Asbestos Surveying – A Serious Exercise For Building Safety

Concern about harmful repercussions that asbestos exposure can have on people has resulted in a stern regulatory regime regarding the use of this substance. Governments all around the world do not permit the use of any kind of asbestos, although white asbestos is used in some specific industries. In the UK, the law makes it mandatory to conduct asbestos surveys of all buildings constructed or refurbished before the year 2000.

Asbestos surveys involve finding out whether there is any trace of asbestos in the materials used during construction. Based on the results of the survey, the risk of exposure to any asbestos-containing materials, which might undergo degradation, needs to be controlled. Moreover, the survey makes sure that no harmful asbestos fibres are permitted to escape into the air, thereby compromising the safety of the people.

Depending on the objective and methodology, asbestos surveys can be of three kinds. In Type 1, all reasonably accessible areas (including lift shafts, service ducts etc) of a structure are assessed for presence of asbestos, assuming that all locations where asbestos has not been found absent must contain it.

The motive of conducting a Type 2 survey is the same as above, but in this case, materials suspected for asbestos presence are examined in a lab.

A Type 3 survey is conducted for the purpose of removing asbestos containing materials from a structure. It is performed before any demolition or major refurbishment takes place, so that asbestos containing debris can be handled safely, without putting workers and nearby residents in danger.

Failure to perform an asbestos survey can result in huge fines, which, for building owners in the UK, can often go up to 20,000. Besides, not conducting the surveys can also lead to a loss of credibility of a firm involved in the construction business, which might take years to repair.

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