Asbestos survey types

The regulations are very tough and strict when it comes to asbestos, and the regulation 4 is one example. Being so dangerous because the asbestos fibres can damage your lungs and cause cancers, this is something that should be considered seriously and that’s the reason why the regulation is so important.

In this regulation 4, you will find for instance the procedure to use in case a material containing asbestos is damaged and dust is visible.

In that case, all people in the building must leave it and what they call a maintenance supervisor must then be notified of the situation that they will then assess and arrange for the areas to be evacuated and sealed off to prevent any asbestos fibres to spread.

You probably never thought about that but there are actually different types of asbestos surveys.

The first type of asbestos survey is called a location and assessment survey which is a presumptive survey.

The aim of those asbestos surveys is to actually find the presence of suspect asbestos containing material in a building and then assess their situation.

The second type of asbestos surveys is called standard sampling, identification and assessment. Here, the survey will start from the type one of asbestos survey but this time samples are taken from the site to be analysed to find if there is asbestos or not. The sampling can either take place at the same time of the survey, or can also be done at a later time if for example the asbestos surveys carried out are quite large.

The third and final type of asbestos surveys is called full access sampling and identification.

This type of asbestos survey is in fact done to locate and portray all material that contain asbestos in the specific building and is eventually going to involve a destructive inspection. For this type of survey, a completely full sampling program is going to take place in order to find out which material contain asbestos and try to estimate the volume and surfaces affected. Here, the asbestos survey is actually done as a basis for the removal of the affected materials from the building prior to demolition or major refurbishment.

Once asbestos surveys are done, all the information taken from these surveys are put into an asbestos register as well as stored electronically so it can be used in any media format. Those surveys should be carried out as soon as there is a doubt about whether you think asbestos was used in a building.