The purpose of the asbestos survey
The purpose of asbestos surveys is to prevent employers or tenants from getting exposed to potential manufactures or products that contain asbestos. Asbestos surveyors ensure that building owners are not disturbing any asbestos-containing materials.
If it happens and a landlord disturbs such dangerous materials, there will be penalties and legal action from local authorities.
Buildings that were built before 2000 are more likely to have asbestos-containing materials.
However, the Control of Asbestos Regulation Care 2012 states that all buildings in the UK that work with asbestos materials must apply the survey.
To ensure that your building is perfectly safe from any asbestos potential danger exposure, you will need to apply the survey that will provide the following
The survey report will provide important information regarding its location, the amount and the present condition of asbestos-containing materials
The surveyor report will reveal how much asbestos-containing materials are damaged. Finally, the surveyor will decide whether further actions are needed or not.
Those are the main reasons why you need an asbestos management survey, but there are various types, and each type works on certain buildings or conditions.
Type of asbestos survey
As stated previously, the main reason for implementing an asbestos survey is to make asbestos materials assessment. But there is an important matter that duty holders and landlords must be aware of.
What asbestos survey type they should apply because not all types serve the same purpose or at least the same building material assessment. Depending on different factors, including site requirements, there are four surveys to choose from
Management survey
The purpose of establishing a managing survey is to identify whether a building contains asbestos materials or not. If the asbestos survey found asbestos-containing materials, the duty holders are legally required to implement a management plan and necessary steps.
Usually, this type of survey does not include any building damage, it provides necessary information only.
Pre-demolition survey
Before executing a building demolition in the UK, landlords or the responsible people must apply a pre-demolition asbestos survey. There is a big difference between a management survey and a pre-demolition survey. The first one is a standard survey, but the second type considers a fully intrusive survey.
Pre-demolition survivors must ensure that all the building materials don’t have any asbestos, and detect any possible asbestos materials in the building.
Pre-refurbishment survey
This type of survey is slightly similar to a pre-demolition survey. Before carrying out building refurbishment work on a property, landlords must implement a pre-refurbishment survey to detect asbestos on materials.
It is also considered as an intrusive survey, however, the landlord can decide what locations to inspect depending on the refurbishment areas.
Re-inspection survey
As the name implies, re-inspection surveys are carried out regularly to ensure that a building doesn’t contain any asbestos material.
Usually, it’s the survey inspector who sets the schedule of a re-inspection survey.
What does the survey involve?
First and foremost, only an experienced and registered survivor must undertake a building asbestos survey. The surveyor must at least poses a minimum BOHS P402, according to the health and safety executive guidance section HSG246
The asbestos survey inspection usually involves three phases, the first one is considered as the site risk assessment.
During the survey, the surveyor will make an initial risk assessment of the building. The first phase is meant to help create a better work environment for the surveyor to prevent any surprising accidents.
The second phase includes site detection for any suspect asbestos
During his walk-through, the asbestos surveyor will try to detect and find any material that contains asbestos.
Among other things, the survey will also involve taking pictures of the inspected site area, which the surveyor will include in his report. Along with taking photographs, the surveyor will also take sample materials from different sites for extra examination.
Phase three is the laboratory phase, in which a surveyor will examine and analyze the samples and determine whether the premises contain asbestos materials or not.
What happens after the survey
Once all the phases are completely done, what comes next is the asbestos survey report. Landlords and building owners will receive a detailed survey report. The report includes details about all the materials asbestos found along with their analysis and the token photographs.
At the end of the survey, you will find the surveyor recommendation depending on its result. Landlords and duty holders must follow the report recommendation to safely manage asbestos-containing materials in their premises.
The health and safety executive guidance HSG246 and the asbestos survey laws state that occupants, tenants, and employees must be aware of the presence of asbestos danger.
Landlords must also ensure that their tenants and occupants are not disturbing any asbestos-containing materials without their knowledge.
Removal of asbestos
Asbestos removal or what’s known as asbestos abatement must only be carried out by a professional. Because mishandling with asbestos-containing materials will increase the exposure. Part of our job is to provide personal asbestos removal services.
Asbestos removal will carry out according to the health and safety regulation
The abatement professional is highly trained and qualified to handle any product and asbestos materials that could be dangerous.
Related definition
What is asbestos abatement?
The term asbestos abatement refers to the legal and safe removal of any products and asbestos materials. Only a qualified professional must undertake the removal process, that’s according to the UK health and safety executive regulation HGS246.
Legislation for Asbestos survey
The control of asbestos regulation 2012 contains a total 24 regulation, however here are some of the legislation for asbestos surveys
Regulation 5: identification of the presence of asbestos
Regulation 5 of the control of asbestos regulation 2012 states that landlords must identify and undertake an asbestos survey to ensure the safety of the tenants of the occupants.
Regulation 6: assessment of work that exposes employees to asbestos
Employees are legally obliged to make a risk assessment on the level of asbestos exposure on their employees.
The regulation 6 include
- Description of the work including the scale and duration
- Types and the condition of asbestos
- Information about the fibres concentration
- Recommendation including control measures and arrangement
Regulation 7: Plan of work
Employees must develop an effective plan of work for their employees to prevent further asbestos exposure
Regulation 17: cleanliness of premise or plant
This section of regulation usually refers to the asbestos removal activities, It also states that these activities must include
- Air testing during asbestos removal
- Inspection enclosure
- Witnessing smoke test
- Cleanse testing and completion
Resources
Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012
