aarika reservist: Asbestos Management Plan, Survey

This asbestos question was answered by Ricky Wilson, Director of Wilsons Asbestos UK in Doncaster

Q: I own a small business and have just bought an office space I can work from with my colleagues. The previous owner mentioned that I will need to keep up the asbestos management ? what does this mean and what am I legally required to do?

A: You?re right in thinking you have an obligation to manage asbestos in your new office. In fact, under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006, anyone responsible for maintenance and repair of non-domestic properties and equipment is also responsible for asbestos management.? These people are known as ?Duty Holders?. So, if you?re a duty holder here?s what you need to know and how to make an asbestos management plan.

Asbestos Management Regulations

Firstly, under asbestos regulations, you may not need to worry about asbestos if:

The building you own was built in or after the year 2000, as it was against the law to build with asbestos after this date.

However, if your building is located on a Brownfield site, asbestos may be buried there, which means you?re responsible for asbestos management. This also applies if you use or own old equipment which may contain asbestos, such as:

Ovens
Insulating mats
Fire blankets
Soundproofing

If you?re not exempt from asbestos management you should carry out an asbestos management survey.

Asbestos Management Survey

Carrying out an asbestos management survey will help ensure you keep asbestos materials in good condition so no-one is harmed by asbestos inhalation. The survey involves inspecting the building and noting down on an asbestos register where materials are located and what condition they?re in. You will need to get a trained asbestos surveyor to conduct your survey and take asbestos samples as part of their inspection.

Hiring an asbestos surveyor or removal expert

Always hire a competent asbestos surveyor who can draw up a management plan detailing which asbestos management services need to be carried out in order of priority. Your plan may involve repair or replacement work. Before you carry out any maintenance work likely to disturb asbestos you should have a pre-refurbishment survey carried out by a professional; re-inspection surveys should also be conducted at least once a year to safely manage asbestos. Again, hire a qualified asbestos professional for this kind of work ? remember asbestos inhalation can be fatal and kills around 4,000 people per year, says the Health and Safety Executive.