How do contractors determine the presence of asbestos in housing stock when not all properties have been surveyed?

When dealing with refurbishment or demolition projects where asbestos presence is suspected, it's crucial to conduct targeted surveys in line with HSG264 – Asbestos: The Survey Guide. According to Paragraph 67 of HSG264, refurbishment and demolition surveys should be performed in specific areas of a property where work will disrupt the building's fabric. These surveys are necessary to ensure the safety of the work environment by identifying asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) that need removal, control, or avoidance.

For properties within a larger housing stock, the survey strategy should involve a proportion of the properties to establish a reliable understanding of asbestos variability. While the HSG264 does not specifically mention a % rule, it highlights the need for a higher ratio of surveyed properties when initial results show substantial variability in asbestos presence. This means that if earlier surveys indicate inconsistent asbestos findings across different locations in the housing stock, a greater number of properties should be surveyed. The objective is to achieve as accurate a picture as possible of the presence and distribution of ACMs, to guide safe refurbishment or demolition practices.

Additionally, any work involving ACMs requires workers to have the appropriate level of training. Asbestos Awareness training alone is not sufficient for handling or working with asbestos. Personnel must undergo more comprehensive training specific to the tasks they will perform, ensuring they can safely manage or remove asbestos according to legal and safety standards.

Asbestos: The survey
guide (HSG264)

Para 67 Refurbishment and demolition surveys will be required where refurbishment work or other work involving disturbing the fabric of the building is carried out. The survey strategy for refurbishment works is similar to that for management surveys. Refurbishment and demolition surveys should also be carried out on a proportion of properties in the work programme. The ratio again will depend on asbestos variability within the housing stock and may be high where there is substantial variation. A proportion should be surveyed until the results demonstrate as far as reasonably practicable that there is consistency in the range of ACMs in the property type and there is an accurate picture of asbestos presence. The refurbishment and demolition survey will only be necessary in the specific area/location where the works will take place, eg cupboard, part of a room, kitchen/bathroom. However, further refurbishment and demolition surveys will be necessary in other locations when new improvement schemes are proposed. These localised refurbishment and demolition surveys should have the specific purpose of identifying ACMs for removal, control or avoidance during the refurbishment works.