Asbestos Management Surveys

A management survey is the standard survey. Its purpose is to locate, as far as reasonably practicable, the presence and extent of any suspect ACMs in the building which could be damaged or disturbed during normal occupancy, including foreseeable maintenance and installation, and to assess their condition.

Management surveys will often involve minor intrusive work and some disturbance. The extent of intrusion will vary between premises and depend on what is reasonably practicable for individual properties, i.e. it will depend on factors such as the type of building, the nature of construction, accessibility etc. A management survey should include an assessment of the condition of the various ACMs and their ability to release fibres into the air if they are disturbed in some way. This ‘material assessment’ will give a good initial guide to the priority for managing ACMs as it will identify the materials which will most readily release airborne fibres if they are disturbed.

The survey will usually involve sampling and analysis to confirm the presence or absence of ACMs. However a management survey can also involve presuming the presence or absence of asbestos. A management survey can be completed using a combination of sampling ACMs and presuming ACMs or, indeed, just presuming. Any materials presumed to contain asbestos must also have their condition assessed (i.e. a material assessment).

Management surveys can involve a combination of sampling to confirm asbestos is present or presuming asbestos to be present.

By presuming the presence of asbestos, the need for sampling and analysis can be deferred until a later time (e.g. before any work is carried out). However this approach has implications for the management arrangements.

The duty holder bears potential additional costs of management for some non-ACMs. Any work carried out on ‘presumed’ materials would need to involve appropriate contractors and work methods in compliance with CAR 2006 irrespective of whether the material was actually an ACM or not.

Alternatively, before any work starts, sampling and analysis can be undertaken to confirm or refute the presence of asbestos. The results will determine the work methods and contractors to be used. The ‘presumption’ approach has several disadvantages: it is less rigorous, it can lead to constant obstructions and delays before work can start, and it is more difficult to control.

Contact Jersey Asbestos today for free and friendly advice on which type of survey best suits your current and future needs