Does your property need an asbestos survey?
Asbestos can have harmful effects on you and your family, some of which are lethal – so it’s best to have your home checked out by a professional before the material becomes airborne.
Asbestos can kill - make sure
your home is safe
Asbestos is a naturally occurring silicate material that grew in popularity as an effective building material throughout the twentieth century, thanks in large part to its resilient strength and sound proofing qualities. Only by the 1970’s were the significant health risks of using asbestos-based materials starting to be acknowledged. If the substance is disturbed and becomes airborne it becomes highly dangerous. Released fibres can cause among several illnesses: irreversible scarring of the lungs; pleurisy; and asbestosis, which can lead to lung cancer and mesothelioma (a rare form of cancer that damages internal organs). The EU officially banned the use of asbestos in Europe in 1999, but unfortunately it still remains in many UK homes today.
You may be unsure about the amount of asbestos in your home; it’s best, however, to put your mind at rest and hire a specialist contractor to carry out a survey. Under the Control of Asbestos Regulations Act 2006, an asbestos survey is a legal requirement for all newly acquired non-domestic commercial buildings; so whether you’re buying a new property or simply want your existing home checked for you and your family’s safety, a professional will be able to locate and identify the type of asbestos under properly controlled regulations and judge the extent to which the building is compromised. If you want to locate the asbestos yourself to save time, fraying or peeling, or an accumulation of dust on walls is usually a clear sign; do not, however, disturb the area. Asbestos is extremely dangerous and can be found in a number of obscure places in the home, including:
- Thermal and acoustic insulation
- Walls, partition walls and ceiling linings or tiles
- Attics and cement roofing
- Drain pipes and guttering
- Floor tiles and bath panels
- Ventilation ducts
- Insulation boards
- Electrical fuse boards and switch gear
- Toilet cisterns and water tanks
Before you start searching for a professional, you should also think about how extensive you want the survey on your property to be, as this can affect both the recommendations for removal and the amount you will have to pay before further action is taken. There are three main types of asbestos survey:
- Location and assessment – the simplest kind of asbestos survey involves the hired contractor locating the main body of asbestos in the building through visual means and then suggesting plans for its removal. Although no samples are taken the survey prevents any immediate damage to areas of your property suspected of harbouring asbestos.
Hire a professional to carry out
an asbestos survey on your property
- Sampling and identification – the surveyor locates the source of asbestos, and then takes a small sample in a specially designed double sealed bag container to be analysed and tested in a laboratory. Once the type and strength of the asbestos found in the property is determined (or if its presence is in fact refuted), you can choose whether or not to have the material removed or merely encapsulated (a less expensive method whereby the material is encapsulated into a protective adhesive). The contractor will be able to advise the preferable course of action depending on the potential impact of the asbestos found.
- Full access sampling and identification – this type of survey is preferable for buildings before a major refurbishment, renovation or design overhaul. The contractor will be able to provide a comprehensive list of the types of asbestos found throughout the property and outdoor premises, including a breakdown of the harmful elements within the substance, and make a number of suggestions for encapsulation or removal based on your own wishes regarding the restoration or re-design of your home. Despite this survey being the most thorough, it is also destructive, involving a number of intrusive methods which are capable of detecting concealed spaces that may contain asbestos.
Hiring a contractor for asbestos surveys
When you are in the process of hiring a contractor, remember to check references and quotes to make sure you get the best deal for your money. The most qualified surveyors should also have a license obtained from the HSE (Health and Safety Executive – the National independent watchdog regulator for asbestos inspection and removal, among other construction-based health and safety risk assessments). Due to the strict laws and controls imposed on dealings with the substance, an asbestos survey can be quite expensive; although the simple location and assessment plans can cost as little as £200-300, the full-access inspections and sampling can be as expensive as £10,000 – although this will all depend on the size and age of your home. Once you have carefully considered all your options and hired your preferred surveyor, your home can be free of asbestos and all the associated health hazards that come with it!
