A refurbishment and demolition survey should always be carried out where a property or part of a property is having work undertaken to upgrade, refurbish or carry out intrusive maintenance or repair works. In some instances, this type of survey may also be required prior to dismantling, removal or repair of plant and equipment.  The duty holder has a legal obligation to commission a survey prior to any work to as far as reasonably practicable, identify where asbestos is. This in turn mitigates the risk of potential damage being caused and people being exposed to asbestos materials.  

A refurbishment and demolition survey may not be limited to only commercial or industrial properties. If a domestic homeowner instructs a contractor to carry out refurbishment work such as removing walls & ceiling, replacing window, door, soffits etc, it would be the responsibility of the contractor to ensure a refurbishment & demolition survey has been completed prior to work commencement to protect the home occupiers and their employees from exposure to asbestos. 

A refurbishment & demolition survey can be intrusive, and damage may be caused to materials and décor to enable access to all areas of a building. To fully gain access to all parts of the property to ascertain if asbestos is present, our surveyor may break through walls and ceiling, lift coverings and floorboards etc. 

An asbestos refurbishment & demolition survey is used to find the location and provide a description of all asbestos containing materials within parts or all areas of a property, depending on the extent of demolition work being carried out. There is a legal requirement under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 for a survey to be undertaken prior to any destructive work. This applies to commercial properties in all instances and for domestic properties where contractors are used to carry out the work. 

Although in owner-occupied domestic properties, owners are not legally responsible for risks to contractors from asbestos, as the owners themselves are not engaged in any work activity. The responsibility lies with the contactor. ID Asbestos would advise any domestic homeowner to ensure their appointed contractor has instructed an asbestos survey to be carried out prior to works to ensure they are not disturbing any asbestos during demolition. 

If asbestos has been identified, all asbestos materials must be safely removed prior to the affected area being demolished. Failure to manage the asbestos correctly may lead to individuals being exposed to asbestos fibres which may lead to prosecution, unlimited fines, and possible imprisonment.