Bye Bye Asbestos
Refurbishment and demolition survey
Needed before building work (HSE guidance, HSG264): a fully intrusive survey of the areas being refurbished or demolished.
When you need one
HSE’s guide HSG264 says a refurbishment and demolition survey is needed before any refurbishment or demolition work. That includes jobs such as rewiring, replacing a kitchen or bathroom, removing walls, fitting new windows or knocking down a garage. The survey covers the areas where the work will happen.
Why it’s intrusive
The aim is to find asbestos that the work could disturb, including materials hidden behind walls, above ceilings, under floors and inside the structure. That means the surveyor has to break into surfaces, so the areas involved need to be empty and out of use while the survey is carried out. HSE’s guidance is that the area should be vacated.
Timing
Book the survey early. The results can affect your plans, your budget and your start date, because any asbestos the work would disturb should be dealt with before the builders start. Under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, clients must provide information about the building, which includes what’s known about asbestos. See surveys before renovation.
What you get
- The materials found in the work areas, with laboratory results
- Locations, extent and condition, with photographs
- What needs removing before work starts, and what kind of work that is (licensed or non-licensed)
- Any areas that couldn’t be accessed, clearly listed
Refurbishment and demolition survey: ask for a quote
- Survey or test first when it isn’t clear what a material is
- Work planned to the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 and HSE guidance
- Written paperwork: reports, results and waste consignment notes
- Asbestos waste double-bagged or wrapped and taken to a permitted site