Asbestos Surveys
Bill Rogerson Safety Services Ltd
Asbestos is not just a problem of the past it can still be found in any house, factory, office, school, hospital etc built before the year 2000 and kills around 5000 workers each year.
When materials that contain asbestos are disturbed or damaged, fibres are released into the air. When these fibres are inhaled, they can cause serious diseases. These diseases will not affect you immediately; they often take a long time to develop, but once diagnosed, it is often too late to do anything.
Current Regulations require businesses and organisations to conduct asbestos surveys on buildings constructed prior to 2000.
An asbestos survey consists of an inspection of your building in order to identify potential asbestos-containing materials. The asbestos fibres themselves cannot always be identified directly because they are microscopic, however our asbestos surveyors are familiar with the types of building materials that might have asbestos in them, such as flooring tiles, roofing materials, window caulks, and so on.
Once the surveyor has located an asbestos containing material a small sample will be taken of each suspect material which will then be analysed at a laboratory for further in-depth analysis. The laboratory will identify the type or types of asbestos present with sample(s) and a bulk certificate of analysis is produced detailing the laboratory results.
There are two types of Asbestos Surveys
Management Survey
The purpose of the management survey is to manage asbestos-containing materials (ACM) during the normal occupation and use of premises and aims to ensure that:
- Nobody is harmed by the continuing presence of ACM in the premises or equipment
- The ACM remains in good condition
- Nobody disturbs it accidentally
Refurbishment and Demolition Survey
The refurbishment/demolition survey is required where the premises, or part of it, need upgrading, refurbishment or demolition and aims to ensure that:
- Nobody will be harmed by work on ACM in the premises or equipment;
- The work will be done by the right contractor in the right way;
The duty to manage asbestos is directed at those who manage non-domestic premises: the people with responsibility for protecting others who work in such premises, or use them in other ways, from the risks to ill health that exposure to asbestos causes.