Asbestos was once used to make many over 3,000 types of building materials. If your house or commercial structure was built prior to 1985, the chances are that asbestos materials were used in its construction. However, many people have the impression that asbestos has been removed from all buildings and houses that are currently standing. Unfortunately, that is not true and if you have an older home, it needs to be surveyed for asbestos before you start any renovations.
What is an Asbestos Survey?
Before you have any work done on an older home or building, it should undergo an asbestos survey. A survey will be able to tell you if there is asbestos present in your house or building, where it is located, and the type of asbestos. While it isn’t a legal requirement, if you suspect that you may have asbestos on your premises, then you should have a survey conducted.
Who Conducts Asbestos Surveys?
Businesses or individuals who specialise in building surveys can do an asbestos survey if they demonstrate the competency to be able to do one. However, if you are hiring someone to do an asbestos survey, the best way to make sure they can do one is to check and make sure they are accredited or certified. The basic minimum qualification for individuals conducting surveys is a training module called the P402.
The P402 training module by itself does not give a surveyor the necessary qualifications for completing an asbestos survey. They also need to have at least six months of experience working on asbestos surveys with people who are certified and experienced in doing them. There are two certifications you should look for when hiring a surveyor:
- Certificate of Competence in Asbestos (CoCA)
- Royal Society of Public Health Level 3 Certification in asbestos survey procedures.
Having those certifications means the surveyor knows what they are looking for and will know what to do if asbestos is found in your home or business building. Anyone who is interested in working as a surveyor should have at least one of these certifications so they can take on jobs in which asbestos may be present.
Finding Asbestos Work
If you are someone in the construction industry wanting to make more money, then you should consider getting certified to do asbestos surveys. There are companies that will help you find work within the industry, including asbestos surveying jobs in the UK. However, to be considered, you need to take courses on how to identify asbestos, how to properly remove the asbestos, and how to complete risk assessments on the buildings that are surveyed.
Once you have completed the necessary courses, you should start looking for work with a company that does asbestos surveys since you will also need to be experienced in the field if you want to someday work independently as a surveyor. There are many companies in the UK that are hiring qualified asbestos surveyors. Since asbestos is still found in many buildings today, you should be able to find a job within the industry and get the experience you need.