Village Halls - Asbesto
Surveys
Under regulations on the control of asbestos
which came into force in May 2004, everyone responsible
for the management of non-domestic buildings must conduct
a survey to establish whether asbestos is present in the
building. They must keep a record of the survey results
and make it available to anyone carrying out work on the
building, whether professionals or volunteers.
Where will asbestos be?
Asbestos was widely used as a building material,
particularly in the 1950’s, 1960’s and 1970’s
and can be found in all sorts of things, wall insulation,
in floor tiles, around windows, in roof spaces, lagging
pipes and boilers. Even old Victorian buildings could still
have asbestos lagging around heating pipes. It was banned
as a building material in 1999 and is not likely to have
been used in any buildings erected since 1990. If your hall
was built or had refurbishment or an extension before 1990,
and particularly since the second world war, it is likely
to contain asbestos.
Usually asbestos is not dangerous unless
it is disturbed. However if you are undertaking any building
work, however minor, it is essential to check for asbestos
before starting work, and if any is found, ensure the builders
take the necessary precautions.
Surveys
As of April 2005, asbestos surveys must be undertaken
by licensed operators. There are three types of survey.
Type 1 – Basic location
and assessment asbestos survey. This involves a qualified
surveyor walking around the building to see if there is
anything which may contain asbestos and recording its location.
Type 2 – Standard
sampling, identification and assessment survey. This is
as Type 1 but also small samples of any suspect materials
are taken and sent to accredited scientific laboratories
for testing and reporting.
Type 3 – A full
survey, sampling and identification of all areas of premises,
including sealed spaces such as floor voids, ducts and roof
spaces. This type of survey is required before building
work or demolition takes place.
There are a number of companies in Derbyshire
licensed to undertake asbestos surveys. They can be found
through the Yellow Pages or Trade Directories. RAD is not
competent to recommend any of them but can provide contact
details of several companies offering the service. We recommend
you obtain quotes and check companies are licensed before
contracting one to undertake the survey.
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