The Risks of Asbestos on Demolition Projects

We all know about the risks attached to asbestos in buildings that were constructed before the UK-wide ban came into practice back in 1999. Understanding the need for assistance from a licensed asbestos management company will help you to come to terms with how to remain safe at all times when faced with potential disruption of asbestos-containing materials in a building. This becomes even more important when you are dealing with a building that is due to be demolished.

First, it is vital that you understand asbestos and the danger that it poses to those that breath in its fibres. Once disturbed, asbestos fibres can cause permanent damage to the lining of a person’s throat, lungs, and other organs. The problem is, that it can take many years, even decades in some cases, for any symptoms to show, by which time it is already too late for any medical help to be effective. This is why you so often see older people who have worked in industries where asbestos was present, dying years after retirement from asbestosis, mesothelioma, and asbestos-related cancers.

Even though there are a few different types of asbestos, and there was a gradual banning of asbestos-containing materials in the UK, it did take nearly 30 years for it to be banned altogether, and it had been used extensively within construction for the century or more prior to that. Although any buildings that have gone up in the last 20 years will not have asbestos present, there is a good chance that any building constructed before that will have some form of asbestos within its structure.

This becomes important when refurbishing a property, or undertaking a renovation job, but becomes an even greater concern when a building is due to be demolished. As you understand that asbestos fibres can cause fatalities when they have been breathed in, and that asbestos fibres go into the air when materials containing asbestos are disturbed, you can begin to understand how important it is to test a building for asbestos before it is demolished. If a building is demolished with asbestos inside, it could affect a large number of people working on the demolition, as well as passers-by, and other people living and working in the near vicinity.

Of course, the bigger the building, or the larger the plot of land, with potentially multiple buildings due for demolition, the bigger the problem is of asbestos getting into the air. That is why you should always contact a licensed asbestos management and asbestos removal company to thoroughly analyse the building and remove any asbestos before the structure is demolished.

At Artisan Surveyors we can provide a thorough asbestos testing service that enters your home, locating and analysing all asbestos-containing materials and designating each with an accurate piece of advice.To find out more please contact us today on 02380 982 598