Artisan Insight; Why You Need an Asbestos Survey
There is still a prevalent theme amongst property owners, investors and custodians of property that asbestos management is an ever-changing landscape, which although highly regulated, can be a minefield of information.
At Artisan Environmental we have broken down the most notable purpose for asbestos surveying throughout some of the property types we deal with.
Let’s start with the fact that all non-domestic properties built or refurbished prior to the year 2000 are legally obliged to carry out an asbestos assessment, and if asbestos is identified then to manage the risk accordingly.
Many people are unaware of their legal obligations, but these are often flagged to them when they try to make, in some cases, minor adjustments to the property or when obtaining cover such as acquiring insurances, selling property, contractor led refurbishments or remediation works following fire or flood damage.
Below is a breakdown of some of the top reasons we undertake asbestos surveys for a selection of property types:
Churches
- Legal duties, i.e. compliance with CAR 2012.
- Prior to obtaining specialist insurance e.g. ecclesiastical
- Specialist service/refurb work e.g. asbestos is often found to church organ components as well as various parts of the building structure and HVAC.
Privately owned domestic buildings;
- Buying/selling
- Property development
- DIY/major refurbishment
At Artisan Environmental we undertake a significant number of surveys for people looking to buy a property. Quite often a home-buyers survey will flag up potential asbestos materials, which may require more specialist investigation or sampling. This comes with additional time and expense, however often helps to mitigate risks of exposure during refurbishment, and from incurring potentially hefty asbestos removal costs.
The Control of Asbestos Regulations do not apply for DIY in a privately-owned home, but homeowners undertaking DIY are at considerable risk of exposure to asbestos if they undertake work themselves.
Educational establishments;
- Notwithstanding their legal obligation to assess and manage under the regulations, the risk of exposing young people and staff to asbestos should be a massive motivator, but often asbestos management gets forgotten. This can happen for many reasons e.g. prioritising educational needs over facilities, the lack of a suitable appointed person (such as a H&S or compliance officer), reduced budgets etc. This subject often makes national news once a year when a teacher unfortunately dies from an asbestos related disease resulting from exposure to asbestos whilst at work.
If you are responsible for any of the above property types, or any other commercial or industrial buildings or sites, then contact a member of our team to ensure you are covered.