What is an asbestos survey?

Asbestos surveys are the inspection of a property or building with the aim of locating and identifying asbestos containing materials. There are three types of asbestos survey. An asbestos management survey, an asbestos refurbishment survey and an asbestos demolition survey. Any type of asbestos survey should detail the exact location of the asbestos containing materials. The survey should detail the extent and amount of asbestos. The surveyor must also include the condition of the asbestos they identify, detailing any potential risk associated with its condition. Once this information has been gathered (location, extent, condition, material, and asbestos type), the asbestos surveyor must carry out a risk assessment of any asbestos that has been identified. The asbestos survey material risk assessment will detail any risk of potential asbestos fibre release which could lead to asbestos exposure. This assessment will take into consideration the purpose of the asbestos survey. Management, refurbishment, or demolition. Asbestos surveys are undertaken for several reasons which are discussed in the ‘asbestos survey type’ section. Whatever the reason for the asbestos survey, the risk assessment should highlight the dangers, and should be relevant to your needs. Having identified the risks, the survey should give you recommendations on how to proceed. These recommendations should be tailored to you and in line with why you had the survey conducted.

What types of asbestos survey are currently available?

Oracle provide asbestos surveying services in accordance with HSE guidance HSG264 Asbestos: The Survey Guide and HSG248 Asbestos: The analysts’ guide for sampling, analysis and clearance procedures. These guidance notes which ensure compliance with asbestos regulations detail the currently available asbestos survey types which are: Asbestos Management Survey An asbestos management survey will provide you with everything you need to safely monitor and manage asbestos-containing materials. This includes the preparing an asbestos register and formulating of an effective asbestos management plan. If the asbestos containing-materials identified during this survey remain undisturbed and are in a good condition, then any asbestos risk can be effectively managed. To effectively manage asbestos which has been identified during a management survey you will need an asbestos management plan. (link to management plan) The asbestos management plan is a legally required document which will enable the risk from asbestos to be controlled. Oracle are UKAS accredited for this type of asbestos survey. For more information on this type of asbestos survey read our useful guide: What you need to know about asbestos surveys and asbestos management. Asbestos Refurbishment Survey An asbestos refurbishment survey will be needed prior to any refurbishment work being undertaken on or in any building which may contain asbestos. Asbestos refurbishment surveys are fully intrusive, and the building or areas being surveyed will usually need to be evacuated during the asbestos survey process. The asbestos refurbishment survey will contain the exact details and location of any work which is liable to disturb the fabric of a building. The asbestos survey will ensure that any materials likely to be disturbed during such work are tested for confirmation of the presence of asbestos. The survey report will include recommendations on the steps to take to reduce the risk of asbestos disturbance during the work. Oracle are UKAS accredited for this type of asbestos survey. For more information on this type of asbestos survey read our useful guide: Things you need to know about asbestos R&D surveys. Asbestos Demolition Survey An asbestos demolition survey will be needed prior to any demolition work being undertaken on or in any building which may contain asbestos. Asbestos demolition surveys are fully intrusive, and the building or areas being surveyed will usually need to be evacuated during the asbestos survey process. The asbestos demolition survey will contain the exact details and location of any work which is liable to disturb the fabric of a building. The asbestos survey will ensure that any materials likely to be disturbed during such work are tested for confirmation of the presence of asbestos. The survey report will include recommendations on the steps to take to reduce the risk of asbestos disturbance during the work. Oracle are UKAS accredited for this type of asbestos survey. For more information on this type of asbestos survey read our useful guide: Things you need to know about asbestos R&D surveys.

Why would I need an asbestos survey?

There are several reasons why you might need an asbestos survey. If you are working on or in a building constructed prior to the year 2000, or even just in control of such a building you have a legal duty under the asbestos regulations to control the risk from asbestos. The only way to control the risk of asbestos is to know where it is, its extent, its type and its condition. The only reasonable way of knowing this information is to have an asbestos survey carried out. People can be at risk of asbestos exposure for a variety of different reasons. You may think that the only people likely to be at risk of asbestos exposure are workers, contractors working within the building or in the construction industry, but this is not true. If asbestos is not managed correctly, everyone is potentially at risk. This includes visitors, and anyone entering buildings or any other places where asbestos is not managed correctly. There are laws in place to ensure that asbestos is managed correctly. So, if you manage a building or property or you’re involved in construction work, refurbishment or demolition in any shape or form you may have a legal obligation to manage the potential risks from asbestos materials. This is why you would need an asbestos survey.

Is there a legal standard for an asbestos survey?

Yes. There is a Health & Safety Executive guidance document about this. It details the required quality and provides detail on what is expected when carrying out an asbestos survey. The survey guide also details the exact information that an asbestos report should contain. This HSE guidance document is Asbestos: The survey guide HSG264. Oracle are UKAS accredited to undertake all asbestos survey types as detailed within the HSE asbestos survey guidance document. (UKAS Accredited Inspection Body No.4600)

What happens during an asbestos survey?

There are four main steps that are needed for every asbestos survey type: Step 1 The asbestos surveyor will gather as much information from you as possible. This is to make sure the type of survey you have carried out will give you what you need. This includes details about why you need the asbestos survey, details of the property (including who will be there) and any access problems which may be encountered, such as locked doors. Step 2 The asbestos surveyor will visit the site to undertake the asbestos survey. The nature of the inspection will depend largely on the type of asbestos survey being carried out. However, in general, asbestos surveyors will check every area of the property. This is carried out methodically, one area at a time, inspecting the floors, walls and ceilings. Step 3 If the asbestos surveyor locates anything which they believe to be asbestos, they will take a small sample which can be sent to a laboratory for asbestos testing and analysis. When taking asbestos samples, an asbestos surveyor will try to take them from inconspicuous areas. Samples are usually about the size of a 50p coin. Asbestos samples are then double sealed in small bags ready to go to the laboratory. During the asbestos survey, the surveyor will take relevant notes and photographs – and if not already provided, they will draw a floor plan which can be marked with any sample or asbestos locations. Step 4 The final step is to produce the asbestos survey report. Asbestos survey reports are usually electronic, and include photographs, plans and sample results. For more information on asbestos survey reports take a look at our helpful guide: Asbestos Survey Reports. Once the asbestos survey report has been quality checked, it will be sent to you. We will then contact you to discuss the asbestos survey reports recommendations. We will then walk you through the next steps and discuss your available options.

Are asbestos surveys required by law?

If you’re managing a property – or you’re involved in a process, i.e. refurbishment, demolition or maintenance, where asbestos could potentially be disturbed and pose a risk to you, the public or others and you don’t have the required information to reduce or eliminate that risk, the answer is simply ‘yes’. The current asbestos regulations are ‘The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012’ (CAR). Although survey work and requirements are not restricted to any single regulation, there is a principal section about asbestos surveys. This is Regulation 4: The management of asbestos in nondomestic premises. Details of this regulation can be found in L143 Managing and working with asbestos Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012. In brief, Regulation 4 says that anyone in control of premises or property has a legal duty to manage any risk from asbestos. To do this they must identify the risks. The only sure way of identifying these risks is by having an asbestos survey.

Asbestos Compliance Health Check

Your tool for showing you what your doing well and where you may need to improve

Protection from the dangers of asbestos starts with understanding the regulations regarding your duty to manage. Only then are you able to be fully compliant. Your compliance with the regulations helps protect you and others. That’s not just the health risks it’s also the financial and legal risks. Are you ready for that kind of protection? If yes then you are ready for your asbestos compliance health check.

Are you an asbestos expert? You probably know that as a minimum every single site built before the year 2000 requires an asbestos survey, an asbestos management plan, an asbestos action plan, asbestos duty to manage training and asbestos awareness training. But believe it or not this is just the start. That’s why we have invested so much time and money into developing our online asbestos compliance health check portal.

Let me ask you a question.

Did you know that over 70 specific items are required for full compliance with current asbestos regulations?

That’s 70 items under the duty to manage asbestos in non-domestic premises – regulation 4 of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012.

Yes, you read that correctly 70 specific items.

Unless you are an asbestos industry expert, it is unlikely that you will know what these are or if what you have is enough for full compliance.

We have carried out many hundreds of health checks and there has not yet been a case where someone has been 100% compliant, even though many thought they were. The feedback has been very positive with all customers saying that they have learnt very important facts about the finer details of the duty to manage asbestos part of the regulations.

“Oracle’s Asbestos Compliance Health Check was not only educational but immensely reassuring. It emphasised all the things we were doing right, and also highlighted manageable areas for improvement with Oracle’s unwavering support. I wholeheartedly recommend it as a vital service for peace of mind and operational safety when it comes to asbestos.”
Tony Amies – Primary Cluster Facilities and Health & Safety Manager – United Learning Trust

This online compliance health check tool has been designed with you in mind. It makes asbestos compliance easy to understand and easy to implement. If you haven’t done so already take advantage of the tool that was built especially to help you. Just give us a call on 0844 800 080 or complete the form at the bottom of this page.

Asbestos Compliance Health Checks: What you need to know

Below you will find everything you need to know about asbestos compliance health checks. If you want to know anything else or want more detail just speak to a member of the team and they will be happy to help.

How does the asbestos compliance health check work?

The asbestos compliance health check will ask you a series of questions. Your answers to these questions are entered, which then calculates a score against each of your answers.

On completion, a certificate of compliance is produced. The certificate of compliance provides an easy-to-understand, visual representation of what you are doing well and, in some cases, where you need to improve.

The asbestos compliance health check generates recommendations to ensure compliance and legal obligations under the duty to manage legislation.

How long does the asbestos compliance health check take?

Prior to a member of the Oracle team working through the asbestos compliance health check tool with you, we will send you a short email detailing what information you should have to hand.

Following this, there will be either a face-to-face or video conference meeting, where we will walk you through the process of answering the simple questions generated by the health check.

The whole process usually takes 20 to 40 minutes. I am sure you will agree that this is a very small investment of time to make sure you are protected.

What happens at the end of the asbestos compliance health check?

Once the asbestos health check is complete, the online tool produces the certificate of compliance. This is sent to you electronically for you to review. If you have any areas that need improvement, the certificate will detail recommendations and advice on what to do next.

The certificate will clearly show where you are strong and where you may need to improve. It is a useful certificate to display on your premises. It’s great for people that may have questions or concerns about how you are managing your asbestos.

It is also useful to show a visiting HSE inspector. The certificate clearly demonstrates that you clearly understand your obligations under the duty to manage part of the asbestos regulations.

What does the asbestos compliance health check cost?

If you are an existing customer, the good news is that you are eligible for the asbestos compliance health check at no cost.

If you have asked us to undertake an asbestos management survey of your premises, we will include the asbestos compliance health check as an added value item within your survey cost. So, you pay nothing for the health check.

If you are not an existing customer and are not purchasing an asbestos management survey the asbestos compliance health check cost is £250 + VAT. The good news is that as part of Oracles programme of giving back and community support, we are offering a certain number of no cost health checks every month. Contact us now and find out if you could be eligible for a no cost health check.

How do I get an asbestos compliance health check?

If you’re ready to increase your knowledge and check your compliance status, then call a member of the team now on 0844 800 0801

Alternatively, you can contact Mark Carter (Managing Director of Asbestos Management), who is heading up the asbestos compliance health check initiative, directly by email at mcarter@oracleasbestios.com

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