Asbestos Surveys

The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006 (CAR 2006) includes Regulation 4

"Duty to manage asbestos in non-domestic properties"

This is a legal requirement for owners and occupiers of non domestic buildings to have an Asbestos Survey and up to date Asbestos Register in place. With this register you need to provide a comprehensive management plan to show how you are managing your asbestos going forward. If you own your property or you have a full repairing lease you will also have the "Duty of Care". This means that you will be responsible for producing the register. The register is used to enable your visiting contractors and staff to know where asbestos is in your building.

Over 4000 people every year die from asbestos related diseases, by registering where your asbestos is you can help to reduce these figures.

We offer independent, specialist surveyors who are fully qualified to both P402 & P405 level. They can conduct your asbestos survey and produce your asbestos register for you. We provide both types of asbestos surveys as recommended by the HSE under HSG264 guidelines which will enable you to have an asbestos register.

Management Survey

This type of survey is the most common form of asbestos survey undertaken. Its purpose is to locate, as far as is reasonably practicable, the presence and extent of any suspect ACMs in the building which could be damaged or disturbed during normal occupancy, including foreseeable maintenance and installation, and to assess their condition.  This also requires the surveyor to identify any installations on a site that she/he suspects may contain asbestos.  However, these installations are then sampled (this may require several samples depending on size and complexity of the suspect installation) and analysis of the samples are carried out at a UKAS accredited laboratory, which allows confirmation of whether the sampled materials definitely contain asbestos or are asbestos free. Visually similar homogenous materials are then referenced to sampled materials, and are `strongly presumed' to be the same material i.e. contain asbestos or not, as the sampled material.

Management surveys will often involve minor intrusive work and some disturbance. The extent of intrusion will vary according to the premises. Management surveys include an assessment of the condition of the various ACMs and their ability to release fibres into the air if they are disturbed in some way.  The survey will generally require suspected ACMs to be sampled and analysed to confirm the presence or absence of asbestos. However a management survey can also involve presuming the presence or absence of asbestos.

All areas should be accessed and inspected as far as is reasonably practicable when carrying out Management Surveys.  Areas should include underfloor coverings, above false ceilings, and inside risers, service ducts, lift shafts etc. Surveying may also involve some minor intrusive work, such as accessing behind fascia and panels and other surfaces or superficial materials. The extent of intrusion will depend on the degree of disturbance that is or will be necessary for foreseeable maintenance and related activities, including the installation of new equipment/cabling.

Refurbishment/Demolition Survey

A Refurbishment/Demolition Survey extends the ‘Management Survey’, to include investigations into all reasonably accessible sealed voids and the fabric of the building.  This survey includes breaking through partition walls, ceilings etc. to confirm the presence or absence of asbestos and, normally, this is carried out prior to demolition or refurbishment works where significant damage to the building will not be a problem.  This will result in damage to stud partition walls, plasterboard ceilings, wood riser covers, doors, computer floors, carpets, kitchens, bathrooms etc. The damage caused by this type of survey is kept to a minimum, but in some cases requires reinstatement, which is not included in the survey unless pre-arranged. A Refurbishment/Demolition Survey shall only be carried out if safe to do so - for example if there are live services inside a building, access may not be possible to certain areas and may require a further visit in the future.

This survey type shall result in a more accurate survey, but will again take more time and hence entail a greater cost. In addition, an asbestos register is not included in this type of survey, as it is presumed that all asbestos materials identified are to be removed to facilitate the refurbishment or demolition works.

HSG264 Compliance: All Asbestos surveys we undertake follow the criteria set out in HSG264,  the method of Determining Hazardous Substances and comply with the (CAR) The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006, and the supporting (ACOP) approved code of practice.

Please view a sample Asbestos survey report here

Please view a sample of a Asbestos management plan here

For free advice and a free quotation on any of the above ring us now on 0800 980 7585