Under current legislation (Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Construction) Regulations 2006) there is a duty on employers to identify any Asbestos Containing Material (ACM) before commencing demolition, building maintenance or removal works.
When working at a third party’s workplace, employers and contractors must obtain information from the owner regarding Asbestos Containing Material (ACM). If there is any doubt as to the presence of Asbestos Containing Material (ACM), then legislation requires that the employer take the necessary steps to identify the presence of Asbestos Containing Material (ACM).
OHSS is accredited by the Irish National Accreditation Board (INAB) to undertake inspection surveys of asbestos in buildings and for the analysis of asbestos in materials.
In line with legislation, we offer 3 levels of Asbestos Location and Condition Surveys - see below for full details
All surveys are carried out in accordance with MDHS 100 and HSG 248 – recognised in Ireland as best practice from the Health and Safety Executive in the UK.
All our surveyors are trained to BOHS P402 or higher standards with extensive experience throughout the industry.
Survey Type 1: Location and Assessment Survey (Presumptive Survey) :
The purpose of the Type 1 survey is to locate, as far as reasonably practicable, the presence and extent of any suspect asbestos containing materials in the building and assess their condition. An experienced, well-trained surveyor, familiar with the range of asbestos products, can usually, by inspection alone, say that a material can be ‘presumed’ to contain asbestos.
However, it is much more difficult for surveyors to presume that some materials do not contain asbestos. Many materials such as vinyl floor tiles have exactly the same appearance whether they contain asbestos or not.
A Type 1 survey may well list many materials that are presumed to contain asbestos that would be eliminated from the asbestos register by laboratory analysis of representative samples of the materials.
This survey essentially defers the need to sample and analyse for asbestos (or the absence thereof) until a later time prior to any disturbance of the material by demolition, alteration or maintenance.
The duty holder bears the potentially significant additional costs of management for some non asbestos containing materials. Our experience suggests the additional cost of management of the non asbestos containing materials usually outweighs the additional cost of a Type 2 survey with representative sampling of such materials for laboratory analysis.
All areas are accessed and inspected as far as reasonably practicable (e.g. above false ceilings and inside risers, service ducts, lift shafts, etc) or where not accessible will be presumed to contain asbestos.
Any material which can reasonably be expected to contain asbestos will be presumed to contain asbestos, and where it appears highly likely to contain asbestos, there will be a strong presumption that it does.
Survey Type2: Standard Sampling, Identification and Assessment Survey (Sampling Survey) :
The purpose and procedures used in this survey are the same as for Type 1, except that representative samples are collected from suspect ACMs and analysed for the presence of asbestos in order to confirm or refute the surveyor’s judgement.
If the material sampled is found to contain asbestos, other similar homogeneous materials used in the same way in the building can be strongly presumed to contain asbestos.
Less homogeneous materials will require a greater number of samples. The number should be sufficient for the surveyor to make an assessment of whether asbestos is or is not present.
We always recommend Type 2 surveys as the additional cost of representative sampling means the duty holder has a definitive report on all accessible asbestos containing materials.
This means the non asbestos materials determined from laboratory analysis can be eliminated from the management plan, reducing the cost of future management arrangements.
Survey Type 3: Full Access Sampling and Identification Survey (Pre-demolition/Major Refurbishment Surveys) :
This type of survey is used to locate and describe, as far as reasonably practicable, all asbestos containing materials in the building prior to demolition or major alteration.
The inspection will involve destructive inspection, as necessary, to gain access to all areas, including those that may be difficult to reach.
This typically involves breaking open ceilings floors, partitions and internal boxing. It can also mean removing part of a roof covering that would affect the integrity of the roof covering.
A full sampling programme is undertaken to identify possible asbestos containing materials and estimates of the volume and surface area of asbestos containing materials is made.
The survey is designed to be used as a basis for tendering the removal of asbestos containing materials from the building prior to the demolition or major refurbishment so the survey does not assess the condition of the asbestos, other than to note areas of damage or where additional asbestos debris may be expected to be present.
NOTE:
You should be aware that should ACMs be discovered, that depending on type of ACMs present it may be a legal requirement to submit a notification and the 14-day period should be built into the time planning for the project.During the course of our surveys, should ACMs be discovered that pose a significant risk to health and safety then we will report this immediately to the client and assist in and proposed remedial works.
OHSS can provide expert assistance in selecting asbestos removal contractors and advice in the development of a design specification for the removal works.We can also monitor the works carried out by the chosen contractor together with clearance testing once asbestos is removed.Our clearance certification provides assurance to you and third parties that the area is asbestos safe/free.We will be happy to provide a quotation for these services separate to the current proposals.
