By William Robson
An asbestos survey is considered to be the most important tool in a standard asbestos management. Ensuring that the surveyors carry out the survey successfully.
Apart from the fact that carrying out an asbestos survey is important for health safety reason, it also saves you financially, because a building that has not been inspected for asbestos containing material is concluded by everyone to contain them.
Once the materials have be discovered, the surveyors record every single step taken and submit to the laboratory to test the sample of asbestos containing materials.
What type of asbestos survey do you need.
Determining the type of asbestos surveyyou need is the first step to carrying it out.
There are basically three types of asbestos survey which include
- Management asbestos survey
- Pre-demolition asbestos survey
- Pre-refurbished asbestos survey.
Management asbestos survey
This type of survey is carried out on normal building that do not necessarily need to to be demolished. They surveyors inspect the premises to ensure that asbestos containing materials are not disturbed and still in a perfect working condition.
Pre-demolition asbestos survey.
the pre-demolition asbestos survey is carried out on building that are to be demolished. The ensure that there are no asbestos containing materials in the building before employing contractors to demolish the building. The take samples of suspected asbestos containing materials to the laboratory for further analysis. With this type of asbestos survey occupants of the building would have to evacuate the building before survey can begin.
Pre- refurbishment asbestos survey
This is carried out on buildings that refurbishment or upgrading of the building is to occur. The scope of this asbestos survey is a very strict inspection. Making sure there are no disturbed asbestos containing materials or completely removing them from the site. Ensuring an asbestos free environment for the individuals to live in.
Why asbestos materials are present and what they do
There are three known types of asbestos which includes the blue asbestos, brown asbestos and white asbestos. Back in the 90s they were added to building materials to increase it quality in terms of strength, fire resistance, durability and chemical resistance. With time the death rate as a result of asbestos which resulted in the 1991 decision to ban the use of asbestos containing materials. They cause a disease called the asbestos disease.
However, banning it did not really have much effect as there were so many buildings containing the asbestos. Many manufacturers kept using it illegally for their products to stand out.
Examples of construction materials that may contain asbestos include
- Textured coating
- Porch panels
- Under cloaking tiles
- Damp proof course
- Under window panels
- Door linings
- Suspended ceilings
- Firebreaks and beam cladding
- Thermoplastic floor tiles
- Paneled ceilings
- Paper backings
- Sprayed coatings
- Friction products etc.
People who come in contact with asbestos containing materials suffer series of health implications like pleural disease, asbestosis, lung cancer, Mesothelioma etc. If you feel like you’ve been exposed to this dangerous substance, you should consider going for a full body checkup.