Guidance Note 22 Asset-Management Toolkit: Minor Structures (ATOMS)

Institution of Lighting Professionals Guidance Note 22, Asset-Management Toolkit: Minor Structures (ATOMS) is helpful for everyone who has a responsibility to manage highway assets in line with the UK Roads Liaison Group Well-managed highway infrastructure Code of Practice. When the Code of Practice was introduced it required changes in how highway authorities manage their highway assets. The focus is now asset condition assessment based and this prompted a step change in how lighting columns are assessed. The Institution of Lighting Professionals, working with the UK Lighting Board of the UK Roads Liaison Group, Highway Electrical Association and Transport for London have published GN 22, Asset-Management Toolkit: Minor Structures to help everyone who has a responsibility for such assets to effectively manage them in line with the CoP going forward. This document, written by WSP and Free4m, updates and now supersedes “Technical Report 22 Managing a Vital Asset: Lighting Supports”, which is now withdrawn. The main ATOMS requirements are:

• the confirmation that columns that support items such as luminaires, signals and CCTV are now defined as minor structures and are to be considered, assessed and managed as such
• the development of a Column Condition Index (CCI) which will be adopted by the UK Roads Board as a future performance indicator with respect to the condition of the street lighting asset.

The document advises on how the asset owner can develop an Assumed Residual Life (ARL) value for the lighting column. This enables them to effectively plan and budget for the future, considering:

• what inspection and testing to undertake
• what will be the effect of interventions to extend the life of the minor structure
• conversely, what may be the negative effect if additional attachments could be fitted to it.

ATOMS provides guidance on how these factors can be determined through a risk based approach based upon visual inspection and non-destructive testing. Also, and importantly, it does not mean that all data previously collected through Technical Report 22 is lost as the document includes a process and guidance on how TR22 data can be converted into the new GN22 format.