Are you considering having a part of a commercial property refurbished? If so, asbestos might not be the first thing on your mind, but in order to ensure the safety of anyone working on the site, as well as the health and well-being of individuals in the building after the work, you need to take steps to understand the existence and extent of asbestos in the building and ensure that any potential risk is minimised.
Whether the refurbishment takes the form of simple redecoration or major works such as a partial demolition, there is a chance that asbestos can be disturbed if it is present in the fabric of the building. Unfortunately this is still very common to find the substance in commercial and industrial buildings across the country, as asbestos was widely used until it was banned from use in the UK in 1999.
So before you carry out any kind of refurbishment works, it is vital that you should have a survey carried out to ascertain whether asbestos is present in the area you are refurbishing. The results of the survey can help you to come up with a plan to ensure that there is as little risk as possible of exposure to asbestos.
If asbestos is found to be present it may be the case that you will need a strip out service to get rid of any offending materials. It would be very hazardous to carry out any demolition of building materials that contain asbestos as this releases asbestos fibres into the atmosphere, which is when it is dangerous.
If you are concerned that you might have asbestos in your building, it’s worth talking to specialists. At Crucial Environmental we have years of expertise and knowledge and would be happy to provide advice and guidance to you.