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. it will depend on 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 in some way.
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.