REFURBISHMENT/DEMOLITION ASBESTOS SURVEY

A refurbishment and demolition survey is needed before any refurbishment or demolition work is carried out. A refurbishment and demolition survey may also be required in other circumstances, e.g. when more intrusive maintenance and repair work will be carried out or for plant removal or dismantling.

There is a specific requirement within the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 (Regulation 7) stating that for final demolition or major refurbishment of premises, the plan of work must, so far as is reasonably practicable, specify that asbestos must be removed before any other major works begin, unless removal would cause a greater risk to employees than if the asbestos had been left in place.

KEY POINTS:

• This type of survey is more technically demanding than the general Management level survey
• The aim is to locate all ACMs within the proposed work area, as far as reasonably practicable
• It will include aggressive inspection techniques to access all parts of the building such as floor, ceiling and wall voids
• The survey report should be supplied to designers & contractors in good time prior to the commencement of works

POINTS TO CONSIDER:

• Always check the experience & competency of the actual surveyor (not the company) for this type of survey. DAF are specialists in this type of inspection with hundreds of projects completed
• Check to ensure the survey will be carried out in accordance with the guidance document issued by the Health & Safety Executive – HSG264 Asbestos: The Survey Guide.
• Ask for evidence of previous work
• Think about re-instatement costs – some non-asbestos material will be damaged during the survey
• This type of survey should take longer and require more samples than a standard Management level survey so will cost more
• Speak to an expert first to determine whether you actually need this type of survey.