Asbestos Surveys for Public Sector Buildings

Asbestos Surveys For Social Housing

Effective Asbestos Surveys For Social Housing

Safe & Compliant Asbestos Surveys For Social Housing

The responsibility to carry out asbestos surveys for social housing lies with the landlord. This is because social housing is often under shared ownership, funded by the government and paid for through rent. Hence, it is maintained by a landlord who has a duty of care to ensure their tenants and staff remain safe. However, social housing can also be owned by local authorities or housing associations, who have the same duty of care to ensure all building users are safe from asbestos exposure.

Pillars Environmental is here to help you as a dutyholder. According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the duty to manage asbestos covers all common or shared parts of multi-occupancy domestic premises. This can include stairways, foyers and corridors.

As a licensed asbestos survey company, we have over 35 years of experience working across a multitude of domestic, commercial and industrial projects. So, there is no team better equipped to support you in remaining compliant with the latest regulations and ensuring all tenants in your building are safe.

We have a wide range of asbestos survey and management services on offer, tailored to you and your building. Our professional asbestos consultants carry out five types of asbestos management services for rented properties across England, including: Refurbishment & Demolition Asbestos Surveys, Asbestos Management Surveys (AMS), Asbestos Management Plans, Asbestos Removal Management and Asbestos Re-Inspections.

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OVER 30

YEARS OF

EXPERIENCE

SURVEYING

ASBESTOS

Refurbishment and Demolition Asbestos Surveys For Social Housing

If you are planning to refurbish, renovate, or demolish your social housing premises, any asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) within the fabric of the building could be disturbed in the process. This can lead to the release of harmful asbestos fibres which can pose serious health risks, such as mesothelioma (a cancer affecting the lining of the lungs), asbestosis, and pleural thickening, to name a few.

That’s why, if you have refurbishment or demolition works planned, it’s essential for you as the landlord or owner of the building/complex to carry out a Refurbishment & Demolition (R&D) Survey (formerly known as a Type 3 Asbestos Survey). This is not only best practice, but it is also a legal requirement according to the HSE. An R&D survey involves a detailed and invasive inspection to identify and assess the presence, type, and condition of any ACMs present.

Given the invasive nature of the survey, the building must be vacant during the process to comply with the relevant regulations and ensure the safety of all occupants. As licensed asbestos specialists, we will always follow the guidelines set out in HSG264 Asbestos: The Survey Guide when extracting samples. Once the samples have been sent off to be analysed by an independent, UKAS-accredited laboratory, we’ll be able to confirm whether asbestos is present and work with you to determine the next steps if further action is needed.

“In common parts of domestic premises, the person responsible for those areas, such as the landlord of rented accommodation, is responsible for managing asbestos.”

– The Health and Safety Executive (HSE)

Asbestos Management Surveys For Social Housing

Unlike the more visual and invasive methods used in an R&D survey, an Asbestos Management Survey (AMS) (formerly known as a Type 2 Asbestos Survey) takes a more discreet approach. This involves accessing areas like dry risers and removing ceiling tiles to identify any ACMs that could be disturbed during the normal occupancy of the premises.

Due to the less intrusive approach, the building can remain occupied during the survey. Ensuring minimal disruption, our experienced team will only take samples from vacant or unoccupied areas of your building. These samples will also be sent to an independent, UKAS-accredited laboratory for testing. Once they confirm asbestos is present, as well as the type, condition and deterioration of the ACMs at-hand, we will assess how best to move forward. Our consultants can provide guidance on how best to manage any identified ACMs, either through an Asbestos Management Plan or Asbestos Removal Management.

BESPOKE

ASBESTOS

MANAGEMENT

SERVICES

LICENSED & ACCREDITED ASBESTOS SURVEYORS

Asbestos Management Plans For Social Housing

An Asbestos Management Plan (AMP) shapes your commitment as a dutyholder to managing your legal obligations. This is done by outlining the process step-by-step in which you will ensure your tenants and staff are not exposed to the material.

Our licensed asbestos surveyors will create a history of the materials on-site and ensure that they are either maintained, labelled or removed. Along with the desired actions, timeframes for completion will also be provided in your bespoke plan, based on a priority and material risk assessment scale.

You will be noted in the plan as the person responsible for managing the risk of asbestos within the social housing premises, alongside details of the asbestos register, any previous asbestos works undertaken on-site and the level of communication required to ensure the risk of asbestos is managed effectively. Your Management Plan will also include any training that is required to ensure the asbestos risk remains low.

Asbestos Removal Management For Social Housing

Asbestos removal and repair can often be complex and time-consuming, but with the expertise of our Asbestos Removal Management team, it doesn’t have to be. Our friendly and knowledgeable asbestos consultants offer comprehensive project management support to ensure your outsourced asbestos removal works are carried out safely, efficiently, and in full compliance with the latest legislation.

Following HSE guidelines, only fully trained, competent and licensed asbestos removal contractors should handle any ACMs found on your property. In the meantime, we’ll walk you through the finer details of UK health and safety laws, helping you understand your responsibilities as a dutyholder and ensuring that your premises remain safe and compliant every step of the way.

Find out more about what our Asbestos Removal Management services include here.

THOROUGH

& DETAILED

SURVEYS

OFFERING EXPERT, TAILORED ADVICE

Asbestos Re-Inspections For Social Housing

If we detected any ACMs during your asbestos survey that weren’t in a bad condition overall, our asbestos consultants may advise you to leave them in situ, but have regular compliance checks carried out to ensure the materials do not deteriorate.

This is where our Asbestos Re-Inspection services come in. We will usually advise these services as part of an Asbestos Management Plan, as a method of assessing any ACMs that have been left in situ within your social housing site. This is extremely important 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.