Asbestos Survey

ozdemirozgur

Hi,

I am doing some refurbishments and decided to do an asbestos survey. i got some quotes and it is varying from £150 to £550 for the same job. Cheap ones seems to be a one man companies. I assume quality of service will be different, but does it really matter as all of them will take some samples, and send to a lab to test?

thanks

brightontraveller

Service has very little to do with cost ??? Also the bigger buck is in removing not testing ? Test for a pound remove for 10000 or vice versa you should look at all the costings not just one part?

casper_g

Don't just get quotes for "an asbestos survey" as this is like asking for the price of a piece of string. You need to understand in detail what each quote includes and ensure you are comparing like with like. Yes, they are all likely to take "some" samples, but how many? Will they test only where there it is likely that asbestos is present or all over the place.

For instance, an Artex ceiling could well contain asbestos, and it is likely samples would be taken and tested. But a flat plaster ceiling could hide Artex that has been skimmed over at some point. Will the survey check for this? Do you need it to?

MisterBaxter

A lot depends on what you are doing and why. For refurbishment works I would have a pre-demolition survey carried out on those areas I was intending on working in, I wouldn't bother having a survey of areas I wasn't working in or that wouldn't be disturbed. I would only have those elements that would be disturbed as part of the works tested so for example if the ceilings weren't being touched at all I wouldn't have them tested. The key is making sure that the asbestos testing company understands exactly what they need to test and why. The cost therefore is going to vary based on the number of areas being tested and the number of samples being taken; it shouldn't be too high though.

Make sure that the company you use is properly acredited and will be using a UKAS lab, asbestos companies will know exactly what a pre-demolition survey entails and will have to provide their report in a suitable format.

The real cost can come in the removal and disposal of the asbestos; I would tell the testing companies that you will be obtaining quotations for removal once you have the report. You can send the report to a few removal companies and get prices from there.

teneighty

What Mister Baxter said.

For a small refurbishment survey (Old Type 3) I would expect to pay about £300 and would include about 4 or 5 samples. For a simpler management survey (Old Type 2) a bit less say £200 but still about 4 samples. Get an independent survey done, not one by a firm that also does removals.

For a private house refurb I wouldn't bother unless you strongly suspected that there was some asbestos insulation board or similar lurking in the property. Chances are it will just show minute traces of white asbestos in the artex which once you know about you will have to declare to the contractors. You could be opening a very expensive can of worms.

I'm not suggesting you conceal information from the contractors and put them at risk but they should know the score and have appropriate training and be able to make their own risk assessment and deal with the possible risks accordingly.

Risteard

teneighty wrote: »

I'm not suggesting you conceal information from the contractors and put them at risk

That is precisely what you have suggested and is an entirely unacceptable view.

People should be encouraged (in fact they should be obliged) to have an Asbestos survey carried out and made available to all contractors.

MisterBaxter

Risteard wrote: »

That is precisely what you have suggested and is an entirely unacceptable view.

People should be encouraged (in fact they should be obliged) to have an Asbestos survey carried out and made available to all contractors.

I have to be honest I don't often see asbestos surveys up front on domestic jobs for domestic clients as it is something that gets left to the contractor to sort. Totally different, or at least it should be, for larger commercial clients who have a general duty to manage asbestos along with their other H&S duties. Even CDM duties are off-loaded on to the builder/contractor for domestic clients.

The suggestion from 'teneighty' about not bothering seems to me to be the default position for domestic jobs where the contractor/builder takes responsibility for H&S matters. There is the chance that if the builder finds asbestos when they are on site they will be looking for additional costs to remove, they may also price for the asbestos survey in which case the client is still picking up the cost.