Asbestos
Surveys & Testing

An asbestos survey is the starting point of any asbestos management plan and will achieve the following:

• Identify its location
• Through laboratory testing identify its type
• Ascertain its condition
• Work out how much you have and how likely it is to be disturbed

An asbestos management survey should be conducted in a manor with due concern for the sensitive nature of the work being carried out, every effort should be made to ensure minimum disruption to your organisations daily activities.

Who needs an asbestos survey?

Under the Control of Asbestos regulations 2012 and Health & Safety guidance HSG264, any non-domestic building must have an asbestos survey undertaken. Under the Act, this is the responsibility of the duty holder. This is any building used solely for commercial purposes but also includes the shared and common parts of multiple-occupancy residential premises.

Why is it important when selecting a consultancy to use an accredited (UKAS ISO 17020) inspection body to carry out your survey work? Click to learn more.

Actions and advice

In brief there are 4 types of survey that may be required as part of your overall asbestos managment plan:

1) Management Survey:

This survey covers all reasonably accessible areas and involves sampling of suspect materials to determine the presence of asbestos, the results of this survey will usually form the basis of an asbestos register and management plan.

2 & 3) Pre-refurbishment or Demolition Survey:

These surveys are conducted prior to any refurbishment or demolition project and aim to identify all asbestos items within the fabric of the building, planning is essential to ensure adequate access and equipment is in place to reach hard to access areas.

4) Annual Preventative Asbestos Audits:

This involves the re-inspection (annually) of previously identified asbestos items to ensure they remain in a safe managed condition.

How can we help?

Environmental will work with you to carry out audits of asbestos in your buildings and develop future audit plans, to ensure your data records remain current and compliant with regulation.

We will work closely with you to deliver the right format for your asbestos register. Registers can be provided as part of a estate management IT system (Asbestos Locator), or simply as a singular report in a digital or paper copy. Whatever your requirements you can rest assured our staff can meet the demands of your organisation.