If you have ever required an asbestos survey to be undertaken at your commercial or residential property, there may be a chance that you’ve come across an asbestos re-inspection survey too.
Alongside refurbishment & demolition (R&D) surveys and asbestos management surveys, asbestos re-inspections form an integral part of keeping your property safe from the risk of asbestos exposure. But, how does an asbestos re-inspection differ from the other types of asbestos surveys, and what is its purpose? Carry on reading this article to learn more!
Asbestos Re-Inspections Explained
Asbestos re-inspection surveys are often formed as a key part of asbestos management plans and are tailored to your own specific circumstances within your property.
During an asbestos re-inspection survey, professionals will review your asbestos management plan and re-inspect any noted asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) present. This includes any changes to the materials in question, followed by any further course of action as a result.
Asbestos re-inspections are an essential part of asbestos maintenance, which is especially important if you are a building dutyholder and therefore have a legal responsibility to periodically inspect the status of any asbestos-containing materials. The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 note that dutyholders should manage their asbestos risk ‘as far as reasonably practicable’, and re-inspections are an effective way to manage this.
By having regular asbestos re-inspections undertaken at your property as advised by an asbestos management plan, you will be complying with important regulations and ensuring the health and safety of any building occupants.
Do I Need an Asbestos Re-Inspection?
If you have previously had an asbestos survey carried out at your premises, and asbestos-containing materials were detected in the process, you may have been advised by surveyors that the ACMs remain in situ.
Providing the materials are in an overall good condition at the time of inspection, this is a common course of action for building owners (as opposed to any unnecessary asbestos remediation or removal).
However, ACMs left in situ require frequent checks to ensure that their condition has not deteriorated or been damaged over time. If they have worsened, the asbestos-containing materials could potentially pose a threat to the health of building occupants, where they hadn’t previously. In this case, an asbestos re-inspection survey will detect this and will provide updated documentation about the condition of your ACMs.
How Often Do I Need Asbestos Re-Inspections?
As with many aspects of asbestos management, the answer will vary depending on your individual asbestos-containing materials. As a general rule of thumb however, it’s often advised that asbestos re-inspections are carried out at least every 12 months.
If your ACMs are located in a high-traffic area of your property and are more likely to be damaged, then more frequent re-inspections may be required as a result.
In Need Of An Asbestos Re-Inspection?
We hope we’ve answered some of your queries about asbestos re-inspections in this article! At Pillars Environmental, we are experts in the compliant and safe surveying of asbestos-containing materials for both commercial and residential properties across England. We can help you keep up to date with the condition of your ACMs, get in touch with us today for your free quote.
