Building Hazardous Materials Surveys

Lucion’s Building Hazardous Materials Surveys offer numerous benefits for your project, including:

• Identifying hidden hazards that could pose risks to health and safety
• Enabling informed decision-making and effective risk management
• Ensuring compliance with legal duties and best practices
• Facilitating the smooth running of refurbishment, demolition, and maintenance works
• Providing peace of mind and protecting your reputation as a responsible building owner or employer

With Lucion’s expert support, you can approach your project with confidence, knowing that you have taken proactive steps to address the challenges posed by hazardous building materials.

A Building Hazardous Materials Survey report typically includes a clear, structured inventory of all identified hazardous materials within the building, detailing their locations, types, quantities, and conditions. The report will also assess the risks posed by these materials, taking into account factors such as their accessibility, friability (for asbestos), and potential for disturbance. Recommendations for safe management, remediation, or removal of hazardous materials will be provided, along with guidance on compliance with relevant regulations.

Building Hazardous Materials Surveys are essential for complying with a range of health and safety regulations, such as the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 and the Control of Lead at Work Regulations 2002. These regulations place duties on building owners and employers to manage the risks posed by hazardous materials, which includes identifying their presence, assessing their condition, and implementing appropriate control measures. Lucion’s surveys provide the necessary information and guidance to help you meet these legal obligations.

A management survey is a standard survey that identifies and assesses the condition of any asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) within a building that could be disturbed or damaged during normal occupancy and maintenance activities. A refurbishment and demolition survey is a more intrusive survey that locates and identifies all ACMs within a building (or a specific area) before any refurbishment or demolition work takes place, to ensure that appropriate precautions can be taken to prevent exposure to asbestos fibers.

Any building or structure can potentially contain hazardous materials, but older buildings (particularly those constructed before 2000) are more likely to have asbestos, lead, and PCBs present. Buildings that can benefit from a hazardous materials survey include offices, schools, hospitals, factories, warehouses, and residential properties, especially if they are due to undergo refurbishment, demolition, or a change of use.

Hazardous building materials are substances used in the construction or fitting out of buildings that can pose risks to human health and the environment. Common examples include asbestos, lead, PCBs, and chemical contaminants. These materials can cause serious health problems if inhaled, ingested, or absorbed through the skin, and they can also contaminate the environment if not properly managed or disposed of.