UK Asbestos Survey Types

by David Carter

Asbestos In The Workplace

In the United Kingdom, since 21 May 2004 it has been a legal requirement for all commercial premises to have an asbestos management plan. The reason for this legislation is to protect workers and visitors to commercial premises from the dangers associated with asbestos, particularly if the asbestos is disturbed.

This usually means having an asbestos register compiled by a competent person (an asbestos surveyor) following a physical survey of the premises, known as an asbestos surey.

The purpose of an asbestos survey is to identify materials that may contain asbestos.

When a suspected material is discovered, a photograph is taken for entry into the asbestos register for the site. In some cases, a sample will be taken to confirm the presence of asbestos in the material.

A Quick Guide to Asbestos and Health Issues

Gerard Simington

Unless you have been completely out of touch, you have probably heard all the hubbub about the dangers of asbestos. So, what is the big deal?

A Quick Guide to Asbestos and Health Issues

Asbestos is a fibrous material that is highly resistant to burning. It has a long history. While it was first used on a large scale commercial basis at the turn of the twentieth century, it has actually been around much longer. In fact, the ancient Egyptians were known for using it burial clothes.

Common modern applications used to include building materials, products and automobile brake pads, which all required a fire resistant element. Asbestos is still used today, but on a fairly small scope. The reason has everything to do with health. Asbestos in and of itself is not harmful to people. What is harmful, however, is asbestos dust.

Asbestos dust is a vicious thing. Due to the chemical makeup of the material, the dust is like a cloud of fine glass particles. While they will not damage your skin, they do great damage to the lungs. Making matters worse, asbestos dust is so fine that it is easily raised from asbestos material like ceiling tiles and walls. Once in the air, it is all but invisible. Prolonged exposure, such as when working on or in a building with asbestos materials, can result in massive amounts of the toxic dust entering the lungs.

Once asbestos dust is in your lungs, you cannot expel it by coughing. That doesn’t mean the body does not try. Asbestosis is scarring of the lungs from acid created by the body in an effort to get the asbestos dust out. If this process is allowed to occur for 10 to 20 years, the lungs may stop functioning because of excess scarring. If that sounds bad, it only gets worse. Asbestos dust can lead to terminal cancer in the form of mesothelioma. [What is Mesothelioma?]

Asbestos is an excellent fire resistant material that saves us from burning while killing us in a much slower manner. Since 1989, it has been banned in the United States in all but a few commercial areas.

Gerard Simington is with FindAnAttorneyForMe.com - offering asbestos and mesothelioma legal information.

Asbestos sampling is not compulsory in the most basic form of survey, known as a Type 1 survey, but it is recommended that selective asbestos sampling is undertaken where asbestos presence may cause increased maintenance costs later - it is better to rule out the presence of asbestos in these cases, rather than to presume that asbestos is present.

Another type of asbestos survey is the Type 2 - this involves sampling of all materials suspected of containing asbestos, but in most cases, is not necessary for compliance with the regulations.

It is cheaper to have a type 1 asbestos survey with selective asbestos sampling than it is to have a type 2 asbestos survey, though not all asbestos surveyors offer this option and will insist on conducting a more expensive type 2 asbestos survey.

A Type 3 asbestos survey is required on premises that undergoing major refurbishment or are due for demolition.

The Type 3 asbestos survey is an intrusive survey and involves some inevitable damage to the fabric of the building.

A Type 3 asbestos survey involves extensive asbestos sampling, as it is the surveyor's duty to find all asbestos containing materials in the area concerned.

This is the most expensive asbestos survey type simply because it takes a lot longer to carry out than a type 1 or 2 asbestos survey, which are both non-invasive.

About The Author

David Carter is a UK based asbestos surveyor and consultant. He is a director of AsbestosServices.com Ltd, a specialist UK asbestos consulting firm able to advise on all aspects of asbestos management, surveys and removal.

If you would like to discuss the options available to you, or would like specific advice about asbestos surveys, please visit www.AsbestosServices.com.

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