If work is going to be performed amongst asbestos-containing materials (materials that are either known or contain asbestos or presumed to contain asbestos), then as part of the Health and Safety Management process an asbestos survey needs to be carried out before any work is undertaken. The main purpose of an asbestos survey is to find any asbestos-containing materials and record the amount of asbestos in its location. You will need to document how accessible the asbestos is, it’s condition and if there are any surface materials. Finally, identify what type of asbestos the materials may contain. There are two types of asbestos surveys. First, one being a Management Survey this is aimed at managing the risk of asbestos-containing materials during the day to day use of the premises. The survey is designed to ensure no one disturbs the asbestos-containing material accidentally, and no harm comes to anyone due to the presence of the asbestos. The other survey is Refurbishment/Demolition Survey, this type of survey is required when work is proposed to disturb any existing building fabric. A professional surveyor is normally required to perform this type of survey. It aims to ensure no one will be harmed by work on asbestos-containing materials and the work required will be done by the right contractor, in the correct way. Putting together an Asbestos Survey may seem like a waste of time and resources, especially if the work required is minor; however, as the case above shows, failure to perform adequate risk assessment when it comes to work being done on or around asbestos-containing materials can result in harsh fines from the court.
