Asbestos surveys or assessments must be undertaken in all non-domestic properties constructed before 2000, and this is effectively a requirement of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006. The regulations’ main requirement is that the “duty-holder” (person responsible for the building, but this may be a landlord, tenant or owner) manages the asbestos containing materials within the property, but of course asbestos surveys are generally needed before it can determine where those materials are situated.
Asbestos surveys come in three types; Type 1, Type 2 and Type 3. A Type 1 asbestos survey is the minimum requirement of the regulations, although it may not be adequate for the needs of some insurance companies and financial organisations that increasingly require Type 2 asbestos surveys before property sale transactions can be completed.
A Type 1 survey is purely a visual inspection, and all materials used in the property will be presumed to contain asbestos unless they are very fundamental components made of wood, glass, metal etc. This is not as absurd as it sounds, as many composite substances have been manufactured with asbestos in them (floor tiles, false ceilings, roofing felt and roofing ‘slates’ being only a few). The downside of Type 1 asbestos surveys is that all of the suspect materials must then be managed and monitored by the duty-holder as if they contain asbestos, although many probably do not.
Type 2 asbestos surveys include a sampling process in which a tiny amount of each suspect material is carefully removed under controlled circumstances to avoid a potential release of fibres, and then analysed to determine asbestos content and type. The duty-holder then has a portfolio of known asbestos containing materials to manage.
Type 3 asbestos surveys are required only prior to demolitions or major refurbishments, and are more invasive and damaging to a property than Type 1 and 2 asbestos surveys.
Any of these asbestos surveys would normally be undertaken by an asbestos surveyor, qualified to at least BOHS P402 standard. The process will involve some careful research in to the premises, establishing details of its history and improvements if any. Following a general risk assessment to safeguard him, the surveyor will then examine every accessible part of the building, compiling a list of suspect materials, sketching the layout of the premises, and where necessary, taking samples of materials.
Following analysis of the samples, a report will be prepared for asbestos surveys of all kinds, and presented to the client or duty-holder. The report will contain a register of confirmed or presumed asbestos containing materials, a sketch of the premises, photographs and risk assessments of any materials sampled and recommendations concerning further action to control the risk to exposed personnel.
