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Our highly trained and qualified Surveyors have many years’ experience in all types of domestic and commercial properties. We can offer different types of surveys to suit the individual need of your property, all in accordance with current UK legislation and HSE approved codes of practice. Our survey reports can also help to manage asbestos in a dutyholder’s premises and provide sufficient information for an asbestos register and plan to be prepared.
What are the aims of an asbestos survey?
It must as far as reasonably practicable locate and record the location, extent and product type of any presumed or known ACMs;
It must inspect and record information on the accessibility, condition* and surface treatment of any presumed or known ACMs;
It should determine and record the asbestos type, either by collecting representative samples of suspect materials for laboratory identification or by making a presumption based on the product type and its appearance etc. * The exception is Refurbishment and Demolition Surveys where information on the condition of the asbestos is usually not required, as the ACM will be removed soon after the survey. However, in circumstances where the removal will not take place for some time after the survey (e.g. more than three months), the ACMs will have to be managed during this period. In this situation, the condition of the ACMs should also be determined, and remedial action taken as appropriate.
What are the different types of asbestos surveys?
Management Survey
A management survey is the standard survey. Its purpose is to locate, as far as reasonably practicable, the presence and extent of any suspect asbestos-containing materials in the building which could be damaged or disturbed during normal occupancy, including foreseeable maintenance and installation, and to assess their condition.
Management surveys will often involve minor intrusive work and some disturbance. The extent of intrusion will vary between premises and depend on what is reasonably practicable for individual properties.
Refurbishment and Demolition Surveys
A Refurbishment or Demolition Survey is needed before any refurbishment or demolition work is carried out. This type of survey is used to locate and describe, as far as reasonably practicable, all asbestos-containing materials in the area where the refurbishment work will take place or in the whole building if demolition is planned. A Refurbishment or Demolition Survey may also be required in other circumstances, e.g. when more intrusive maintenance and repair work will be carried out or for plant removal or dismantling.
Refurbishment and Demolition Surveys will be fully intrusive and involve destructive inspections, as necessary, to gain access to all areas, including those that may be difficult to reach
Combined Survey
A Combined Survey will usually consist of two different elements of a Management, Refurbishment and/or Demolition Survey. They are typically required in properties where targeted works are planned. For example, a Refurbishment Survey may be required to locate, as far as reasonably practicable, all asbestos-containing materials within a particular room and/or location prior to planned refurbishment works. However, a Management Survey may also be required to locate, as far as reasonably practicable, the presence and extent of any suspected asbestos-containing materials in the building which could be damaged or disturbed during the planned works. In this example, a Combined Management and Refurbishment Survey would be required.
Combined Surveys will be a mixture of minor and fully intrusive inspections. The extent of the intrusion will vary significantly between premises and depend on the types of surveys that have been combined, including what is reasonably practicable for individual properties.
Re-inspection Survey
Any property previously identified as having asbestos-containing materials present should be subject to regular Re-inspection surveys.
The purpose is to undertake a re-inspection of previously identified or suspected asbestos-containing materials to assess the condition and associated risks of those materials as part of an Asbestos Management Plan – this is particularly important for dutyholders.
The condition of asbestos-containing materials within a building needs to be inspected on a regular basis, and records must also be updated with the new findings. A Re-inspection Survey is an annual event, and the timespan between each inspection must not exceed 12 months.
Is an asbestos survey necessary?
An asbestos survey is usually required to comply with current UK legislation, e.g. the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012. However, in some circumstances, an individual sample or a series of samples of suspected asbestos-containing materials may be a viable option.
Asbestos sampling may be more appropriate in identifying a single material in part of a building, or an area that was not previously surveyed and recorded in the Asbestos Management Plan.
