Everything you Need to Know About the Asbestos Management Survey

The asbestos management survey is the standard survey that an asbestos company will carry out on any building that was built or refurbished before 2000. It is designed to locate the presence of any asbestos-containing materials in the property which might be damaged or disturbed during normal occupancy, whether it is a living or working environment.

Asbestos companies also use the survey to determine whether you will need to carry out maintenance in the future or not. If you do, you’ll need to hire a reputable asbestos removal company to remove asbestos safely.

What happens during an asbestos management survey?

During an asbestos management survey, the surveyor may have to do some minor intrusive work. This may cause some disturbance. The amount of intrusive work the contractor has to do will depend on your property and what’s practical.

When the surveyor finishes, they will give you a report called a ‘Materials assessment’. This will give details of the location of any asbestos that they find in your home or business premises. It will also tell you what kind of asbestos the surveyor found.

Why should I have an asbestos management survey?

If you own business premises that were built before 2000, there are a few reasons why you must have an asbestos management survey done. We’ll explain them below.

To check the condition of asbestos

Pre-2000 properties are very likely to contain asbestos. An asbestos management survey will identify any asbestos-containing materials in the property. The surveyor will check that the asbestos will not cause any harm to anyone if you leave it alone in its current state.

To ensure that no one can disturb the asbestos

Asbestos is only harmful when it is disturbed and the spores get into the air. It is when people breathe in the spores that they can cause people to have lung problems. To make sure that this doesn’t happen, the asbestos surveyor will make sure that the right measures are in place to stop anyone from disturbing the asbestos by accident.

To see if you need any work done

The surveyor will carry out some minor asbestos disturbance. This is to see whether you need to do any remedial work to make your property safe. If the asbestos releases fibres into the air, you’ll know that you need to remove the asbestos to stop it from causing harm to anyone in the premises.

You should leave the property during an asbestos management survey

Because the management survey may cause some minor disturbance, you should leave your premises before the surveyor does the survey. They will have the correct equipment to protect themselves from potentially breathing in the spores.

Need more information about managing asbestos? The Health and Safety Executive website contains lots of useful information for home and business owners.