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If the building was built before 2000 then you are required by law to carry out an Asbestos Survey.

The Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations (CAWR) 2002 place a legal duty on anyone with responsibility for the maintenance and repair of non-domestic premises and common areas of rented domestic premises to:-

• Establish whether asbestos is present and where it is located 
• Assume that asbestos is present unless proved otherwise 
• Record all findings and assumptions 
• Monitor the condition of any asbestos 
• Implement plans to manage the risk from any asbestos 

If asbestos containing materials are found the duty is to maintain the risk. It may not be necessary to remove any asbestos found but to record the condition, monitor and manage.

Asbestos can be present in many building materials including:-

• SPRAYED COATINGS; on steel works, concrete walls and ceilings, for fire protection & insulation
• LAGGING; insulation on pipework boilers & ducts 
• INSULATION BOARDS; in partitions, fire doors & ceiling tiles 
• ASBESTOS CEMENT PRODUCTS; sheeting on walls and roofs, tiles, cold water tanks, gutters, pipes & decorative plaster finishes

People at risk are usually contractors carrying out maintenance, refurbishment or building works on site. Once asbestos is disturbed asbestos fibres become airborne and are breathed in. Only one fibre is required to kill.

There are three types of asbestos survey available:-

Type 1 - The purpose of Type 1 Asbestos Surveys is to locate, as far as reasonably practicable, the presence and extent of any suspect ACMs in the building and assess their condition. This survey essentially defers the need to sample and analyse for asbestos (or the absence thereof) until a later time (eg prior to demolition or major refurbishment).

Type 2 - The purpose and procedures used in Type 2 Asbestos Surveys are the same as for Type 1, Asbestos Survey except that representative samples are collected and analysed for the presence of asbestos. Samples from each type of suspect ACM found are collected and analysed to confirm or refute the surveyor’s judgment.

Type 3 - The Type 3 Asbestos Surveys principal used is to locate and describe, as far as reasonably practicable, all ACMs in the building and may involve destructive inspection, as necessary, to gain access to all areas, including those that may be difficult to reach. A full sampling program is undertaken to identify possible ACMs and estimates of the volume and surface area of ACMs made.