When is an Asbestos Survey Needed?

If you own, manage or are the responsible person for a property built before 2000, you might need to arrange an asbestos survey. In this article, we will answer the popular question ‘When is an asbestos survey needed?’, and talk about the types of asbestos surveys as well as why they are so important.

Why Have an Asbestos Survey?

Managing asbestos-containing materials relies on regular asbestos surveys. It’s the property owner’s responsibility to arrange these.

In an asbestos survey, the contractors will identify all asbestos-containing materials within the property. The survey will also look at the condition of these materials, potentially sending samples away for further testing.

Knowing where the asbestos-containing materials are, and what condition they are in, is essential to keeping property occupants and workers safe.

Once you are aware of the asbestos in the building, you can make sure the right management decisions are put in place.

Types of Asbestos Survey

Management Survey

A management survey is the standard survey. It will locate and assess the condition of any asbestos in the building. Management surveys usually involve some minor disturbance, but this will vary from property to property.

Re-inspection Survey

If you’ve already had a management survey completed, you need to arrange re-inspection surveys. These contribute to the ongoing management of the ACMs. The re inspection survey checks whether the asbestos has deteriorated or suffered damage.

Refurbishment/Demolition Surveys

A refurbishment and demolition survey is needed before any refurbishment or demolition work is carried out. This type of survey is used to locate and describe, as far as reasonably practicable, all ACMs in the area where the refurbishment work will take place or in the whole building if demolition is planned. The survey will be fully intrusive and involve destructive inspection, as necessary, to gain access to all areas, including those that may be difficult to reach.