Asbestos Surveys For Architects

Refurbishment and Demolition Asbestos Surveys For Architects

If your architectural plans require a building to undergo refurbishment, demolition, renovation, or significant maintenance works, or restoration is required due to the age of the building, this could disturb potential ACMs in the process. As the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) states, asbestos is a risk to human health when its fibres are released into the air and inhaled. This can present serious health risks, e.g. mesothelioma, asbestosis, pleural thickening, etc.

That’s why it is a legal requirement for buildings due to undergo any of these works to have a Refurbishment & Demolition (R&D) Survey (formerly a Type 3 Asbestos Survey) carried out at the premises. An R&D survey involves a thorough, invasive, and visual inspection in order to identify and assess the presence, type, and condition of any potential ACMs present.

As this survey adopts a more intrusive sampling method, the premises must be vacant at all times, in order to comply with all relevant health and safety legislation and ensure all building users are safe. As a licensed asbestos survey company, our professional team will only take samples in accordance with the HSG264 Asbestos: The Survey Guide. Once these samples have been sent to an independent UKAS-accredited laboratory for analysis, our consultants will then be able to confirm the presence of asbestos with you and offer impartial advice on the next steps, should further action be necessary.

Asbestos Management Plans For Architects

An Asbestos Management Plan (AMP) prepares the steps the dutyholder of the building would need to take in order to manage the risk of asbestos within their premises. 

Our highly experienced asbestos consultants will start the plan by producing a history of the materials on-site and ensuring these materials have either been maintained, labelled or removed. As well as the necessary course of action, timeframes for completion will also be provided in your bespoke plan, based on a priority and material risk assessment scale. 

The dutyholder will be noted in the plan as the person responsible for managing the risk of asbestos, as well as details of the asbestos register, any previous asbestos works undertaken at the premises, and the level of communication needed to ensure the risk will be managed effectively moving forward. The tailored plan will also include any asbestos training that will be required in order to minimise health and safety risks.

Asbestos Re-Inspections For Architects

If ACMs have been confirmed at the premises following one of our asbestos surveys, depending on the condition these materials are in, it may be safer to leave them in situ (with regular compliance checks carried out to monitor potential deterioration).

This is where our Asbestos Re-Inspections come in. These services are usually advised as part of an Asbestos Management Plan, so we can assess any ACMs that have been left in situ within the building. This is especially significant for buildings that were constructed before the year 2000, as older structures can pose a higher risk of containing ACMs with deteriorated conditions, or inspection reports that have passed their expiry date.