Being a naturally occurring fibre used commonly in construction materials and other industrial work throughout the last century, asbestos was utilised in buildings for insulation, roofing, flooring and fixtures as well as sprayed on walls and ceilings. Before its official UK ban from use in any form of construction in 1999, it was known to occupy pretty much every type of building in one form or another. Although it is no longer used in construction, it still potentially occupies many buildings throughout the UK built before its permanent ban. These buildings therefore still pose a significant risk when these asbestos-containing materials are damaged or disturbed. This makes it extremely necessary for asbestos inspection Manchester and a survey to take place before the onset of any construction or demolition of pre-2000 buildings.
Dangers
Asbestos fibres are extremely dangerous and damaging to humans when they are inhaled into the lungs, causing many different harmful effects from lung disease to cancer.
This not only necessitates the work being undertaken by professional asbestos removal Manchester services with the proper equipment to contain or extract asbestos from any property. If work is being performed on a property that does contain asbestos, a vital part of the health and safety risk management process is the asbestos inspection/survey taking place prior to work commencing.
The purpose of the Asbestos inspection provides you with the location of the harmful material and the amount that is present, how accessible the asbestos areas are and the type of asbestos that is present in the areas.
Importance to construction
Within the construction industry, an asbestos inspection Manchester is a key to identifying and managing asbestos-containing areas to determine if they should be left untouched and undisturbed to keep everyone safe.
Identifying which type of management survey is required covers the issues surrounding the work being done safely and in its entirety. These fall into three types of inspection – Management, Demolition and Refurbishment surveys.
A management survey establishes if asbestos is present in the building by assessing all rooms, spaces and accessible areas. Samples are taken for analysis and then the creation of a factual and accurate survey report, including an asbestos register, is completed to ensure that the identified asbestos material is not disturbed or damaged whilst day-to-day work in the building is undertaken.
A demolition survey is an inspection required before any demolition work being scheduled, which is a fully intrusive survey of the affected areas to find the hazardous fabric. Refurbishment surveys are similar to demolition surveys in terms of being intrusive, but depending on the nature of a planned refurbishment and the extent of the work being undertaken. These surveys can be tailored to the requirement of the refurbishment planned and will focus on specific areas of a building.
Serious work requires serious planning, and an asbestos survey ensures that safety is adhered to and work can be performed with zero risks towards occupants and the public.
Contact the team at Grosvenor Asbestos Solutions today, the number one for asbestos removal South Manchester and asbestos survey Manchester.
