The Importance of Conducting an Asbestos Survey
Any property built prior to 2000 may have been constructed using asbestos-containing materials (ACMs). If your property contains ACMs, you have an obligation to ensure they pose no threat to others. This can be done, in part, with regular asbestos surveys.
In this article, we will discuss the importance of asbestos surveys, who is responsible for them, and when they need to be conducted.
The duty to manage
Under Section 4 of the Control of Asbestos Regulations (CAR) 2012, you will find legislation concerning the duty to manage asbestos. It applies to people who manage non-domestic properties that were built prior to 2000. Properties built after this date are exempt, as this follows the ban on ACMs in construction. A duty to manage means you are legally responsible for protecting others against the risk of exposure to asbestos. This means you are required to protect employees, visitors, and anybody else who might use the premises.
Properties that fall under this legislation
The law refers explicitly to non-domestic properties, which means all kinds of industrial, commercial, and public buildings. That includes factories, offices, schools, care homes, hospitals, warehouses, medical clinics, leisure centres, government buildings, churches, and more.
Certain domestic properties also fall under the legislation. If you rent out a property containing ACMs, you are responsible for ensuring the health and well-being of your tenants as it pertains to asbestos. Likewise, if you own a building that contains flats or apartments, even if these are privately owned by their occupants, you will be responsible for ACMs in any communal areas. These might include corridors, roof spaces, foyers, yards, utility rooms, staircases, and lift shafts, for instance.
Privately-owned homes
If you own your own domestic property outright, you have no legal obligation to hold asbestos information about your home. However, if you are planning refurbishment or renovation work (including home extensions and loft conversions), it is recommended that you undertake an asbestos survey to protect yourself and any contractors or workers involved in the project. Similarly, many lenders are now insisting that an asbestos survey be taken out on any domestic property prior to purchase.
How to comply with the law
To ensure you are meeting your duty to manage asbestos, you need to find out if your premises contain asbestos. This should be in the original building plans, which will be with the deeds to your property. You should be able to get copies of this from your solicitor, your lender, or the Land Registry. If the property was built with ACMs, you will need to assess the risk it presents to you and others, then make a plan to manage that risk moving forward. Both of these steps can be achieved with an asbestos survey.
What is an asbestos survey?
A professional asbestos survey will assess any ACMs in your property, confirming how accessible they are, their general condition, and whether they require any surface treatment. It will also confirm the types of asbestos in your property and the risk it poses to individuals. Finally, the survey will propose a recommended course of action for managing or dealing with the ACMs. This may include recommending some encapsulation or repair work to minimise the risk.
If any structural work is to be undertaken, a refurbishment or demolition survey will need to be conducted. While a regular asbestos survey ensures that any ACMs are safe while they remain untouched, a refurbishment or demolition survey highlights the risks to workers and tradespeople during any renovation or demolition work and how best to resolve the matter.
Get in touch
If you have a duty to manage asbestos in your building or need an asbestos survey for any other reason, get in touch with Dromore Safety Services Ltd today. Call the team on 07717 210 323 to discuss your situation and arrange the appropriate survey.
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