Asbestos Surveys | Easy EPC

We provide Asbestos Surveys for every type of building!

What is Asbestos and what risk does it present?

Asbestos is a naturally occurring fibrous mineral that exhibits several properties that make it something of a wonder material, and which led to it being incorporated into a wide range of products used by the building trade up until the year 2000. Unfortunately it is now known that exposure to asbestos fibres can lead to extremely serious and often deadly health conditions. In fact it is estimated that around 5000 people a year in the UK die as a direct result of past asbestos exposure, more than are killed on our roads.

Most buildings constructed prior to the late 1990s will have some form of asbestos present, therefore having an asbestos survey carried out and a management plan in place is not only a legal requirement in many cases, but also eminently sensible and potentially life saving move.

Who needs a Commercial Asbestos Survey?

If you are the owner of, or are legally responsible for, a commercial premises in the UK that was built before the year 2000, then the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 requires you to have an up to date asbestos management survey in place and available for inspection.

Current Health and Safety Executive (HSE) legislation stipulates that if your property has a previous record of containing asbestos, the property then needs to be re-inspected, usually on a yearly basis.

HSE rules also say that any commercial buildings built before 2000 where refurbishment work or demolition is planned, will need to have a demolition and refurbishment survey for asbestos before any work can begin. This is where the team at Easy EPC can help, by providing your business with a professional asbestos report.

Domestic Asbestos Surveys

There is currently no legal requirement to have an asbestos survey on a domestic property in the UK. Despite this, given how widespread Asbestos Containing Materials (ACMs) are throughout the countries building stock, and given the serious risk posed by exposure to asbestos, many households choose to get their properties surveyed for peace of mind. This is particularly advisable to do before you commence any building or demolition work on your property.

Another key reason it is advisable to get your property surveyed for asbestos is the impact on the buildings value if a building surveyor (as against a specialist asbestos surveyor) records the potential presence of asbestos while carrying out a survey for a sale or valuation, when in reality none is present.

Building surveyors are trained to know which products and areas of your building have the potential to contain asbestos, and will always highlight these in their reports. As they have to be extremely cautious not to miss any potential ACMs , despite not having the training or skills to identify them for certain, this leads to a large number of "false positives" where asbestos risk is highlighted in the report when in reality the building is asbestos free.

Only by having an asbestos survey carried out by a trained specialist asbestos surveyor can you know for sure whether your building contains any or not. If asbestos is found to be present we can give advice on how to mitigate the risk before it becomes a problem, and where necessary we can provide an Asbestos Removal service

What type of Asbestos Survey will I need?

At Easy EPC we carry out two types of asbestos survey for commercial clients. The first type is a management survey (previously referred to as a type 2 asbestos survey) where we aim to locate the presence of any asbestos containing materials. We thoroughly check the extent of any asbestos and fully assess its condition so we can provide a comprehensive risk assessment. A management survey is fairly straightforward, requiring the minimum of intrusion or disruption to your ongoing activities.

The second type of asbestos is a refurbishment and demolition survey (previously a type 3 asbestos survey), and is far more intrusive. In order to locate and assess all asbestos containing materials – as far as is practicable – our surveyor may have to damage some areas in order to gain access to hard to reach parts of the building. In all instances the surveyor will keep you fully informed of any disruption this is likely to cause you or your staff.

What does an Asbestos Survey involve?

Asbestos surveys are carried out by our fully qualified and highly experienced specialist Asbestos Surveyors. On arrival at the property the surveyor will carry out an initial "walk around" inspection to check for anything that may potentially obstruct the survey, to note any areas of particular interest and to carry out a risk assessment.

During the survey itself our surveyor will inspect the entire area in a methodical and thorough manner. If any suspected Asbestos Containing Materials (ACMs) are discovered then a small sample will be taken. It is often possible to do this in a manner that leaves no visible mark on the surface, however in some cases, such as for smooth hard surfaces, a small 50p size disk may need to be cut out. In these cases we will then fill and then paint the hole so it is as close a match to its surroundings as possible. We will always take samples from the most visibly unobtrusive areas possible.

Any samples that we collected on site will then be sent to one of our UKAS accredited laboratories for analysis.

If we are carrying out a demolition or refurbishment survey then the work will be much more intrusive, and damage may need to be caused to some surfaces to get at what is behind them. As the extent of damage required varies greatly from building to building this is something we will analyse and discuss with you on the day before commencing work. We do of course always do everything possible to keep levels of damage and disturbance to a minimum.

Once we have completed the site survey it usually takes around 5 working days to compile the report, although this can sometimes be slightly longer if samples have to be sent for analysis and the laboratories are in a busy period.

What do I get?

Once your Asbestos survey is complete and we have finished writing up the report we will contact you to let you know its ready and provide you with an invoice. On payment of the invoice we will release the report to you, which is a detailed document reporting on any Asbestos Containing Materials (ACMs) found, along with providing recommendations about how to best manage the asbestos safely.

How do I book an Asbestos Survey?

To get a quote for an Asbestos Survey for your property simply give us a call on 0800 170 1201, or alternatively fill in our contact form. The basic information we need to be able to provide you with a price for the survey is:

Postcode of the property
Floorplans if available
Floor area
How many rooms (inc Toilets)
How many floors
Whether the loft space is used

Once we have provided you with a quote, if you wish to go ahead and book we will also need invoicing details and contact details for whoever will be providing further data. We don't charge up-front, but will invoice you for the work on completion, and release the asbestos report to you upon receipt of payment.

After you have booked with us we will contact you or if you prefer an alternative point of contact to discuss the survey process and arrange an appointment.

Our prices start from £149.95 + VAT, dependant on size and location of the property. Use this online booking tool to quickly get a quote for your Asbestos Survey.