Asbestos company secures R&D Tax Relief for innovative methods in developing new technical process and creation of new technical knowledge
Development of New Technical Process and Creation of New Technical Knowledge
R&D Project Objectives
In 2021, our client was engaged to perform asbestos removal services for several grade 2 listed properties in London. These buildings featured listed elements including ceilings, ceiling features, and timber floors and floorboards. The properties contained fibrous asbestos insulation and contamination beneath the timber floors, and our client was tasked with its removal. Typically, asbestos removal involves sealing off the area, lifting the floorboards, disposing of the asbestos waste along with the original floorboards, decontaminating the area, and installing new floorboards. However, since the floorboards themselves had listed status, this standard method was not feasible. Additionally, accessing the floorboards from below by cutting a void in the ceiling was also not viable due to the listed status of the ceiling and its features. As no existing technical method was suitable, our client had to develop a new process through R&D activities.
Advancement Beyond Current Knowledge
The project required a novel approach since industry-standard methods were unsuitable due to the listed status of the buildings. Initially, our client discussed these standard methods with the client and heritage specialists. The first proposed method of removing the ceiling to access the floorboards was rejected, as was the method of removing and disposing of the floorboards. This necessitated the creation of new technical knowledge and the development of a new asbestos removal process that not only resolved our client’s access and decontamination challenge but also represented a significant advancement in the field of asbestos removal.
Uncertainty and Risk of Failure
Our client faced significant technical challenges in devising a method to access and decontaminate the asbestos without disturbing the listed features of the buildings. The challenge was to sufficiently eradicate all areas of asbestos contamination to meet the stringent requirements of UCAS and the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012. As the R&D project progressed, our client needed to develop a system to identify and replace each floorboard in its original location after cleaning. Additional challenges included maintaining adequate space in the controlled decontamination area for operatives to work and preventing cross-contamination, which required safeguarding against asbestos contamination on operatives' clothing and other locations within the properties.
Overcoming Specific Uncertainties
In collaboration with a UCAS officer, our client devised a new technical method for accessing and decontaminating the floorboards and the void beneath them. This involved lifting each individual board, developing a technique for decontaminating and cleaning each floorboard to meet regulatory standards, labeling each board, storing them, decontaminating the overall area, and then replacing each board in its original location. Standard operating procedures for decontamination were rewritten, and the entire process was documented. Despite substantial R&D activity before receiving approval to proceed, additional R&D became necessary to meet the UCAS officer’s standards, leading to the development of a new cleaning and labeling process to ensure the cleanliness and proper replacement of each floorboard.
Why the Knowledge or Capability Was Not Readily Deducible
Our client concluded that the solution was not readily available or deducible from existing industry knowledge, even with input from the UCAS analyst responsible for certifying the work and the Heritage officer. With no alternative technical solutions offered, our client had to innovate and develop a new method for decontaminating the building within the constraints of the listed status, necessitating substantial R&D activity.