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Why choose GLM Asbestos Surveys Ltd for conducting asbestos surveys?
As building surveyors and architects we have vast refurbishment/ restoration experience and an understanding of the construction of buildings of all dates. We know how buildings are put together. This knowledge informs the way we conduct asbestos surveys. Many will see it as a cynical "tick box" exercise, but knowing what a deadly hazard asbestos can be and the onerous responsibilities that have been placed on employers by recent legislation, we take the task of carrying out an asbestos survey seriously. We provide a competitive service without cutting corners.
The new Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations with related Code of Practice came into effect in September 2002. GLM offer asbestos survey services to building owners and employers.
An estimated 4.4 million properties in the UK contain asbestos, and building and maintenance workers are especially at risk from exposure. The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) provides guidance on appropriate strategy for owners and employers to manage asbestos in their buildings to a standard compliant with the new Regulations. These Regulations introduce a specific obligation onto building owners and employers to conduct rigorous assessment of the level of asbestos-containing materials in buildings and to keep up-to-date records of the location and type of these materials and the appropriate actions to be taken.
GLM, in line with the differing levels of asbestos survey provision that the HSE suggest in their document MDHS 100 (dated July 2001), can offer three distinct levels of asbestos survey to building owners and occupying employers:
Location and assessment survey (presumptive survey) - we will provide our professional judgement to identify where the presence of asbestos is likely and draw up an audit of the location and type of all possible asbestos-containing materials, along with recommendations for action.
Standard sampling, identification and assessment survey (sampling survey) - this level of survey includes the same services as Level 1, except that samples of suspected asbestos-containing materials will be taken from the location and analysed in a laboratory.
Full access sampling and identification survey (pre-demolition/ major refurbishment surveys) - this survey comprises a desktop archive search, random sampling of materials along with the analysis of suspicious materials as per Level 2, and destructive survey work to identify possible asbestos-containing materials in areas that may previously have been difficult to reach.
The different levels reflect the differing priorities a building owner or occupying employer may have. A Level 1 survey would be the least expensive, but would not provide an exhaustive account of all asbestos-containing materials in the structure of a building, and so would not prove suitable if demolition or major refurbishment of the property is envisaged. Likewise, a Level 3 survey would be the most involving of our services, and may not be appropriate if the survey is to be conducted in order to inform a standard routine maintenance programme of a property in continuous use.
GLM anticipate achieving the accreditation for conducting asbestos surveys as soon as the RICS and UKAS establish their scheme.
To find out more contact Ian McKee
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44 (0)131 225 4235
