Asbestos Management Surveys
Identified - with samples
It is a legal requirement for any building, other than a private residence, to have a current Asbestos register. To achieve this, an Asbestos Management Survey is carried out and a record is created to include a photograph of any potential ACMs, plus the material type, extent and condition. A sample is taken for testing at an independent UKAS accredited laboratory and the subsequent results are added to the risk assessment. In some circumstances, it may not be possible to take a sample, i.e. live fuse boxes and these incidences would have to be presumed to contain asbestos, until proved otherwise. This data is then transferred to the main survey document.
Sampling ensures that only confirmed ACMs are managed. If no asbestos is found, no Asbestos Management Plan is required. If you need to carry out refurbishment or demolition work to any premises built before 2000, including domestic, then an Asbestos RD (Pre-Refurb/Demo) survey is required prior to starting work. Please call us on 01634 864550 or use the contact form for help with asbestos management surveys.
The Surveyors Guide HSG246
This guide, published by the HSE, is aimed at people carrying out asbestos surveys and people with specific responsibilities for managing asbestos under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006 (click on the image to download).
Presumed - without samples
The procedure for a presumptive survey is as detailed above, but excludes the cost and analysis of the samples.
This is rarely carried out, as it must be presumed that any suspect material contains asbestos until proved otherwise. Without laboratory analysis there are still questions unanswered and the duty holder could bear an additional cost of managing non-asbestos containing materials, making this option unlikely to be cost effective.
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