Asbestos is a concern for home/property owners of all types of building; from older residential homes to factories, storage buildings, and commercial spaces, knowing what to do if you suspect you have asbestos is key to your safety. First, and foremost, we recommend that you always consult a professional asbestos removal expert such as ourselves. Make sure to read reviews and ask for accreditations such as safe contractor, ARCA, or similar before commissioning any work on your property. With that said, there are two major warning signs to look out for to help you better understand whether asbestos may be in your building. Age and condition.
Aged Buildings
Asbestos is most common in buildings built throughout the 20th century. Asbestos is a silicate mineral that proved cost-effective to mine and had incredible hardiness including a natural resistance to fire, heat and electricity as well as good sound absorption
However, it’s popularity began to shift in the 1980’s with damaged and broken asbestos linked to serious ailments and diseases such as lung cancer, asbestosis, and mesothelioma. Fortunately, asbestos has been phased out of use in more modern builds with buildings constructed after 2000 unlikely to have asbestos products. If you have an older building, especially one in poor condition, it may be worth testing the premises for asbestos fibres. These invisible fibres are incredibly small and when inhaled can cause serious damage to the respiratory system. The HSE (Health and Safety Executive) still regularly reports thousands of cases so even if you are a little concerned it’s worth contacting us to carry out an asbestos survey.
The Condition of Your Building Materials
When it comes to asbestos dangers; the main culprit is usually friable asbestos. Friable means it crumbles easily and when searching the home; asbestos containing materials (ACM) are tested to see if they break, chip, or crumble under pressure. Non-friable asbestos can also be dangerous however friable materials break much easier, releasing asbestos fibres into the air. For more information on common materials that may contain asbestos consult the HSE’s asbestos guide. This breaks down every possible place you may find asbestos.
These brittle materials can be found in anything from roof tiles to floor tiles and after years of service can begin to take strain. This is why surveying your property, especially one in need of repair, is integral to the safety of you, your family, or your guests and employees.
What to Do if You Find Asbestos in Your Home
Contact the professionals. At Midlands Asbestos Solutions we offer a complete surveying service, testing and removal system. First, we’ll send out an experienced surveyor to assess the condition of your building materials and the amount of asbestos in your build. We do this carefully so as not to disrupt materials and cause further damage or fibre release. Once samples have been taken, we’ll send them off to our UKAS-accredited lab to accurately test the condition of your materials.
Once we’ve analysed your samples, we’ll suggest the best course of action. This could be as simple as ensuring an area is undisturbed or as in-depth as completely removing your asbestos materials and replacing them with modern alternatives. Whatever the needs, we offer a complete service that leaves you with a high performance building that is safe to use. We also safely remove and dispose of all harmful materials to ensure that the asbestos is managed correctly.
As you can see, asbestos is a serious problem. We don’t recommend trying to deal with any concerns yourselves. Instead, go with the experts. We have amassed years of experience and carry out every asbestos removal on time and budget. If you think you may have asbestos or even just want some peace of mind, contact us now for a free, no-obligation quotation. We’re here to help ease