Asbestos R&D Survey

Refurbishment/Demolition Asbestos Surveys

Refurbishment/Demolition asbestos surveys (commonly referred to as R & D Surveys) are legally required for properties undergoing demolition or major refurbishment works. If the building in question is a college campus or a small detached bungalow, the need for an R&D survey is the same. This fully intrusive survey attempts to locate, as far as is reasonably practicable, everywhere that ACMs (asbestos containing materials) were used in the fabric of the building.

Where a property is due to be refurbished, demolished or part thereof, the asbestos survey should assess all elements which will be disturbed during the impending works, if a property is being extend, or additional floors are being added, so the survey should ascertain what asbestos materials are present within these areas. Where a property is being demolished the inspection will need to assess the property as a whole in order for any asbestos containing materials to be removed correctly by a licensed asbestos removal contractor prior to general demolition of the property.

 

Domestic buildings

For the extension, refurbishment or demolition works of residential properties e.g. houses, care homes or other forms of residence, the requirement for an asbestos R&D survey is the same – a complete inspection of all areas within the scope of works, sampling and analysis of all suspect materials, and the compiling of all relevant information in a survey report. These surveys are often localised to the client’s specification, e.g. if the scope is only effects one part of the building – a single floor or cellar area for example-  there’s probably no need to survey the entire property.

In some instances where a building is being removed to create space for new building works, the survey will encompass the entire property and must be fully intrusive. In this case the property should be empty and all items of value removed. After the report is completed, all ACMs identified can be safely removed by a licensed contractor prior to the building finally being demolished.

 

Commercial & Industrial Buildings

Surveying these larger properties is very similar to residential work, but on a much larger scale. Asbestos R&D surveys are fully intrusive as defined in HSG264. Some locations which may be of particularly interest are floor, wall and ceiling voids areas. These are not usually accessed in the standard asbestos management survey. Conditional on the scope of works (either refurbishment or full demolition), some areas of the building could be accessed using intrusive inspection methods, e.g. drilling of holes, use of inspection cameras etc.

Commercial refits, refurbishments and demolition works all need to be fully planned from the start, so asbestos surveys are a vital part of the first stage. Businesses or individuals including Architects, Project managers, Architects, Surveyors and contractors must ensure a survey has been undertaken, and that any ACMs inside the scope of the project are safely removed by a licensed contractor, or managed properly if they’re to remain.

These particular types of survey can’t usually be undertaken when the property is still occupied, due to safety issues. In some instances the asbestos survey can be carried out after-hours, or at the weekend when the building is empty. Some temporary reinstatement works may be required after the survey, in order to make good any damaged caused prior to the area being reoccupied by the client.

 

Examples of recent Asbestos R&D surveys carried out by Ranson Surveying can be found here:

1. https://www.ransonsurveying.com/projects/r-d-survey-halifax/
2. https://www.ransonsurveying.com/projects/r-d-survey-bradford/
3. https://www.ransonsurveying.com/projects/r-d-survey-rosemount-estate/

 

If you’re not sure what type of survey you require, please give us a call on: 01422410454