Frequently Asked Questions

Asbestos is a naturally occurring fibrous silicate mineral which has unique properties that make it useful in building construction. Asbestos was mined in many countries around the world. Industrial use started in the 1870's and it was used in over 3,000 products until its ban in the UK in 1999. The first health concerns were raised in 1898, and subsequently asbestos has killed millions of people since. Click Here for more

Asbestos fibres have numerous properties such as high strength, chemical & fire resistance, and good insulation properties. When added to other materials it was used to create very effective building products. It doesn't rot and products were cheap, leading to high use in the post war building boom.

When disturbed, asbestos fibres split down in to invisible sub-micron particles which are easily inhaled and generally speaking, the body cannot breakdown these tiny fibres. Decades later incurable debilitating diseases may develop such as: asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma. Approximately 240,000 people die per year from asbestos related diseases.

If you are responsible for maintenance or repair of your non domestic premises, you are legally required to manage asbestos, and have an assessment carried out as to the location and condition of asbestos materials. You must also have an asbestos register and a management plan and keep both up to date (at least annually). If you are planning refurbishment works, and do not have a relevant refurbishment or demolition survey, you must by law presume that all materials are asbestos until a suitable survey has been carried out.

If your asbestos is in good condition and is regularly inspected as part of your management plan, then in conjunction with appropriate air monitoring (as required), the risk from the material is low. However if the material is not monitored, or if it is disturbed, then you and other building occupiers could be at risk, and possibly subject to HSE prosecution.

If the asbestos is in poor condition or is likely to be damaged by normal occupation or refurbishment works, then you must take action.

The basic asbestos surveying certificate (the P402) is aimed at individuals trained to take samples for their employer after attending a 3-day course and a period of supervision. However, this does not make these individuals professionally qualified, nor are they necessarily equipped to write a survey report. They may not have the years of experience required to properly identify asbestos in your building or to provide competent advice. A competent asbestos consultant will have undergone years of training and hold university-level equivalent qualifications in asbestos. These individuals are identified by holding the coveted BOHS Certificate of Competence in Asbestos (CoCA). All our associates hold the CoCA.

All workers who may disturb asbestos in the course of their work, or who supervise workers, must have received asbestos awareness training. The HSE suggest that 85,000 workers regularly disturb asbestos in the course of their normal work. With this in mind, good quality competent asbestos awareness training by asbestos specialists is essential.

In the work place, certain asbestos products are licensed and must only be removed by licensed contractors. Other products are non licensed and may be removed providing that the operatives have had training, have a risk assessment and a method statement. Some of this work will require notification to the HSE. Contact us for clarification and training.

Laboratories carrying out analytical testing for asbestos must have accreditation, and we always use UKAS-accredited laboratories for sample analysis.

While UKAS accreditation is available for larger asbestos surveying organisations, it is not a requirement for asbestos surveys. Individual surveyors cannot obtain UKAS accreditation, so the most important factors are the qualifications, experience and competence of the person conducting your survey.

To maintain high standards, we have external auditors who regularly review our survey work. You can read more about the wider debate around accreditation, competence and asbestos survey quality in our article: A discussion on mandatory UKAS accreditation of asbestos surveyors in the UK.