Asbestos Management Survey
An Asbestos Management Survey is designed to locate as far as reasonably practicable the extent and presence of Asbestos Containing Material’s within your building.
By having an Asbestos Management Survey this will identify any Asbestos Containing Material’s that may be damaged or disturbed during everyday occupancy.
A risk assessment of the Asbestos Containing Material’s will be made and documented via an asbestos register.
Management surveys will often involve minor intrusive work and some disturbance. The extent of intrusion will vary between premises and depend on what is reasonably practicable for individual properties, i.e., factors such as the type of building, the nature of construction, accessibility, etc.
An Asbestos Management Survey should include an assessment of the condition of the various Asbestos-Containing Materials and their ability to release asbestos fibres into the air if they are disturbed or damaged.
This material assessment will give a good initial guide to the priority for managing Asbestos Containing Materials, as it will identify the materials, which will most readily release airborne fibres if they are disturbed.
An asbestos Management Survey may involve some sampling and analysis to confirm the presence or absence of Asbestos Containing Materials.
Sometimes an Asbestos Management Survey can also involve presuming the presence or absence of asbestos. A management survey can be completed using a combination of sampling Asbestos Containing Materials and presuming Asbestos Containing Materials or, indeed, just presuming.
What next?
Your legal duty does not end here, An Asbestos Management Plan is specifically required under Regulation 4 (Duty to Manage) of the Control of Asbestos Regulations (CAR 2012). An Asbestos Management Plan should be created which will outline how you intend to manage your asbestos or minimalise the risks posed.
Also as part of your duty to manage (Regulation 4) all Asbestos Containing Material’s found within the asbestos survey will require annual re-inspection to monitor the condition and then amend the asbestos management plan accordingly.
Asbestos Management Survey – Remember:
- Any building built before 2000 may potentially contain Asbestos
- An Asbestos Management Survey is designed to locate as far as reasonably practicable the extent and presence of Asbestos Containing Material’s within your building.
- A risk assessment of the Asbestos Containing Material’s will be made and documented via an asbestos register.
- Asbestos will only become a problem when it’s been damaged or disturbed and the fibres become airborne.
- Non Domestic buildings must have an Asbestos register or report ACM’s that have been identified in the initial survey have to be managed and the register updated regular.
An Asbestos Management Plan should be created which will outline how you intend to manage your asbestos or minimalise the risks posed.
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Frequently Asked Questions?
An Asbestos Management Survey is used to identified asbestos materials within a property where you are looking to safely manage asbestos. This is usually the first step towards compliance under the duty to manage asbestos in non-domestic properties.
The purpose of these surveys is to locate the presence, extent and conditions of suspect asbestos containing materials which could be damaged or disturbed during normal occupancy, including foreseeable maintenance.
This survey will often involve minor intrusive work and some disturbance, including the collection of suspect asbestos samples. This survey is not adequate if you are planning any intrusive or destructive refurbishment or upgrades which can include major maintenance works.
Surveys need to be carried out methodically, systematically and diligently to make sure all asbestos is identified and all areas of the premises are inspected. This can take from as little as an hour to days, weeks, months or even years to complete.
An example of an asbestos survey methodology would be:
External areas:
- Work downwards from high to low.
- Work from the periphery inwards.
Internal areas:
- Work downwards from roof to basement.
- Inspect each area individually.
- Work around each area clockwise from the door of entry.
- Inspect each component inside each compartment in the following order: ceiling, walls, floors, fixtures and fittings, equipment and services.
- Look at each item individually.
General:
- Check and inspect everything.
- Sample and take photographs as you go along.
- Recheck areas which are complex or have many items.
- Final walk-through, checking notes against plans.
This depends on a number of factors. When determining how much an asbestos management survey costs some factors such as the type of building, the use of the building, the size of the building (square metre/square foot) and the age of the building need to be considered.
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It is not a legal requirement to have an asbestos management survey. However, it is a legal requirement to "manage asbestos" in all non-domestic premises. This is detailed under Regulation 4, Duty to manage asbestos in non-domestic premises - Control of Asbestos Regulation 2012.
Asbestos management surveys have an important role in assisting you with safely managing the asbestos within your building. They are usually considered the first step towards managing asbestos. To effectively manage your asbestos and prevent people from damaging or disturbing it, you first need to know where it is, what extent it is and what condition it is in. An asbestos survey will provide this information.
This will depend on the type of the survey you’re having.
Generally, asbestos management surveys can be carried out during normal occupation with minimal disruption. If we need to take samples of suspect materials, we may need to ask you or your occupants to leave the room.
Don’t worry though because our surveyors are trained to ensure that this is completed safely and can work round your requirements to keep your operations up and running.
Asbestos refurbishment surveys and demolition surveys are intrusive. Generally, these will need to be undertaken in unoccupied areas/buildings. This really is for your safety and the safety the occupants normally present within these areas. Because of the instructive nature of these surveys, we must use intrusive surveying techniques to open elements of the building to inspect for suspect asbestos materials.