click on the first picture to start the slide show
A questionnaire is sent to the client to help us prepare for the survey. This will include requests for contact, scope, access details. You are not obliged to complete the form but it will help to make the project run more smoothly
Once on site a site specifice risk assessment is completed by the lead surveyor.
If no usable site plans are available then one of our first tasks is to sketch the building. These plans are then used to annotate our findings as the survey is carried out and as data for CAD drawings during the reporting phase
It is important to survey the property using a logical walkthrough route. We attempt to ensure all areas are readily accessible before starting as going back and forth to different rooms can play havoc with the numbering systems we use for sampling and risk assessments.
Sampling is undertaken to collect samples of suspected asbestos containing materials (acm). Sometimes samples of other materials are collected too where the surveyor thinks it may assist understanding. Samples are collected, double bagged and given a unique laboratory number. Samples tend to be quite small as most acm’s are quite homogenous – often, samples the size of a 5p or 10p coin are large enough. Sampling sites are made safe by the application of a sealant.
Back in our laboratory, samples are analysed for asbestos content. At least three separate tests have to be performed on fibres extracted from the sample. If a positive result is not achieved, more fibres need to be extracted and the same batch of tests applied. Eventually, the material will be found to contain single or multiple asbestos types or found to contain no asbestos.
Once the analytical results are confirmed, the surveyor will start compiling the report. This will contain summaries of the asbestos materials located and recommendations for actions (if needed). It will contain annotated plans, photographs and certificates of analysis. The report is printed out in draft and his peer reviewed before being emailed to the client. As a general rule, the analysis and reporting takes about as long as the site time, sometimes marginally longer if the peer review period is taken into account.
