Please would you provide a list of stations on the London Underground network that contain asbestos. Do you have an Asbestos register? If so, please would you provide a copy of this/these. Do any London Underground tunnels contain Asbestos? If so, do you have a map showing the location? Does any underground rolling stock contain asbestos? If so, please provide a list of which do, and where the Asbestos can be found. How often do you conduct testing for airborne Asbestos on the Underground? Please would you provide a copy of any such surveys conducted in 2018. If it is not possible to provide the information requested due to the information exceeding the cost of compliance limits identified in Section 12, please provide advice and assistance, under the Section 16 obligations of the Act, as to how I can refine my request.

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TfL Ref: FOI-2882-1819 

 

Thank you for your email received by Transport for London (TfL) on 27 January 2019. 

 

Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Environmental Information Regulations (EIRs) and our information access policy. I can confirm we hold some of the information you require. You asked: 

 

Please would you provide a list of stations on the London Underground network that contain asbestos. 

 

Do you have an Asbestos register? If so, please would you provide a copy of this/these. 

 

Do any London Underground tunnels contain Asbestos? If so, do you have a map showing the location? 

 

Does any underground rolling stock contain asbestos? 

If so, please provide a list of which do, and where the Asbestos can be found. 

 

How often do you conduct testing for airborne Asbestos on the Underground? Please would you provide a copy of any such surveys conducted in 2018. 

At London Underground the safety of our customers, our people and contractors is our number one priority.  We regularly review air quality across the network and this shows that at its worst the level of dust and particulate matter in the air is about 1/4 of the maximum safe level set by the Health and Safety Executive.This is in spite of rising customer numbers, significant increases in service, like more trains on the Victoria line and the introduction of Night Tube, and the consequent increased level of upgrade and maintenance works associated with this growth. 

Details of the location and condition of asbestos is recorded and maintained on London Underground’s asbestos register which includes its stations, rolling stock and track/tunnel sections. 

We have processes and procedures in place to ensure that the management of asbestos is carried out in compliance with the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012. Some of the main requirements that LU deliver under this regulation are listed below:   

• Identify the location and condition of hazardous materials 
• Maintain an asbestos register with known, presumed or strongly presumed asbestos 
• Assess and manage the risk of exposure  
• Prepare, implement, review & monitor the management plan to manage the risks 
• Regularly inspect known instances of asbestos  
• Provide information on the location and condition of the material to anyone who is likely to disturb it 
• Carry out management, refurbishment and / or pre-demolition surveys when required  
• Carry out airborne fibre monitoring where necessary 
• Maintain records detailing when and where asbestos is removed, treated and disposed  
• Request and retain Waste Consignment Note upon transportation of Hazardous Materials to Hazardous Waste Landfill site 
• Hold relevant Asbestos Management Qualifications 

We carry out airborne fibre monitoring for asbestos as reassurance during work on or near to asbestos containing materials. Consequently, we have a large amount of airborne fibre monitoring data to demonstrate that suitable and sufficient control measures are in place. Our ongoing monitoring shows that the levels and content of dust in the underground sections of London Underground’s infrastructure do not pose a significant risk to the health of our customers or employees. 

 

It is London Underground’s policy to continue to safely manage Asbestos Containing Materials (ACMs) in-situ, through continued management surveys, re-inspections, risk assessments and pre-work Refurbishment & Demolition (R & D) surveys. 

 

Asbestos is found throughout the Underground, including public areas.  In Public Areas the vast majority of ACMs are contained behind station finishes and cannot be accessed by the general public.  Where areas of ACMs interface with the general public they are in a position where they cause no risk to the general public or staff.  All stations accessed by the public and staff are re-inspected on an annual basis to ensure that no adverse damage has been caused to change this status.  If it is assessed and the status has changed for any reason, then a risk assessment is undertaken which will result in either encapsulation, encasement, or removal. 

 

We have been monitoring dust levels on the Tube for many years and, through a wide range of measures, have ensured that particle levels are well within Health & Safety Executives EH40 guidelines. Further information can be found on the TfL website https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/publications-and-reports/environment-reports#on-this-page-1

 

 

To ensure that dust levels remain low and within acceptable levels, London Underground has a stringent cleaning regime. This is to ensure a more pleasant environment for customers and staff, and prevent dust from interfering with the functioning of electrical equipment. As new trains are commissioned, London Underground requests the installation of “rheostatic” braking, which reduces the friction action of brakes on wheels by using the engine power to brake the train, thereby reducing the amount of dust produced. 

 

The main pollutants we measure on the London Underground are respirable dusts (PM 4.0) and specific metals. The source of these are track, wheel and brake wear. We do not routinely measure surface pollutants (Nox, Ozone etc) as these are not generated inside the network.  

 

The bulk of monitoring is undertaken in train driver cabins and at stations. Measurements are generally taken for whole work shifts and are considered against the Health and Safety Executives EH40 document.  

However, given the extent of the information you are looking for, we are applying Regulation 12(4)(b) to your whole request as we believe that it is ‘manifestly unreasonable’ because providing some of the information you have requested would impose unreasonable costs on us and require an unreasonable diversion of resources. To answer your current request in full would take an excessive amount of staff time and resources.  

Specifically regarding the asbestos register and airborne fibre monitoring certificates, we have established that the relevant information which we hold covers a significant period of time and comprises of hundreds of potentially relevant documents all of which would have to be manually reviewed. 

The use of this exception is subject to a public interest test, which requires us to consider whether the public interest in applying the exception outweighs the public interest in disclosure. We recognise that the release of information would promote accountability and transparency in public services and also help address your particular concerns about this issue. However, the time it would take to provide the information you have requested would divert a disproportionate amount of our resources from its core functions and on balance we consider that the public interest currently favours the use of the exception. 

If you have a particular location of interest and are able to narrow the scope of your query with a specific question we may consider your request in the future. 

Yours sincerely 

 

Eva Hextall 

FOI Case Officer 

 

FOI Case Management Team 

General Counsel 

Transport for London 

 

  

  

Please would you provide a list of stations on the London Underground network that contain asbestos. 

  

Do you have an Asbestos register? If so, please would you provide a copy of this/these. 

  

Do any London Underground tunnels contain Asbestos? If so, do you have a map showing the location? 

  

Does any underground rolling stock contain asbestos? 

If so, please provide a list of which do, and where the Asbestos can be found. 

  

How often do you conduct testing for airborne Asbestos on the Underground? Please would you provide a copy of any such surveys conducted in 2018. 

  

If it is not possible to provide the information requested due to the information exceeding the cost of compliance limits identified in Section 12, please provide advice and assistance, under the Section 16 obligations of the Act, as to how I can refine my request. 

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