Asbestos Surveys – A Serious Process For Construction Safety
Ever since the severity of asbestos related health problems has become known, strict regulations have been put in place to control its import, use, and distribution. Except white asbestos, which is permitted in some very specific areas, no other form of asbestos is permitted in most countries. Any structure in the UK, which was either built or repaired earlier than the year 2000, must undergo an asbestos survey as per law.
The objective of an Asbestos survey is to look for asbestos fibres in materials used for erecting the building, especially those that are suspected to have a high risk. According to the findings of the survey, the chance of exposure to any part of the building, which has been proved to contain asbestos, needs to be dealt with. The investigations also guarantee that unsafe asbestos fibres are not let out in the open and harm the residents or workers of nearby buildings – be sure to look at flat roof company for varied advice on building materials.
Asbestos surveys falls under three major categories. In the first type of survey, all areas of the structure, which can be reached with relative ease, are scanned for asbestos. It is taken for granted that other parts of the building could contain asbestos and thus people must not be exposed to them. In Type 2, which is carried out with the same goal as Type 1, samples suspected to contain asbestos are analyzed in a laboratory. A Type 3 survey is more corrective in nature and aims at doing away with asbestos laden materials in the building. This type of survey is done before any refurbishment activity, or before a building is pulled down, to safely deal with the debris without jeopardising the safety of construction workers and members of the public.
Failure to perform an asbestos survey can result in huge fines, which, for building owners in the UK, can often go up to 20,000 – be sure to look at dementia care homes for specific info on for more advice on house safety. Moreover, for those in the construction industry, a failure to control the risk of asbestos exposure can be a huge blow to the reputation, from which it might be hard to recover.
