If you are taking in part of the demolition of either the whole of a building or part of the premises, it is essential to establish first whether asbestos is present. If asbestos is present in a building when it is demolished it can cause huge problems with dangerous asbestos fibres being allowed to get into the atmosphere. This is why initial asbestos surveys are so important.
Asbestos can go unnoticed for years
Many building owners might believe that if they had asbestos on their premises, they would know about it. But this is not necessarily the case. Asbestos is often hidden, either in parts of the building that are rarely seen or a part of constituent building materials. Additionally, asbestos is in many cases functionally invisible, or might look the same as harmless materials.
Ultimately, this means that asbestos can go unnoticed, and when you come to demolish a building, you need to be sure that there is no chance asbestos is present.
A legal requirement
For building demolition, it is a legal requirement to have a duty of care to enough asbestos fibres are not allowed to get into the atmosphere. Asbestos is at its most dangerous when it is destroyed, as this is when fibres are also to become airborne where they can be breathed into the lungs.
Therefore, if there is any asbestos on the premises, those responsible for the demolition must have an asbestos survey carried out.
Full asbestos removal is required
Asbestos must be removed from a building before it is demolished. Having an asbestos survey carried out is the first step in this process, as it will be able to determine whether asbestos is present across the building.
This removal should be carried out by experienced professionals – as improper removal can also lead to asbestos fibres getting into the atmosphere.