Asbestos Management
Charter Health and Safety Solutions
Why do I have to undertake an asbestos survey?
The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006 (CAR 2006) and more specifically Regulation 4: Duty to manage asbestos in non-domestic properties sets a legal requirement for owners and occupiers of non domestic buildings to have an asbestos survey and up to date Asbestos Register in place. These must form the basis of a detailed asbestos management plan that outlines how you intend to monitor and manage any asbestos containing materials (ACMs) that may be present within your premises or estate.
The HSE is the body responsible for enforcing compliance with the regulations and severe penalties are awarded to persons who fail to ensure the safety of their staff and others present on site.
Many millions of tonnes of asbestos containing materials remain within premises across the UK and it
is vital to the health of employees, tradesmen and emergency
services that you are aware of the location, extent and condition of
all asbestos within your premises. If you are an employer or are
self employed and have some or all of the responsibility for
conducting repairs upon your premises you may well be the "Duty
Holder" in which case any legal responsibility for ensuring your
asbestos survey has been conducted will rest with you.
Anyone conducting repairs and routine maintenance within your premises has the potential to be exposed to any ACMs that may be present. You must make your asbestos survey available to them so that they can be sure that they are not putting themselves or others at risk from the work they are planning.
Conducting asbestos surveys will often be our client's first step toward effective asbestos management by identifying the asbestos containing materials they have within their premises.
Charter Health & Safety Solutions has a team of experienced asbestos surveyors, who each hold the P402 Proficiency Certificate in Building Surveys and Bulk Sampling for asbestos as a minimum.
To suit all requirements we offer a variety of asbestos surveys as defined in the HSE Document MDHS100. The type of asbestos survey you require will depend upon the
Type 1: Presumptive Survey - location and assessment
The purpose of a Type 1 Survey is to visually identify any Asbestos Containing Materials (ACM’s). A Type 1 Survey does not include sampling or material analysis and therefore, the risk assessment is based on a presumption of risk. Any areas which are inaccessible, or omitted from the Survey, are presumed to contain asbestos materials and the level or risk is assessed as if ACM’s are present. This type of survey may have ongoing cost and practical implications in the maintenance and management of the building, as suspected asbestos materials would need to be sampled and analysed prior to maintenance / refurbishment work
Type 2: Standard Sampling Survey - sampling, identification and assessment
This is the standard type of asbestos survey commissioned by property owners or occupiers to form a manageable register of asbestos containing materials. A Type 2 Survey is based on actual sample analysis. Rather than the presumption of ACM’s (Asbestos Containing Materials), representative samples are taken on site and analysed in a laboratory to ascertain the risks posed if ACM’s are detected. Sampling may be carried out simultaneously with the survey or, in the case of larger projects as a separate exercise. A comprehensive report for each specified area is produced detailing the location, condition, risk assessment and recommendations for remediation for asbestos materials identified, to include a photographic record and register of asbestos materials found.
Type 3: Pre-Demolition/Refurbishment Survey - full access, sampling and identification
A Type 3 Survey is the most comprehensive and can include destructive inspection techniques, wherein extensive samples are taken from all areas including those which are reasonably inaccessible. The samples are analysed in a laboratory to detect the presence of any ACM’s and the risks assessed based upon the results of sample analysis. However, it should be noted that in some cases ACM’s may be concealed within the fabric of a building which can only be positively identified once demolition has actually begun. Type 3 surveys will only be undertaken in unoccupied buildings. This type of survey is designed to be used as a basis for tendering the removal of ACM’s (Asbestos Containing Materials) prior to demolition or major refurbishment. It should be noted that a Type 3 survey will not necessarily assess the condition of asbestos materials identified, other than to note areas of damage where additional debris may be detected.