asking the
authority for a review | Scottish Information Commissioner
(itspublicknowledge.info)

Finally, should you wish to discuss the contents of this response then
please do not hesitate to contact me.

Kind regards

Julie Knapp

Compliance Manager
   

01847 889000 [3]nwh.uhi.ac.uk

07385 029896
UHI North, West and Hebrides is the trading name of The Board of
Management of UHI North, West and Hebrides which is a registered charity,
number SC021215.

’S e UHI a Tuath, an Iar agus Innse Gall an t-ainm malairt a th’ air Bòrd
Stiùiridh UHI a Tuath, an Iar agus Innse Gall a tha na charthannas
clàraichte, àireamh SC021215.
 

From: Dorothy Mackay <[4][FOI #997765 email]>
Sent: Sunday, July 2, 2023 9:30 PM
To: NHC Info <[5][North Highland College request email]>
Subject: Freedom of Information request - Asbestos in NHC sites

[You don't often get email from
[6][FOI #997765 email]. Learn why this is important
at [7]https://aka.ms/LearnAboutSenderIdentific... ]

Dear North Highland College,

Can you outline
1. Wether asbestos is present at any of these sites - Thurso Main Campus,
Castle Street ERI, Burghfield Campus, Dornoch.
2. Wether asbestos was historically present at any of these sites?
3. If asbestos is or was present, what forms does it take (i.e. wall
insulation, roof/floor tiles etc.) 4. Wether asbestos was ever reported as
being disturbed at any of these sites between 2013 and 2023, and if so
what action was taken to remove or otherwise deal with any disturbed
material.
5. If asbestos is present, what mitigation plan in place.

Yours faithfully,
Dorothy Mackay

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