Formal asbestos surveys are required to be carried out in accordance with the guidelines for Surveying, Sampling and Assessment of Asbestos Containing Material in The Health and Safety Executive’s Methods of the Determination of Hazardous Substances (MDHS) guidance document HSG 264.

There are now 2 types of Asbestos Survey, replacing the previous Type 1, Type 2 and Type 3 Surveys:

A Management Survey replaces both Type 1 & 2 surveys, and is used to locate any asbestos containing materials (ACMs) using both presumptive & sampling techniques. The survey will confirm whether building materials contain asbestos, together with a risk assessment, so they can be managed appropriately.

A Refurbishment or Demolition Survey replaces a Type 3 survey and is a more invasive survey of all areas of a building, including those parts that may be difficult to access. Full sampling is used to estimate the extent of any ACM. The survey is then used as a basis for tendering for the removal of ACMs prior to refurbishment or demolition. This survey is destructive and will involve damage to elements of the building that may not contain necessarily ACMs.

The location, condition and extent of all ACMs, and suspected materials, identified during an asbestos survey are recorded in the form of an Asbestos Register supplied to the client. It is a mandatory HSE requirement to have such a document, which is auditable along with normal H&SW documentation.

Our surveyors are BOHS P402 qualified to undertake building surveys and asbestos bulk sampling in accordance with HSG 264.