The duty to manage in plain English
Regulation 4 of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 places the duty to manage on whoever has responsibility for maintaining a non-domestic building. That is usually the owner, landlord or tenant under a repairing lease, and it includes the shared parts of blocks of flats. The duty is to take reasonable steps to find out whether asbestos-containing materials are present, to assess their condition, to make and keep a written record, to prepare a plan to manage the risk, and to share the information with anyone likely to disturb it.
Buildings built before 2000 are the ones most likely to be affected, because asbestos was not fully banned in the UK until 1999. Even a building that appears modern may include older plant, roofing or fixtures.
From city-centre offices and shops to units on the Wirral and in Bootle, commercial buildings here are mostly older stock, so the duty to manage applies to many of them.
The survey behind your register
For most commercial buildings in use, the survey is a management survey carried out to HSG264, producing an asbestos register with a risk assessment for each material. If planned works will disturb the fabric, a refurbishment and demolition survey of the affected area is needed in addition. Where the building has an older register, a re-inspection updates it.
A surveyor will inspect offices, stores, kitchens, plant rooms, risers, roof voids and external structures, and sample suspect materials. Surveys can be scheduled around opening hours, and larger premises are usually surveyed in phases to reduce disruption.
Who this is for
Typical customers include owners and managers of offices, shops and retail units, schools, care homes, pubs and restaurants, community buildings, medical centres, commercial landlords and their managing agents, and tenants who have taken on repairing responsibility under a lease. Property purchasers and lenders also commonly ask for a survey as part of due diligence.
If you manage several buildings, tell us on the form. A portfolio can be surveyed and re-inspected on a rolling schedule so that none falls out of date.
After the survey
Having the report is only the start. The register should be kept up to date, shown to contractors before work, and reviewed. If any material is damaged, or sits where it will keep being disturbed, we can connect you with licensed removal contractors for a quote. Failing to carry out the duty to manage can lead to enforcement action by the HSE or the local authority, so keeping a current, accurate register is the safest position.
