UK Asbestos Consultancy Services: Surveys, Removal, Training and Management

“Prompt, polite, professional – period!”
Jeff Cook – Chartered Surveyor – William Saunders (Newark)

Courtesy of Asbestos Laboratory Services (UK) Ltd

When you send your sample for asbestos testing, you know it’s in safe hands. It does not matter if it’s a sample you have taken or we have taken. The same expert attention is given to each and every sample. Analysis is carried out under laboratory conditions by an expert technician highly trained in identifying asbestos. Once the sample has been examined and tested in detail you will have full written certification of the findings. What you get does not stop there. When you're sent your certificate one of our expert asbestos professionals will talk you through the results and help you understand all of your options. It's all part of the service.

When you use Oracle for your asbestos sample testing and analysis we guarantee you that we will not be beaten on speed, service or delivery. We challenge you to find anyone better.

“Oracle are professional, focused and enthusiastic”
Charles Knowlson – Estates Manager – College of Law (York)

In the event of material on a site for which you are responsible being suspected of containing asbestos, it will be necessary to take a representative sample and send it off for analysis.

In line with the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012, all analysis of samples for suspected asbestos-containing materials must be undertaken by a competent laboratory accredited in compliance with the standard outlined in ISO 17025.

What does the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) say about asbestos sample testing?

Courtesy of Asbestos Laboratory Services (UK) Ltd

However, the regulator also sets out certain guidance for responsibly taking a sample, including being careful about where you walk, dampening the sample and placing it in a self-sealing polythene bag. This bag, in turn, should be placed in a second self-sealing bag, which can then be labelled.

Finally, it will be necessary for anyone undertaking asbestos sampling in this way to arrange for it to be analysed by a UKAS-accredited laboratory.

Alternatively, if you are not confident about your ability to take the sample itself – and you should certainly take no unnecessary risks – we would urge you to contact Oracle Solutions who will be able to carry out the asbestos sampling for you.

How does Oracle Solutions approach asbestos sample testing?

You can request asbestos sample testing – or ‘bulk sampling’, as we refer to it – as a standalone exercise, or as part of a wider survey.

The asbestos test that Oracle carries out as a standalone exercise is called ‘specific sampling’, and involves the client instructing us as to which materials, and in which part of the building, they require to have sampled.

If we provide asbestos testing as part of a survey, however, we will seek to locate – as far as is reasonably practical – all asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) within a building or part of a building, subject to the scope of works.

In the event that while undertaking a survey, the surveyor deems there may be a risk of a material containing asbestos, hand tools will be used to take a small (circa 50p size) sample of the material.

This will then be sealed in a double sealable sandwich-type bag and sent off to a specialist UKAS-accredited laboratory, where the material will be tested to confirm whether asbestos is present – as well as, if so, what specific type of asbestos the material is.

Courtesy of Asbestos Laboratory Services (UK) Ltd

While we would always recommend that Oracle attends your site to collect samples, we do have clients who prefer to either send us samples in the post or drop samples into the office.

What else is included in this service?

Clients for whom we are conducting a survey will receive a fully compliant asbestos survey report for the given building. Meanwhile, if we are only undertaking specific sampling or the customer has provided a sample, we will issue a detailed ‘Certificate of Analysis’.

What is the 3-5-7 rule for asbestos sampling?

The 3-5-7 rule comes from US regulations (AHERA). It sets a minimum number of bulk samples per area of surfacing material: 3 for small areas, 5 for medium and 7 for large. It isn't a UK requirement. In the UK, surveyors follow HSE guidance HSG264, which plans sampling around each distinct material so that every suspected asbestos-containing material is identified. Oracle Solutions plans sampling this way, so every suspect material on your site is covered. Samples are analysed by an independent UKAS-accredited laboratory, with standard results in 48–72 hours.

Is asbestos only dangerous if disturbed?

Largely, yes. Asbestos-containing materials in good condition that are left alone release very few fibres. The danger comes when they're damaged, deteriorate with age, or are disturbed by drilling, cutting or removal. Some materials, such as pipe lagging and sprayed coatings, are fragile enough to release fibres through minor contact. That's why duty holders must monitor the condition of asbestos regularly.

How long will it take to get the results back?

For the standard asbestos testing service requires a wait of 48-to-72-hours. However, we do also offer a ‘fast track’ service that guarantees a next-day result, provided that the sample is posted the day before.

Oracle also offer a premium service where it is possible to get results in a few hours. This is a particularly useful option in emergency situations.