Welcome to the Bradley Environmental Asbestos Consultant FAQ Page. Below are a number of asbestos-related questions that we often get asked:
What is asbestos?
Asbestos is the common name for a variety of naturally occurring silicate minerals that are fibrous in structure. This mineral occurs in many parts of the world, the main sites of commercial asbestos mining and production are:
- Canada,
- the Soviet Union, and;
- Southern Africa.
Asbestos containing rock is crushed and milled at the mining site to produce raw asbestos of various grades.
There are six types of asbestos which fall into two category’s of fibre type. The two asbestos fibre types are Serpentine (curly, wavy fibres) and Amphibole (needle like fibres).
What does asbestos look like?
Asbestos can be present in any building built or refurbished before 2000. The materials below represent some common places where asbestos can be found. If you are unsure whether asbestos is present, don't start work. Your supervisor or the building manager should tell you if asbestos is present.
Click here for information on our Asbestos Surveys, Sample Kits and Sample Testing services.
Where can you find asbestos?
Did you know that asbestos can be found in any industrial or residential building built or refurbished before the year 2000?
Asbestos was used in many of the common types of building materials up to the year 2000.
Workers including tradespeople, construction and building workers, maintenance staff and building surveyors etc will come across asbestos containing materials during their day to day work.
The two links below show the most common areas where you can find asbestos products in an Industrial, commercial and domestic type property.
Why is asbestos dangerous?
When asbestos is in good condition, it poses no significant health risks. In fact one bright spark in America calculated that a person sitting in a building with properly maintained asbestos is more likely to be struck by lightning than to contract an asbestos-related disease.
The danger arises when asbestos is damaged - through bumps and scrapes sustained by any building over the years - or destroyed by cutting, drilling or ripping.
Why do we need an asbestos survey?
The main reason you need an Asbestos Survey is to protect any person, especially workmen, from accidentally exposing themselves and others to asbestos fibres.
If your building was constructed or altered prior to 2000, your building may contain one or more of some 3000 products manufactured that contain asbestos and therefore you will need a survey.
Within the Control of Asbestos Regulations (CAR) 2012 it clearly creates a “Duty to manage asbestos” and to manage asbestos you need to know you have got it. The asbestos survey identifies asbestos and assists the duty holder in the compilation of the management plan.
If you allow persons to disturb asbestos in your property unknowingly you are breaking the law as well as putting the health of those persons and your employees at risk.
There are many documented instances of builders, plumbers and electricians drilling through innocuous panels, or cutting into pipe insulation, only to discover later that a potentially lethal mistake has been made.
What if I don't have an asbestos survey carried out?
All employers have a duty to provide a safe place of work, both for their employees, but also others (visitors, the general public, etc). S. 2 of HSWA 1974.
In practical terms, this entails making someone responsible for ensuring that the premises are “safe”. The common term in asbestos for that person is the dutyholder.
To begin to make the premises “safe”, the dutyholder has to have some idea about whether there are any risks present on their premises. With regard to asbestos, a good starting point is to have an asbestos survey done.
Once an asbestos survey has been carried out, the dutyholder can then begin to make and implement plans and systems to ensure the ongoing safety of the occupants, while they are on the premises. In short, they will be managing their risk. This is usually achieved by producing an asbestos management plan.
Can I survey the building for asbestos myself?
Yes - but only if you are suitably qualified to do so.
How much will an asbestos survey cost?
That depends on the size and age of your building.
We may be able to quote you over the phone or by email if you have sufficient information (i.e.: building plans or measurements).
Will I be able to understand the asbestos report?
Yes, all our asbestos reports are written with the building manager in mind.
Are all asbestos surveys the same?
No, there are three different types of Asbestos Survey:
- Asbestos Management Survey (formally type 1 and type 2 asbestos survey) – Its purpose is to locate as far as reasonably practicable, the presence and extent of any suspect ACMs in the building.
- Pre-Refurbishment Asbestos Survey (formally type 3 asbestos survey) – A pre-refurbishment asbestos survey is needed before any refurbishment or demolition work is carried out.
- Pre-Demolition Asbestos Survey (formally type 3 asbestos survey) – A pre-demolition asbestos survey is needed before any demolition work is carried out.
When did the new Asbestos regulations come into effect?
The Control of Asbestos Regulations CAR (2012) came into force on 6th April 2012. These Regulations bring together the three previous sets of Regulations covering the Prohibition of Asbestos, The Control of Asbestos at Work and Asbestos Licensing.
What shall I do about an asbestos management plan?
The Government introduced the Control of Asbestos Regulations (CAR) 2012 (which superseded CAR2006) in direct response to the mortality rates associated with asbestos exposure, which are currently estimated at around 4000 deaths per year.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) hopes to reduce future exposure by ensuring compliance with Regulation 4 (Duty to Manage Asbestos) of CAR2012, whereby the Dutyholder has the responsibility of ensuring the safe management of ACMs within their premises.
The duty is not limited to an asbestos survey, but specific to safely managing asbestos by the implementation of a vigorous management process.
In summary, the Regulation requires that you monitor the condition (i.e. conduct a reinspection) of all ACMs identified within your premises and create an asbestos management plan to outline how you intend to minimise the risks associated with asbestos exposure on your site.
What asbestos training courses are available to me?
OK, I'm interested what do I do next?
For more information on the Asbestos Consultant services we provide, please email [email protected] or use our Contact Us form.
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