Asbestos is a subject that many property owners and business managers know they probably should deal with but are not entirely sure where to start. The legal framework can sound complicated, the terminology is unfamiliar, and it is not always obvious whether a survey is required, what type of survey is needed, or what to do with the results once you have them. This guide cuts through the confusion with straightforward answers to the questions most people actually have.
What Is the Legal Position?
The starting point is Regulation 4 of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012, which is known as the duty to manage. If you are responsible for a non-domestic building in Wales, whether as an owner, landlord, employer, managing agent or facilities manager, this regulation applies to you. It requires you to identify whether asbestos is present in the building, assess the risk it presents and manage that risk through a written asbestos management plan.
The duty applies to all non-domestic premises built before 2000, regardless of size or sector. A small commercial unit, a rented workshop, a community hall, a school, a hospital or a large office block are all covered in the same way. The regulations do not make an exception for smaller buildings or smaller organisations.
Failing to meet the duty to manage can result in enforcement action by the Health and Safety Executive, including improvement notices, prohibition notices and prosecution. More importantly, failing to identify and manage asbestos can put the people who use and work in the building at genuine risk.
Does My Building Actually Contain Asbestos?
If your building was constructed or significantly refurbished before 2000, it may well contain asbestos-containing materials. Asbestos was used in a wide range of building products throughout the second half of the twentieth century, including ceiling tiles, floor tiles and adhesives, pipe insulation and lagging, textured decorative coatings such as Artex, insulation board around structural steelwork, corrugated roofing sheets and spray-applied fire protection systems.
It is not possible to identify asbestos-containing materials by looking at them. Asbestos fibres are microscopic and cannot be detected visually. The only reliable method of confirmation is laboratory analysis of a physical sample taken from the suspected material. This is exactly what a professional asbestos survey provides.
What Type of Survey Do I Need?
There are three types of asbestos survey, and which one applies to your situation depends on what you are trying to achieve.
A management survey is the standard survey for a building in normal use. It is what most businesses, landlords and public sector organisations need as a starting point for meeting their duty to manage. The surveyor inspects all accessible areas of the building, takes samples from suspected materials and produces a report that identifies everything found, including its type, location, condition and risk score. This report feeds directly into an asbestos management plan.
A refurbishment survey is required before any renovation, fit-out or building work begins. It focuses on the specific areas to be affected by the planned works and must be completed before contractors start. It is more intrusive than a management survey because it needs to access areas that will be physically disturbed. Finding asbestos once work has already started is disruptive, costly and, in some cases, can bring a project to a complete halt. A proper survey beforehand avoids all of that.
A demolition survey is legally required before any building is demolished. It covers the entire structure to locate all asbestos-containing materials so they can be safely removed before demolition begins. This is the most comprehensive of the three survey types.
What Happens During a Survey?
A qualified surveyor visits the building and carries out a systematic inspection of all physically accessible areas. Where materials are suspected of containing asbestos, small samples are taken and sent to a laboratory for analysis. The laboratory confirms whether asbestos is present and identifies the type. The surveyor then compiles a report that includes a schedule of all identified materials, a condition and risk assessment for each one, a recommendation on whether each should be removed, encapsulated or managed in place, and a floor plan marking the precise location of everything found.
The whole process is far less disruptive than most people expect. For a straightforward commercial premises, a management survey is typically completed in a single visit, with the report following shortly after.
What Happens After the Survey?
The survey report becomes the foundation of your asbestos management plan, the written document that sets out how you are managing the risks identified. The plan records where asbestos-containing materials are, what condition they are in, what action has been taken or is planned, and how they will be monitored going forward. It must be made available to any contractor who might disturb the building fabric when carrying out maintenance or repair work.
Not everything identified in a survey needs to be removed. In many cases, materials in good condition in low-risk locations are best managed in place with periodic re-inspection. Your surveyor will make specific recommendations for each material based on a proper risk assessment.
Finding a Surveyor in Wales
When appointing an asbestos surveying company, UKAS accreditation is the key standard to look for. UKAS is the United Kingdom Accreditation Service, the national body that independently assesses and monitors inspection and testing organisations. Accreditation confirms that a company’s methods and quality systems meet a nationally recognised standard. Surveyors should also hold BOHS qualifications, the professional certificates issued by the British Occupational Hygiene Society that confirm individual competency.
For professional asbestos surveys in Wales and the North West, JB Monitor are a UKAS-accredited asbestos surveying company based in Colwyn Bay, North Wales. Their BOHS-qualified surveyors carry out management, refurbishment and demolition surveys across all building types, with sample analysis handled at their own in-house laboratory. They cover all of North Wales including Llandudno, Conwy, Colwyn Bay and Wrexham, as well as Chester, Manchester, the Wirral and Merseyside.
JB Monitor provide straightforward, jargon-free advice and clear, practical survey reports. If you are not sure where to start with asbestos in your building, they are the local specialists to contact.
North Wales: 01492 536 444 | Manchester: 0161 359 3684
www.jbmonitor.co.uk