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, prticularly 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.
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.
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