Do I need an Asbestos Survey?

For many buildings it is a legal requirement to conduct an asbestos survey, this means if you fail to comply you could be breaking the law. The main objective of an asbestos survey is to identify if there is asbestos in the building and note where it is. Knowing this information could save lives, as asbestos kills. In this blog, you’ll find out when you need an asbestos survey.

An asbestos survey will be required if:

• The building was built before 2000
• It is a non-domestic building
• Public areas of domestic buildings
• You are planning construction work

The building was built before 2000

When deciding if you require an asbestos survey, the first thing to consider is the age of the building. Asbestos was banned in the UK in 1999, therefore if the building was constructed in 2000, or later it should not contain asbestos.

Any building constructed before 2000 may have been built using asbestos materials. Asbestos was a popular material used for cement, insulation, doors, ceiling panels and so much more. Asbestos fibres are very difficult to see with the naked eye, hence the reason for an asbestos survey. One of the things your asbestos surveyor will do during your survey is take samples, these will then be sent to a lab for testing. At SE Asbestos, we only use UKAS accredited laboratories.

Non-domestic buildings

The Control of Asbestos Regulations (CAR), Regulation 4, details the duty of building owners and managers to manage asbestos in non-domestic buildings. A non-domestic building includes workplaces, factories, offices, hospitals and schools. In short, a non-domestic building is any building that is not a home. 

To comply with legal requirements, the duty holder of a non-domestic building must conduct a survey to identify if asbestos is present in the building and the condition it is in. For non-domestic buildings, a management asbestos survey would be required. For more information on management asbestos surveys, take a look at our website or contact our team.

Public areas in domestic buildings

CAR also states that the duty holder of domestic buildings, such as flats, has a duty to manage asbestos in public areas of domestic buildings. A public area would include corridors or reception areas. If you are a duty holder of a domestic building that has public areas, you will be required to carry out a management asbestos survey to determine if asbestos is present.

If you are planning construction work

If you are considering construction work in a building you are the duty holder of, you are legally required to conduct a refurbishment and demolition asbestos survey. Asbestos is most dangerous when it is disturbed, that is why it is vital that a thorough survey is carried out by an asbestos surveyor before any construction work is carried out. This applies to both domestic and non-domestic buildings, and it does not matter what kind of construction work you are carrying out, you must carry out a refurbishment and demolition asbestos survey.

If you have any further questions regarding when you need an asbestos survey, or would like to book a survey with one of our surveyors please contact us.