Asbestos Regulations

The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006 dictate that all commercial premises built prior to 2000 require an asbestos register.

The asbestos register is compiled by an asbestos following an in-depth inspection of the property, during which any asbestos containing materials are identified, photographed and where necessary, tested to either confirm the presence  of asbestos in a material, or most commonly, to rule it out.

Types of Asbestos Survey

There are three types of asbestos survey:

• Management Survey
• Refurbishment Survey
• Demolition Survey

The Management Survey is the most common and is what most premises will require in order to comply with the Control of Asbestos Regulations.

This type of survey is mainly visual in nature, but materials suspected of containing asbestos will be tested where necessary, according to the client’s specific requirements.

The Refurbishment Survey is required when a building is to undergo major refurbishment, so that contractors and their staff working on the property are not inadvertently exposed to asbestos fibres during the refurbishment project.

This is a more intrusive survey and the surveyor will need to know the extent of the refurbishment so that the affected areas can be adequately inspected prior to the work commencing.

If the refurbishment project involves only part of the building, then only that area needs to have the refurbishment survey – the rest of the property can be inspected under a management survey.

The Demolition Survey is similar to the refurbishment survey. It is very intrusive and some damage to the fabric of the building may be necessary in order to examine cavities, partitions etc.

Again, if only part of the premises is being demolished, the demolition survey can be limited to those areas, with the rest of premises requiring only a management survey.

Cost of Asbestos Surveys

Our prices for conducting asbestos surveys are very competitive, but because all properties are different, there is no standard price.

Rather than base a price solely on the size of a building, we take into account, the number of rooms or areas, because ultimately this gives us a better idea of the complexity of the building and we are able to calculate roughly how much time will be required on site.

It goes without saying that the price of surveying a small industrial unit will cost significantly less than a hotel.

However, we have a number of portfolio clients for whom we have a “one price fits all” arrangement, meaning that regardless of the size of premises, one uniform fee is charged per property.

For more information and immediate quotations for asbestos surveys, please call us on 0121 711 7110.

When you call, we’ll provide you with an instant quotation, but be prepared, as we will ask you the following questions:

• Where is the property?
• What type of building is it?
• What size it is approximately?
• How many rooms are there?
• What type of construction is it?
• Is the roof accessible from ladders (or can it be seen adequately from the ground?)
• Are all services live?
• Are all areas of the premises accessible?

This gives us enough initial information from which to base our quotation. A few additional questions about the site and its operation will provide us with enough information to perform a “desktop risk assessment”, which is a requirement for our safe surveying practices.

If a building is empty, we will arrange to meet you or your representative on site, or will collect keys from local agents in order to gain access and of course, we’ll return them afterwards.

Once the on-site survey is completed by our surveyors, the report and asbestos register is compiled and any sample results will be collated and included in the register. A CAD plan is produced and included withhin the register so that photographic locations can be easily identified.

Our service doesn’t end with the survey though and we are always available to provide additional information and advice to you that might be necessary.

Please remember that just because a building might contain asbestos, it doesn’t mean that it has to be removed. The purpose of an asbestos register is to help you manage the risk by identifying where it is present.