If you have plans for your home that involve builders coming in to do some work, you may have heard that some buildings such as yours can contain asbestos – and surveys need to be conducted before anything further is done.
You may have taken a small look into it yourself, but are unsure of the level of asbestos-containing materials lying behind your fireplace, windows, ceiling, walls and other areas.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), as well as the building and construction industry, always instruct property owners or duty holders to arrange for an asbestos survey Manchester to be conducted by a qualified and experienced asbestos removal company that specialise in asbestos removal services.
Asbestos likelihood
The likelihood of discovering asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) within buildings constructed before the 2000s cannot be ignored – even if the last type of asbestos in construction was banned over two decades ago.
Today, at least a million documented domestic properties and half a million commercial properties have traces of ACMs within them. This material can be easily disturbed, releasing hazardous fibre dust particles into the breathable air. Even minor renovation works such as drilling or hammering can result in slight damage to ACMs.
Vital steps
The first step that needs to be taken in all instances of asbestos exposure / damage is to stop any work immediately and clear the area of anyone. If you have disturbed asbestos and have traces of dust or debris on your clothing, you should wipe them down with a damp cloth and dispose of them in a sealed bag labelled as asbestos waste, along with any clothing contaminated with asbestos dust or fibres.
Under Regulation 4 of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012, the duty to manage, an experienced and certified asbestos surveying contractor must carry out a building inspection, known as an asbestos management survey before any building work can commence.
It is a non-intrusive procedure where samples are taken for asbestos testing at an accredited laboratory for analysis to determine the presence and condition of the material. This will determine also if the ACMs can be either encapsulated and managed or require immediate removal.
Removal
If full removal of asbestos is required, it must be an accredited specialist in asbestos removal Manchester, with regulations stating that any asbestos waste is properly packaged, labelled, stored in a clearly labelled and lockable skip and / or transported to an accredited waste station for asbestos disposal.
Contact the team at Grosvenor Asbestos Solutions today for an asbestos management plan, asbestos removal Cheshire, or for any type of asbestos compliance.
