Do you know if there is any asbestos in your property?
You must know where your asbestos is, and wether it is in a safe condition. If you don't you could be putting lives at risk, as well as possibly face prosecution should you inadvertantly damage and release asbestos into the air people breath.
To do this there are various types of survey. It is your responsibility to have the right type of survey done, as often as is needed, by competent people. Failure to get this right is dangerous.
Management Survey
A management surveys purpose is to locate, as far as reasonably practicable, the presence and extent of any suspect ACMs in the building which could be damaged or disturbed during normal occupancy. This includes any foreseeable maintenance and installation works, and to assess their condition. Management surveys are generally non-intrusive surveys, howwever they can often involve minor intrusive work with some disturbance.
A management survey should include an assessment of the condition of the various ACMs and their ability to release fibres into the air if they are disturbed directly or indirectly. The survey will usually involve sampling and analysis to confirm the presence or absence of ACMs.
A management survey can also involve presuming the presence or absence of asbestos. Any materials presumed to contain asbestos must also have their condition assessed.
Refurbishment/Demolition Survey
A refurbishment and demolition survey is required before any refurbishment or demolition works are carried out. This type of survey is used to locate and describe, as far as reasonably practicable, all ACMs in the area where the refurbishment work will take place or in the whole building if demolition is planned. The survey will be fully intrusive and involve destructive inspection, as necessary, to gain access to all areas, including those that may be difficult to reach.
The ACMs’ condition needs to be assessed and the materials managed. Refurbishment and demolition surveys are designed to locate all of the asbestos in the building (or the relevant part), as far as reasonably practicable. It is a disruptive and fully intrusive survey. There may be a requirement to access all parts of the building structure. Aggressive inspection techniques may be needed to lift carpets and tiles, break through walls, ceilings, cladding and partitions, and open up floors. In these situations, controls should be put in place to prevent the spread of debris, which may include asbestos. Refurbishment and demolition surveys should only be conducted in unoccupied areas to minimise risks to the public or employees on the premises. Ideally, the building should not be in service and all furnishings removed.
For minor refurbishment, this would only apply to the room involved or even part of the room where the work is small and the room large. In these situations, there should effective isolation of the survey area (eg full floor to ceiling partition), and furnishings should be removed as far as possible or protected using sheeting. The ‘surveyed’ area must be shown to be fit for reoccupation before people move back in.
Re-Inspection Survey
It is your legal duty to manage the prescence of asbestos in a building that you are responsible for, to ensure that the health & safety of those who visit th epremises. We can help you stay compliant and keep your asbestoc information up to date.
These checks are required at a minimum of a 12 monthly basis and involve undertaking an inspection of every identified or presumed asbestos material in the property.
Sample Collection
This is used when the client specifically knows where the sample or samples need to be taken; this is not a full survey. This type of survey is limited to the specific areas given and agreed with the client.The samples are gathered and sent off to a UKAS Accredited Laboratory for analysis. Once these have been analysed the results and certificate are sent to the client telling them whether it does or does not contain asbestos, what type of asbestos containing material it is and any actions required.
This type of survey is often used when a RICS Surveyor has highlighted areas/materials that could contain asbestos within their homebuyers report. Trades people also use this type of survey when they are specifically working in a particular area of a building and they come across a material that could contain asbestos.
We offer Asbestos Management, Re-inspection, Refurbishment & Demolition surveys to ISO17020 standards throughout the UK.
Our surveys are undertaken by experienced qualified professionals who will help you to get the decisions right, will help you to manage your responsibilities, and provide you with the evidence that you have complied with your duties. For more information and prices,
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