Asbestos Surveys In Birmingham

Choose The Survey For The Decision

An asbestos survey establishes the location and condition of materials within an agreed inspection scope. A management survey supports ordinary occupation and maintenance. A refurbishment or demolition survey investigates the parts that a proposed project will disturb, including concealed building fabric where necessary.

A management survey is not a general permission to strip out an office or open service risers. Tell us whether the enquiry concerns ongoing management, a purchase, a fit-out, demolition or a specific alteration. That context determines the survey brief and what access must be arranged.

HSE’s HSG264, Asbestos: The survey guide, is the relevant survey guidance. HSE strongly recommends accredited surveying organisations. Buyers should check competence, independence, resources and the proposed inspection scope rather than judge the service solely by the length of the report.

Management Surveys For Occupied Premises

A management survey looks for materials that may be damaged or disturbed during normal use, foreseeable maintenance and installation. Provide floor plans and existing registers, and describe routine tasks such as access above suspended ceilings. The survey should record the areas inspected and explain any limitations.

An inaccessible area is a decision for the dutyholder, not an empty box in a report. Agree how locked rooms, equipment housings and service voids will be addressed. Where areas remain uninspected, the resulting presumption and access restrictions need to be understood by maintenance staff.

Refurbishment And Demolition Surveys

A refurbishment or demolition survey needs the actual work drawings and specification. An instruction to investigate one room may be too narrow if new service routes will pass through neighbouring spaces. Discuss the intended depth of investigation, interfaces with existing equipment and any areas outside the contract.

These surveys can involve destructive inspection and potential disturbance, so the affected survey area must be vacated. Agree isolations, access, temporary protection and any making good in advance. The surveyor should confirm the area is fit for reoccupation following the survey.

If the construction design changes, revisit the scope before work continues. A report produced for a shallow alteration cannot automatically support deeper demolition simply because both projects concern the same building.

Read The Findings And Plan The Next Step

Check that plans, sample references and room descriptions can be matched to the premises. Read caveats before tendering remedial work and ask about any inconsistencies between photographs and location notes. The report should be usable by the person arranging maintenance and the contractor arriving to carry it out.

Survey costs depend on building size, complexity, access and the investigation type. Intrusive access, out-of-hours attendance and making good should be discussed separately where relevant. The next step might be continued management, further access, testing or removal, rather than a predetermined removal package.

Prepare Your Enquiry

Send the site postcode, building use and existing survey information with a description of the planned activity. Include any access restrictions and the person responsible for the premises. Avoid disturbing materials to obtain photographs or measurements.

Our asbestos removal Birmingham overview explains how the related services fit together. If the investigation reveals a different requirement, agree a revised scope before work is instructed rather than treating it as an informal addition to the job.