Asbestos Surveys

Starting with the basics,

What is Asbestos?

Asbestos is a naturally occurring silicate material made up of soft microscopic fibers that are resistant to heat, fire, chemical reactions, electricity, and corrosion. They are microscopically small fibers that can be released in the air. Asbestos is mainly found in the United States, western countries.

Due to its durability, it is widely used in buildings and plazas for insulation from fire throughout the 1930s to 1970s.

Types of asbestos

Mainly there are six main types of asbestos

Chrysotile
Actinolite
Amosite
Anthophyllite
Crocidolite
Tremolite

What is an Asbestos survey?

An asbestos survey is a survey in which your building, property, or structure is evaluated with the purpose of identifying asbestos-containing products (AMC).

In an asbestos survey, we identify asbestos materials like where they can be found and how to remove them.

In this article, we will discuss why is it necessary to remove asbestos and what are the different types of asbestos.

Why does Asbestos Matter?

Asbestos is a highly toxic product that can be deadly and can cause damage to human health. Because when asbestos materials are damaged its fibers can be inhaled and can cause lung disease, mesothelioma, or even cancer.

Therefore, after the 1980s, it was heavily restricted and ordered to remove all the products containing asbestos material by the government, and local regulations.

Although it’s has been banned in the UK for the last 20 years but, the United States still legally imports and sells products containing asbestos material.

Therefore, to protect you and your family we suggest you perform an asbestos assessment on your residential or commercial buildings especially on old buildings if you are planning to renovate them.

When asbestos surveys are performed?

Asbestos surveys are mostly performed by due diligence during real estate transactions and financing. As people are getting more aware of the asbestos they are now performed before demolition and renovation of the building.

Because demolition and renovation can release a lot of asbestos fibers in the air that can be inhaled be by the workers and can cause damage to their health.

When is asbestos removal required?

According to Health and Safety Act 1974 it is mandatory to carry out an asbestos risk assessment on your building, property, or structure. So, once you found asbestos or asbestos-containing material (AMC) in a building that is about to be damaged or disturbed then that material should be removed immediately in a safely manner.

So, if you found any material containing asbestos call us immediately, we have a qualified team with 15 years of experience that provide asbestos services with full safety regulations.

Which type of items often contain asbestos?

Here are some of the materials that may contain asbestos-like:

Ceiling, floor, or tiles
Automotive brakes
Talcum powder
Cement
Textiles
Pipeline wraps
Roof coatings
Fireproofing material
Wallboard

How do you test for asbestos?

Asbestos is small microscopic fibers that cannot be seen with the naked eye you have to submit the material for testing in the laboratory before you remodel that building or property.

So, if you want to do an asbestos assessment by yourself here are a few steps that should follow for gathering samples to send to the EPA.

Wear the protective disposable gear
Don’t disturb the area that you are testing
Cover all the area with plastic sheet and surface with water so the fibers won’t release into the air
Use Ziplock plastic bag for sample
Dispose of all the plastic sheeting after testing
Vacuum the testing area and dispose of the vacuum’s material
Clean the testing area with a moistened cloth
Dispose of the protective gear carefully
Send the sample to an EPA asbestos testing lab

What different types of asbestos services do we provide?

Asbestos screening

Assuming harmed material is being fixed and it might represent a potential wellbeing hazard to building tenants, then, at that point, you’ll need to push forward with an asbestos screening.

This screening surveys any speculated asbestos-containing material by getting tests for investigation. Also, it will zero in on regions with any harm and possibly friable presume asbestos-containing material.

Asbestos screenings are frequently utilized on HUD projects and may likewise be alluded to as a value-based overview.

Limited asbestos overview

This survey is comprehensive testing of building materials and suspected asbestos-containing materials. It targets testing in view of the client’s need for a homogenous structure material.

This includes the rooftop, dividers, siding, or whatever other region that might be associated with containing asbestos.

Path of development/pre-remodel asbestos overview

This is an extensive overview of building material. It is restricted to the way of development or potentially the genuine structure materials. It could be utilized while remodeling a solitary retail façade in a strip shopping center.

By utilizing this sort of asbestos study, you can guarantee that the remodel won’t affect the climate or delivery of any asbestos-containing material into different regions upset during development or redesign exercises.

pre-demolition asbestos study

On the off chance that you’re searching for an unquestionably comprehensive survey regards to any asbestos-containing material on your property, this is the course to go.

This survey review centers around all aspects of a whole structure, including inside and outside building materials.

It additionally uses destructive protocols.

It will expect that you annihilate little segments of the structure to check whether there’s any asbestos-containing material behind the dividers, floors, and different regions that are difficult to get at to guarantee no development laborers are seriously endangered, however assuming you’re now intending to push ahead with destruction, this sort of review is the best approach.

This is because, sometimes, asbestos-containing material will be found in secret regions out of the blue as destruction is performed and can represent a peril on the off chance that it isn’t gotten early.

FAQS

Q1. What is the average cost of an asbestos survey?

Ans. The average cost of an asbestos survey is around £500; however, the price depends on building size.

Q2. Which type of asbestos is the most dangerous?

Ans. According to the research, amphibole is the most dangerous type of asbestos.

Q3. What is Asbestos used for?

Ans. Asbestos is used in a variety of products like cement, flooring, roofing, and fireproof products because of heat resistance.

Q4. Will I be fined for not getting an asbestos survey?

Ans. Yes, £25,000 per day will be fined to the commercial property owner if they disturb the asbestos-containing material.

Q5. How will we know that our building requires an asbestos survey?

Ans. Some states like New York and California always require an asbestos survey before demolition and renovation. But if you are from another state, you can check the age of a building life like how old the property is from there you will whether your building requires an asbestos survey or not.

Conclusion:

I hope after reading this article you understand how important an asbestos survey is whether you are renovating, maintaining, or demolishing a building or property.

It’s a one-time investment that protects human life from a deadly disease. Therefore, it is important to carry out an Asbestos risk assessment for your building, property, or structure so contact us at support@firesafteyriskassessment.com or call us at 077 8003 0185 to book your appointment.

If you still have any questions feel free to ask, we will be happy to help you Thank you.