Why survey at all?
Because the costly surprises arrive halfway through a job. A builder who finds a suspect board behind a wall has to stop, and so does everyone else on site. Knowing beforehand lets the work be planned around it, and lets any asbestos be dealt with in the right order.
The Health and Safety Executive says buildings from after 2000 are unlikely to contain any, so the question mostly applies to older houses, farm buildings, shops and flats. HSE's introduction page.
The two types
Management survey
Used when a building simply carries on being lived in or worked in. It looks for asbestos that everyday use or routine maintenance might disturb, and the results go into a register: a written list of what is where, and how good or bad its condition is.
Refurbishment and demolition survey
Required ahead of a big refit or a knock-down. It has to locate asbestos buried inside the structure, so it is destructive: surfaces are opened up, and HSE says the area must be empty while it is done. Anything found should be removed beforehand wherever that is practicable.
Where this comes from: HSE guide to arranging a survey.
Which one applies to you?
| Your situation | Likely answer |
|---|---|
| An older house, about to be extended, rewired, converted or stripped out | Refurbishment survey of the part being worked on |
| One suspect ceiling, tile or roof sheet | A lab test may be all you need (see testing) |
| A shop, office, workshop or the shared parts of flats | Management survey, to start the register |
| A building that is coming down | Demolition survey |
Commercial and other non-domestic premises, and the shared areas of blocks of flats, come with a legal duty to manage asbestos under HSE's guidance. It falls to whoever owns the building, lets it, or looks after its upkeep. HSE page on the duty to manage.
Period buildings and listed buildings
Somerset has plenty of old farmhouses, converted barns and Georgian townhouses. A building's age does not tell you what is in it. Repairs, extensions and refits over the years are the likelier hiding places. Where a building is listed, a survey is a separate matter from any listed-building consent, so ask the council about both. Bath has more on this.
Choosing the surveyor
HSE expects refurbishment and demolition surveys to be carried out by a competent surveyor, and strongly favours accredited firms. UKAS is the accreditation body for asbestos inspection in Great Britain, and samples should go to an accredited laboratory. So when the contractor rings, it is fair to ask who will do the survey, which lab they use, and what the finished report will include.
Have this ready for the call
- Roughly when the building went up
- What work you plan, and in which rooms
- Whether it is a house, flat, farm building or commercial unit
- When you need the answer