J
jamie B
Got called to look at a job in Hackney yesterday and buzzed over there in the afternoon after finishing something first.
The job was on the 8th floor of an old corporation of london council block and to be honest a bit nasty!..when I pulled up there where a few other vans there as some work was being done in the lobby, so I knocked on the window of one of the vans to ask if the parking was ok there. Took a quick look upstairs where 2 labourers were busy ripping everything out in the kitchen etc. when I came back down to the van the same fella I asked about parking was in the lift and we got chatting..turns out he was there to do an asbestos report..and being an absolute star said it would be no prob to pop up to the flat and take a look. WHAT A STROKE OF LUCK!..not only was the kitchen full of it..The Bathroom was full of it (boxings to pipes etc) but LUCKILY the 2 labourers hadn't broken any (they were literally JUST about to get busy with the hammers on the boxings!) the asbestos guy (Danny!) said the boards in the boxings were particulary dangerous, so he gave a narrow escape to the 2 labourers, who really weren't 'tradesmen' as such, just cheap workers as far as I could gather. I phoned the owner/developer and filled him in, and the long and short of it was a nasty incident was avoided.
The guys working in there had no masks and hardly even any tools..my point is that these people who employ 'mates' and casual labour really need to realise the dangers involved..luckily no catastrophes this time!..but you could tell the owner had the willies put up him!
The footnote to it all was he phoned me today to say the arrangements had been made for the removal of all the dangerous materials proper....and, a flattering if somewhat bizarre offer of a job for me to manage the rest of the build!?!.:yikes:.thanks ..but no thanks!!!:lol:
The real thanks tho must go to Danny (if he's out there!) for being good enough to have a look for me..even tho' he was up to his eyeballs in work and didn't know me from adam..thanks mate.
The job was on the 8th floor of an old corporation of london council block and to be honest a bit nasty!..when I pulled up there where a few other vans there as some work was being done in the lobby, so I knocked on the window of one of the vans to ask if the parking was ok there. Took a quick look upstairs where 2 labourers were busy ripping everything out in the kitchen etc. when I came back down to the van the same fella I asked about parking was in the lift and we got chatting..turns out he was there to do an asbestos report..and being an absolute star said it would be no prob to pop up to the flat and take a look. WHAT A STROKE OF LUCK!..not only was the kitchen full of it..The Bathroom was full of it (boxings to pipes etc) but LUCKILY the 2 labourers hadn't broken any (they were literally JUST about to get busy with the hammers on the boxings!) the asbestos guy (Danny!) said the boards in the boxings were particulary dangerous, so he gave a narrow escape to the 2 labourers, who really weren't 'tradesmen' as such, just cheap workers as far as I could gather. I phoned the owner/developer and filled him in, and the long and short of it was a nasty incident was avoided.
The guys working in there had no masks and hardly even any tools..my point is that these people who employ 'mates' and casual labour really need to realise the dangers involved..luckily no catastrophes this time!..but you could tell the owner had the willies put up him!
The footnote to it all was he phoned me today to say the arrangements had been made for the removal of all the dangerous materials proper....and, a flattering if somewhat bizarre offer of a job for me to manage the rest of the build!?!.:yikes:.thanks ..but no thanks!!!:lol:
The real thanks tho must go to Danny (if he's out there!) for being good enough to have a look for me..even tho' he was up to his eyeballs in work and didn't know me from adam..thanks mate.
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