Most people are familiar with risk assessments, and an asbestos risk assessment is no different in principle to any other – it is simply an assessment of the risk to human health that is presented by a material which contains asbestos.
Asbestos risk assessments are normally carried out by a specialist, commonly an asbestos surveyor or consultant qualified to undertake them. However, suitably trained H&S professionals working for large organisations and public sector bodies also complete asbestos risk assessments on properties for which their organisations are responsible.
The principal components of an asbestos risk assessment include an estimate of the condition of a material which has been confirmed to contain asbestos, or which is presumed to contain it (if analysis has not been carried out), the form of asbestos (amosite, crocidolite, chrysotile etc), the type of product (fibre cement sheet, insulation board etc) and its surface treatment (how it is sealed).
These elements are scored and used to produce the first part of an asbestos risk assessment, known as a Material Assessment. This part relates entirely to the material itself, but does not take into account how a member of staff or contractor for example, might interact with the material and become exposed to asbestos fibres. So, the second part of a full asbestos risk assessment is the Priority Assessment. This will look at how an area containing ACMs (asbestos containing materials) is used, how frequently, by how many people and how they might disturb the material when they are near it.
Scoring systems for these two parts of an asbestos risk assessment are provided by HSE, and when the figures are calculated they are added together to provide an overall score. When scores for different materials within a building are compared, they provide a means of quantifying risk and create an order of priority for action to reduce exposure from that portfolio of materials.
