Asbestos is a dangerous substance. If a building is thought to have asbestos-containing materials present somewhere on site, it is important that there is an asbestos site audit as soon as possible. Only once a site audit has been completed by a specialist asbestos survey company can things move forward safely. There are a few reasons why an asbestos site audit might be required, whether asbestos is suspected on site or for an upcoming refurbishment, renovation or demolition project where there are safety reasons to assess the site before work begins. Here, we take a look at the reasons behind asbestos site audits.
Even though asbestos was banned in construction completely in the UK back in 1999, there are plenty of examples of buildings from prior to that date that are around us every day. Sometimes, asbestos can sit idle in a building for many decades and it only takes the disturbance of asbestos-containing materials once to cause problems. There are plenty of examples of teachers getting cancer from asbestos in schools, or those who worked directly with asbestos decades ago only becoming sick later in life. In most cases, it only takes one breath of asbestos fibres to cause these illnesses. This is why it is so important to handle it with care and why asbestos site audits are important to many businesses.
The legal requirements for an asbestos removal company mean that they must have stringent asbestos auditing processes in place that allows for the safe survey and removal of asbestos on any site. This must be in compliance with the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012. There are several types of sites where there is a need for asbestos audits. For any construction site where there is a building present (whether this is to be demolished or extensive work is to be carried out to renovate the structure), an extensive asbestos audit must first take place. The audit will identify locations of asbestos-containing materials and provide a thorough report into the next advised steps to be taken.
From here, asbestos will either be left alone as it is (which is the rare outcome after an asbestos audit), the asbestos-containing materials will be repaired and fixed up, or the asbestos will be removed safely from site by the licensed asbestos removal contractors. This is the usual outcome in scenarios where a building is to be renovated and is the obvious solution on a demolition site, as any disturbance of asbestos fibres can be lethal to those who come into contact with them.
Should you require an asbestos site audit before any work can commence on an upcoming project where there is the need for demolition of a building or refurbishment and renovation of a structure, or if you have been warned that asbestos-containing materials might be present on site and you wish to investigate further, you should always contact a specialist asbestos survey company. There are countless examples of asbestos found in schools, healthcare settings and other buildings that were constructed prior to the ban in the UK last century, and it is important that when discovered that asbestos is dealt with safely and with care.
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