The basic Premise of Asbestos Surveys

One of the simplest ways of determining the content of asbestos on your machinery and property is to have an asbestos survey conducted. There are several organizations that are authorized to carry out such surveys and this can pose a problem in finding one that is exceptionally good. What you must do is look for an agency that has a ISO 17020 certification. This is an international certification meant especially for Inspection bodies.

This is what you can expect in the course of an asbestos survey – the surveyors will first walkthrough your entire premises and scan the property. This is the time when they will note down the possible locations for asbestos content. These can include voids in the ceiling, pipe runs, services routes etc. They will also have some questions about the functioning of the property that they will ask you at this point. The surveyor will look through rooms on an individual basis to determine where asbestos may be hidden. Photos will be taken and in some cases samples too. These samples are then sent for a lab assessment on their potency and the potential effect of their presences.

Based on the kind of survey that takes places, an asbestos survey can be divided into three types – in the first kind there are no physical samples that are taken for evaluation. This means that the presence of asbestos wholly in one place will not be determined. These kinds of surveys are conducted on places that are built as recently as post 1999 and after that. These are places where the presence of asbestos is highly unlikely.

The second kind of survey is where some materials in premise may be suspected of carrying asbestos. These are isolated and samples taken from them for a better analysis. The third and final kind of asbestos survey is rather intrusive and the surveyor is given open access to any part of the building. They will also be allowed to use destructive means to find the presence of asbestos. These are the kinds of assessments that normally taken place before a complete refurbishment or if the building is being torn down.

They may also be conducted in cases office premises are being moved to areas that have a long history. In such cases the survey is carried out at a time when there is a skeletal or absolutely no staff present. This will give the surveyors unhindered access to all parts of the area.