Asbestos Surveys

The fact that you have an asbestos cement roof is not a prerequisite for needing an asbestos survey.

In many cases, business owners believe that there is no asbestos in their premises, but often, this is not the case.

Asbestos was used in a wide variety of materials used in the construction industry and not all of them are as obvious as an asbestos cement roof!

The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006 state that the duty holder of a commercial building (in 99% of cases, the duty holder is the tenant) must have an asbestos management policy in force.

The most widely used asbestos management policy is to have an asbestos register compiled by a qualified asbestos surveyor, or other competent person.

In this case, the surveyor will visit your premises and perform a thorough (but generally non-destructive) survey of the premises to identify any asbestos containing materials.

A register of all such materials will then be compiled for your records, to form the basis of your asbestos management policy.

All commercial premises must have an asbestos management program in force otherwise hefty fines may be imposed by the Health & Safety Executive, or in severe cases, the business principal may even be jailed!

But that's not really the main problem posed by this legislation.

Insurance companies always keep themselves abreast of health and safety issues and it's likely that without an effective asbestos management policy, your business will be unable to insure against asbestos related risks.

In addition, the major utilities companies may refuse to work on premises that do not have an asbestos register - as they need to guarantee the health and safety of their own workforce.

Imagine needing a telephone, gas, electricity or water repair and the utility company refusing to work on your premises - the cost could be significant.

An asbestos survey is inexpensive in comparison and as they also include a "condition report" of any asbestos containing materials, can often highlight potential difficulties before they arise.

To arrange a survey or to simply discuss the options available to you, please call us on the following telephone numbers:

Robert Street: 0121 733 8686

David Carter: 07800 790427

You can be assured that our advice is free, totally independent and absolutely unbiased.

For further details on the wide reaching asbestos legislation, please see our sister site:

AsbestosServices.com