Asbestos Survey

Asbestos Survey

An asbestos survey is crucial in order to protect workmen and anyone else who may be in danger of coming in contact with this dangerous material. This was something that was once commonly used as a building material because it provided

 

so many advantages; for example it is resistant to many chemicals as well as heat. A couple of decades ago it was discovered that this material is actually very dangerous for humans, and we are still paying the price of using it for many years. We no longer use asbestos in building, but an asbestos survey is still needed to ensure that we don’t come in contact with material that is still around from the sixties and early seventies.

What are the Dangers of Asbestos?

Asbestos can actually be quite harmless so long as it is left intact. The problems occur when it gets damaged as this releases fibres within the asbestos into the air. This airborne material can be lethal because it causes a number of different diseases that affects the lungs. Old asbestos can just develop damage through normal wear and tear, but workmen are at particular risk if they are working on an area where there is asbestos. This is a very serious danger and people have died because of this material; many of them in the building trade. It is crucial that an asbestos survey is carried out to remove this risk.

What Does an Asbestos Survey Actually Involve?

When we hear the word “survey’, a lot of us will associate it with those people who stand in the middle of the high street with clipboards; hoping to find out our opinions on different issues. An asbestos survey is nothing like that. There are actually different types of asbestos survey including; location survey assessment, full access survey, and a standard survey. A location survey assessment is also sometimes called a presumptive survey and the aim here is to check out those parts of the building where it is presumed there could be asbestos. The standard survey not only involves investigating the different areas but also taking samples which will be checked for asbestos. The full access survey is a more complete investigation that will as much as possible determines if there is any asbestos present.

Some Final Thoughts on the Asbestos Survey

An asbestos survey is not just something that you do because you want to protect your workers. It is also a legal requirement and failure to take this measure could lead to severe consequences; even if there is no asbestos you could still be fined up to twenty thousand pounds for not conducting some type of asbestos survey on a building that is more than 8 years old. It just isn’t worth the risk to try to avoid this assessment, and you will find that this is something that can be arranged for a reasonable fee. In fact there is a lot of competition for this type of survey and the prices are now very competitive.