www.asbestos.uk.net is the online domain name for Southern Counties Asbestos Ltd.

We provide a fully qualified and insured asbestos removal service throughout the UK but predominantly within the home counties of Berkshire, Hampshire, Kent, Surrey, Sussex, Dorset, Wiltshire, Essex and of course across London.  

With a wealth of knowledge and experience in the removal, encapsulation and disposal of all types of Asbestos Containing Materials from a wide range of locations. Specializing in occupied industrial/residential buildings and fire damaged structures. 

Our approach to asbestos removal and disposal is planned to cause the very minimum amount of inconvenience to the client whilst maintaining the highest levels of safety and ensuring the work is thoroughly and effectively carried out.

Our ethos is to work with our clients on projects no matter how challenging the environment where the asbestos is found and needs to be removed.

Our asbestos removal teams work on listed buildings or of architectural interest where the utmost care is required in maintaining the structural and visual integrity of the building.

Our teams work at height where asbestos use in past building practices has been extensive and may pose additional risk due to its poor condition.

Removal & Abatement

Specialist works include Asbestos removal and re-insulation to ships whilst sailing or in dry dock.

We have asbestos survey and removal contracts not just in the UK but also in Germany, Italy, USA, Africa and the Middle East.
As a company we carry out contracts around the world on Oil Rig Installations (both off shore and in dry dock), Airports, Maritime & Shipping, Health Authorities, Schools, Construction Sites, and for many Blue chip companies.

All of our operatives are  trained and medically monitored for asbestos

Consultancy

• Technical and Commercial advice
• 30 Years + combined professional experience
   

Test Applications

• Asbestos
• Lead paint
• Soil
• Air
• Water
• Glazing Identification
• Anthrax
• Noise

All of our asbestos removal contracts are carried out in full conformance with the current HSE and Environment Agency statutory requirements.

Please contact us for advice on asbestos removal or indeed if you require an asbestos survey or asbestos removal.

Regulation 4 requires all Asbestos Containing Materials (ACM’s) present to be identified and a full Asbestos Register to be in place. This will assist in the duty to manage the risk of Asbestos exposure to staff and visitors alike.

HSE and Local Authority Inspectors are already carrying out prosecutions against companies who are not complying with Regulation 4.

There is no limitation to the fines and HSE and Local Authority Inspectors will take whatever enforcement action they deem appropriate based on the severity of the problem.

To avoid the risk of prosecution, it is imperative that all non-domestic premises have a fully working strategy, together with an implementation timetable in place to demonstrate how they are working towards full compliance with Regulation 4.

Southern Counties Asbestos will undertake every aspect of your Asbestos Management and ensure your full compliance to the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006 (Regulation 4).

Southern Counties Asbestos Ltd are specialists in all Asbestos related issues including being able to identify and test for asbestos materials within buildings and maritime.

If your are suspicious that you may have asbestos within your premises or just want to be sure, we offer site surveys.

From early 2010, Asbestos Survey’s now fall into two category types (HSG 264), Asbestos Management Surveys and Demolition / Refurbishment Asbestos Surveys.  

These new survey categorys have changed from what used to be known as Type 1, 2 and 3 Asbestos Surveys. An HSE asbestos guide (PDF document) can be downloaded from our website here (opens in a new window)

You can read more below to find out which HSG 264 asbestos survey best suits your needs?
 

What type of Asbestos Survey do you require?

Asbestos Management Survey

The following two surveys used to be known as Type 1 and Type 2 Asbestos Surveys. They are now amalgermated as one and known as Asbestos Management Survey’s.

Asbestos Management Survey (HSG264)

Formally known as a Type 1: Location and assessment survey (presumptive survey).

The purpose of the survey is to locate, as far as reasonably practicable, the presence and extent of any suspect Asbestos Containing Materials in the building and assess their condition. This survey essentially defers the need to sample and analyse for Asbestos until a later time. The duty holder bears potential additional costs of management for some non-asbestos containing materials. All areas should be accessed and inspected as far as reasonably practicable. (e.g. above false ceilings and inside risers, service ducts, lift shafts etc) or must be presumed to contain Asbestos until proven different.

Asbestos Management Survey (HSG264)

Formally known as a Type 2: Standard sampling, identification and assessment survey (sampling survey)

The purpose and procedures used in this survey are the same for Type 1, except that representative samples are collected and analysed for the presents of Asbestos. Samples from each type of suspected ACM found are collected and analysed to confirm or refute the surveyor’s judgment. The number of samples should be sufficient for the surveyor to make an assessment of whether Asbestos is or is not present. Sampling is normally carried out simultaneously with the asbestos survey, or can be carried out as a separate exercise, after a Type 1 survey has been carried out.

Demolition / Refurbishment Asbestos Survey

Demolition / Refurbishment Asbestos Survey (HSG264)

Formally known as a Type 3:  Pre-demolition/major refurbishment surveys

This type of survey is used to locate and describe, as far as reasonably practicable, all ACM’s in the building and may involve destructive inspection, as necessary, to gain access to all areas, including those that may be difficult to reach. A full sampling programme is undertaken to identify possible ACM’s and estimates of volume made. The asbestos survey is designed to be used as a basis for tendering the removal prior to demolition or major refurbishment.
 

• Full compliance with Regulation 4 of the asbestos regulations 2006
   
• All Surveys carried out in accordance with MDHS 100 and HSG264
   
• All our surveyors are trained to BOHS P402 or higher, with extensive experience throughout the industry
   
• All Asbestos samples tested by a UKAS accredited laboratory
   

Contact us now to arrange your site survey

The duty to manage asbestos is directed at those who manage non-domestic premises: the people with responsibility for protecting others who work in such premises, or use them in other ways, from the risks to ill health that exposure to asbestos causes.

This page should provide answers to some questions about the duty as well as some further information:

• What is the duty?
• Who has the duty?
• Which premises are affected?
• How do dutyholders comply?
• Surveys
   

How can Southern Counties Asbestos help?

If you have any concerns regarding asbestos and your responsibility, contact our team now and we can advise you.

As professionals in the asbestos business, we can ensure that your commercial business premises are legal and any asbestos is managed or removed.

Below you will find a brief outline of responsibility and how the law affects commercial premises and the dutyholder.
 

What is the duty?

 
Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006 who has the duty (i.e. the “dutyholder”) to:

take reasonable steps to find out if there are materials containing asbestos in non-domestic premises, and if so, its amount, where it is and what condition it is in;
presume materials contain asbestos unless there is strong evidence that they do not;
make, and keep up-to-date, a record of the location and condition of the asbestos containing materials – or materials which are presumed to contain asbestos;
assess the risk of anyone being exposed to fibres from the materials identified;
prepare a plan that sets out in detail how the risks from these materials will be managed;
take the necessary steps to put the plan into action;
periodically review and monitor the plan and the arrangements to act on it so that the plan remains relevant and up-to-date; and
provide information on the location and condition of the materials to anyone who is liable to work on or disturb them.

Who has the duty?

non-domestic premises through an explicit agreement such as a tenancy agreement or contract.
The extent of the duty will depend on the nature of that agreement. In a building occupied by one leaseholder, the agreement might be for either the owner or leaseholder to take on the full duty for the whole building; or it might be to share the duty. In a multi-occupied building, the agreement might be that the owner takes on the full duty for the whole building. Or it might be that the duty is shared – for example, the owner takes responsibility for the common parts while the leaseholders take responsibility for the parts they occupy. Sometimes, there might be an agreement to pass the responsibilities to a managing agent.
In some cases, there may be no tenancy agreement or contract. Or, if there is, it may not specify who has responsibility for the maintenance or repair of non-domestic premises. In these cases, or where the premises are unoccupied, the duty is placed on whoever has control of the premises, or part of the premises. Often this will be the owner.

Which premises are affected?

 
The duty to manage covers all non-domestic premises. Such premises include all industrial, commercial or public buildings such as factories, warehouses, offices, shops, hospitals and schools.
Non-domestic premises also include those ‘common’ areas of certain domestic premises: purpose-built flats or houses converted into flats. The common areas of such domestic premises might include foyers, corridors, lifts and lift-shafts, staircases, roof spaces, gardens, yards, outhouses and garages – but would not include the flat itself. Such common areas would not include rooms within a private residence that are shared by more than one household such as bathrooms, kitchens etc in shared houses and communal dining rooms and lounges in sheltered accommodation.
Further detail is set out in a chart of premises and includes which are likely to be classified as domestic or non-domestic for the purposes of the duty to manage.

How do dutyholders comply?

There are three essential steps:

• find out whether the premises contains asbestos, and, if so, where it is and what condition it is in. If in doubt, materials must be presumed to contain asbestos;
• assess the risk; and make a plan to manage that risk and act on it
• Further details of these steps can be found on pages of this downloadable file ‘A short guide to managing asbestos’.

Here are some basic principles to remember:

• asbestos is only dangerous when disturbed. If it is safely managed and contained, it doesn’t present a health hazard;
• don’t remove asbestos unnecessarily – removing it can be more dangerous than leaving it in place and managing it;
• not all asbestos materials present the same risk. The measures that need to be taken for controlling the risks from materials such as pipe insulation are different from those needed in relation to asbestos cement;
• if you are unsure about whether certain materials contain asbestos, you can presume they do and treat them as such;
• remember that the duty to manage is all about putting in place the practical steps necessary to protect maintenance workers and others from the risk of exposure to asbestos fibres. It is not about removing all asbestos.
• If any ACMs need to be sealed, encapsulated or removed, remember you will need to employ a licensed contractor such as ourselves.

Contact us today if you have any asbestos concerns with your commercial property. Our team of qualified and experienced asbestos surveyors can remove the liability from you by carrying out a thorough survey.

Asbestos Management Survey (HSG264)

Tell our surveyor why you want a ‘Management Survey’.

The purpose of the management survey is to manage asbestos-containing materials (ACM) during the normal occupation and use of premises. 

A Management Survey aims to ensure that:

1. nobody is harmed by the continuing presence of ACM in the premises or equipment;
2. that the ACM remain in good condition; and
3. that nobody disturbs it accidentally

The Survey must locate ACM that could be damaged or disturbed by normal activities, by foreseeable maintenance, or by installing new equipment.  It involves minor intrusion and minor asbestos disturbance to make a Materials Assessment.  This shows the ability of ACM, if disturbed, to release fibres into the air.  It guides the client, eg in prioritising any remedial work.

Provide the surveyor with the site layout, building plans, building specifications or architect’s drawings, and any history of asbestos work.  Point out your site hazards, including means of safe access to heights. Provide keys, etc.

The area should be vacated during the survey.

Report

The report should state the asbestos type, location, extent, condition and any surface treatment – the ‘Materials assessment’.  The report may comment on priorities for any remedial work. 

The report should state where the surveyor or sampler did not survey or sample.  You should presume that areas that the surveyor has not accessed do contain asbestos.

(Formally known as a Type 3: Full access sampling and identification survey (pre-demolition/major refurbishment surveys) The Type 3 survey has now been superseded with and is now known as a: Demolition / Refurbishment Asbestos Survey. Below we have outlined the basic details of this type of survey:

The refurbishment / demolition survey is required where the premises, or part of it, need upgrading, refurbishment or demolition.  The survey does not need a record of the condition of asbestos-containing materials (ACM).  Normally, a surveyor is needed for refurbishment / demolition surveys.

A Refurbishment / demolition survey aims to ensure that:

1. nobody will be harmed by work on ACM in the premises or equipment;
2. such work will be done by the right contractor in the right way

The survey must locate and identify all ACM before any structural work begins at a stated location or on stated equipment at the premises.  It involves intrusive and/or destructive inspection and asbestos disturbance.  The area surveyed must be vacated, and certified ‘fit for reoccupation’ after the survey.

Provide the surveyor with the site layout, building plans, building specifications or architect’s drawings, and any history of asbestos work.  Point out your site hazards, including means of safe access to heights. Provide keys, etc.

Report

The reports should state the location, presence and extent of asbestos-containing materials and debris. It does not assess the asbestos condition but the surveyor should mention any that is in a dangerous state. 

The report should state where the surveyor or sampler did not survey or sample.  You should presume that areas that the surveyor has not accessed do contain asbestos.

After flooding, the clean-up and renovation of a property is particularly hazardous as materials that have water damaged or been affected are often un-recogniseable or indeed not un-identifiable.

This of course includes asbestos materials that may have been concealed before the flooding but are now exposed or indeed damaged.

For example, asbestos insulating board (AIB) is difficuly enough sometimes in normal circumstances to identify the difference between say a type of building or plaster board. Once it has been submersed in flood water that identification process becomes even harder. Given the known dangers of asbestos insulating board (AIB) removing it without the proper protection in place is extreamly hazardous and should only be handled by experts such as ourselves with the correct protection, decontamination equipment and containment to dispose of it safely.

Asbestos made materials are even more dangerous after a flood as often the severity of the water damage has compromised the integrity of the surroundings or indeed in some cases the structure of the building.

In such cases an HSE approved and experienced asbestos company like ourselves need to survey the flood damaged property and remove any such materials that could be deemed as being made from asbestos.

We have had many years of experience and are fully trained and equipped to carry out this type of work in flood damaged properties.

Our teams arrive with full safety equipment including but not limited to: mobile decontamination units, breathing apparatus, and the appropriate personnel protection wear.

We even bring Volume Air Changing Systems that help dramatically to remove the damp smells and dry out the rooms affected.

We work with all the authorities after a building has been flooded to ensure that the property can be made safe as quickly and efficiently as possible without cutting any corners.

We are the experts in identifying asbestos made products within the debris of a flood damaged premises.

Contact us 24/7 to learn more or call our team of experts in to a flood damaged building now.

The Asbestos Management Survey HSG 264 used to be known as a Type 1 Asbestos Surveys.  From early 2010 the Heath and Safety Executive have redefined the parameters and renamed the old Type 1 survey to the new Asbestos Management Survey.

Asbestos Management Survey (HSG264)

(Formally known as a Type 1: Location and assessment survey – presumptive survey).

The purpose of the survey is to locate, as far as reasonably practicable, the presence and extent of any suspect Asbestos Containing Materials in the building and assess their condition.

This survey essentially defers the need to sample and analyse for Asbestos until a later time. The duty holder bears potential additional costs of management for some non-asbestos containing materials.

All areas should be accessed and inspected as far as reasonably practicable. (e.g. above false ceilings and inside risers, service ducts, lift shafts etc) or must be presumed to contain Asbestos until proven different.

The Asbestos Management Survey HSG 264 used to be known as a Type 2 Asbestos Surveys.  From early 2010 the Heath and Safety Executive have redefined the parameters and renamed the old Type 2 survey to the new Asbestos Management Survey.

Asbestos Management Survey (HSG264)

(Formally known as a Type 2: Standard sampling, identification and assessment survey (sampling survey)

The purpose and procedures used in this survey are the same for Type 1, except that representative samples are collected and analysed for the presents of Asbestos.

Samples from each type of suspected ACM found are collected and analysed to confirm or refute the surveyor’s judgment. The number of samples should be sufficient for the surveyor to make an assessment of whether Asbestos is or is not present.

Sampling is normally carried out simultaneously with the survey, or can be carried out as a separate exercise, after a Type 1 survey has been carried out.

The Demolition / Refurbishment Asbestos Survey HSG 264 used to be known as a Type 3 Asbestos Surveys.  From early 2010 the Heath and Safety Executive have redefined the parameters and renamed the old Type 3 survey to the new Demolition / Refurbishment Asbestos Survey.

Demolition / Refurbishment Asbestos Survey (HSG264)

(Formally known as a Type 3: Full access sampling and identification survey (pre-demolition/major refurbishment surveys)

The Type 3 survey has now been superseded with and is now known as a: Demolition / Refurbishment Asbestos Survey

This type of survey is used to locate and describe, as far as reasonably practicable, all ACM’s in the building and may involve destructive inspection, as necessary, to gain access to all areas, including those that may be difficult to reach.

A full sampling programme is undertaken to identify possible ACM’s and estimates of volume made. The survey is designed to be used as a basis for tendering the removal prior to demolition or major refurbishment.

All types of commercial & industrial contracts carried out with safety sacrosanct and attention to detail paramount.

All projects are managed within industry legislation, approved codes of practice and HSE guidance notes. Rigorous audits ensure all quality control procedures are maintained by both internally and by external independent organisations.

Our quality assurance is recognised through the number of long term clients that we continue to service. These range from the Public Sector (Education, NHS, Housing and Local Authorities) to private sector clients and major Blue Chip clients

We pride ourselves on our fast response to customer requirements, safe work practices and professional standards. All of our operatives are fully trained and experienced in all kinds of safe asbestos management.
We provide a full range of Asbestos services including:

• Asbestos Removal
• Asbestos Encapsulation / Treatment
• Asbestos Disposal (Licensed Hazardous Waste Carrier)
• Asbestos cement sheet removal and disposal.

We will always offer a free quotation and endeavour to be competitive at all times

Fully insured for all asbestos work.

Our licenced asbestos removal division are ACAD members promoting best practice in asbestos removal, and are also members of ROSPA, and have “Safe Contractor” & “CHAS” accreditations for Health and Safety and are approved by Achilles (Verify and UVDB).