Asbestos can be a potentially very dangerous substance; it can lead to a number of debilitating and eventually fatal conditions simply if you become exposed to the fibres. Here are three important reasons that you need to have an asbestos survey carried out.

1 – It may be a legal requirement

If you are going to be in charge of commercial or industrial property where employees work, it is a legal requirement that you ensure that their risk of exposure is minimised. The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 states that if you are responsible for the maintenance of a commercial property you have what is known as a ‘duty to manage’ the asbestos that it contains. If someone was exposed to asbestos and a plan was not in place to manage that risk, you could be held responsible.

Having an asbestos survey is the best way to begin the process of creating an asbestos management plan. The survey will inform you on where asbestos is located and can even provide recommendations for how to keep the risk of exposure to a minimum.

2 – Asbestos can be found almost anywhere

Many people believe that because asbestos is now banned from use as a building that it’s no longer something that they need to worry about. It is true that it has been against the law to use asbestos since 1999, however, there was nothing in this law change that meant that all existing examples of asbestos-containing materials needed to be removed.

This means that almost any building that was built before 1999 could conceivably contain asbestos. Any time that you buy or take over control of a property, you should considering having an asbestos survey to make you aware of any potential dangers.

3 – It’s often easy to minimise the risk of exposure

You might think that if you have a survey and find asbestos on the premises that you will then be forced to go through the time-consuming process of having the material removed. But in many cases this is not necessary at all. Often if the asbestos is in good condition and is unlikely to be disturbed, there’s no reason to have it removed. It is usually far more effective to simply have a plan in place to limit any exposure for anyone.