So who should undertake your Asbestos Surveying and Testing? How do you check that the person/company doing the asbestos testing is competent and will offer independent advice?
A quick Google search for ‘Asbestos Testing’ has thrown up 17 results on the first page:
- 9 Companies offer testing and surveying services but have no relevant accreditation or qualifications (one of which is offering advice that is completely staggeringly wrong!)
- 2 Companies are asbestos removal companies with no expertise in sampling or testing
- 2 pages belong to housing associations and their own asbestos testing issues
- 1 is a page from the HSE website recommending asbestos testing and sampling is carried out by UKAS accredited companies only
- 3 are Companies accredited by UKAS for asbestos testing, surveying and analysis.
UKAS Accredited
It’s so important to choose a qualified company for your asbestos needs; on that has practices and procedures that are both safe and produce accurate results.
UKAS is the United Kingdom Accreditation Service who stringently test the technical competence and integrity of organisations in the UK. Vintec are proud to be UKAS accredited, signifying our commitment to maintaining the highest standards for Asbestos Surveying and Testing.
So what do you get if you choose a UKAS accredited company, like Vintec?
- Independently verified technical competence of staff and management
- Equipment has been independently checked (including testing, calibration and maintenance records)
- Technical procedures have been independently assessed as complying with HSE guidance and relevant ISO standards
- Independently assessed financial stability
- The company is verified as independent and able to offer fully impartial advice
- Quality systems have been independently assessed. Staff are regularly audited and reports checked by competent staff prior to issue
- Guarantees that the relevant insurance cover is in place should things go wrong
UKAS also outlines the benefits of employing an accredited company.
Some companies offer up other types of accreditation as proof of asbestos competence. The common ones you see are BOHS, CHAS, HSE, ISO9001, Safe Contractor, Checkatrade.com, Constructionline, CSCS, Environment Agency etc. Unfortunately none of these other badges assess asbestos competence, most are general health and safety checks, trade bodies or training providers. None specialise in Asbestos Testing.
Vintec holds the top accreditation for Asbestos Testing. With our UKAS accreditation, you can have confidence in the quality of our tests and accuracy of results – that we test and are held to the highest standard.
To discuss your Asbestos Testing or Asbestos Surveying requirements in more detail why not give our expert, UKAS accredited team a call on 01923 661144 or get in touch via the contact form at the side of this page.