Asbestos before refurbishment: what UK building owners must do first

Under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012, the person responsible for maintaining a non-domestic building, or the common parts of a domestic one, has a duty to manage asbestos. That means finding out whether it is present, keeping a record, assessing the risk and having a plan. The HSE's asbestos guidance explains the duty in detail.

• Management survey: the standard survey for normal occupation. It locates asbestos that could be disturbed during day-to-day use and maintenance.
• Refurbishment and demolition survey: required before intrusive work. It is more thorough and may involve breaking into finishes to find hidden asbestos in the area to be worked on.

• Check the building's age and any existing asbestos register.
• Commission a refurbishment survey from a competent, accredited surveyor before work starts.
• Share the results with everyone doing the work, including sub-contractors.
• Use a licensed contractor where the work requires a licence, and make sure waste is handled correctly.
• If something suspicious turns up during work, stop, keep people away and get it tested.

Homeowners do not have the same formal duty, but the risk is the same. Textured coatings, old pipe lagging, floor tiles and soffits in older houses can contain asbestos, so any contractor should check before drilling, sanding or stripping out. We stop and ask for testing whenever we find something we are not sure about.

If you are planning a commercial fit-out or refurbishment, see our commercial works and facilities maintenance pages, or get in touch.