When domestic renovation goes ‘asbestosly’ wrong

Ok, so ‘asbestosly’ isn’t a real word. But there is no word that can describe the impact of having your home and family exposed to the potential dangers of asbestos. The dangers are well publicised but unfortunately for domestic customers, the issue is still rarely considered by builders and architects. With up to 50% of houses built prior to 2000 containing asbestos the issue is not going away any time soon.

Your Builder has a legal duty of care when it comes to Asbestos Testing, not just to his own employees but also to you. We have seen several incidences recently that have resulted in home owners being exposed to potentially harmful amounts of asbestos fibre. This causes great anxiety and expense.

Case study 1

The extension of a house in St Albans had been going well until asbestos insulation was unintentionally disturbed by an unsuspecting plumber. Unfortunately, no Asbestos Survey had been carried out. The family and all the tradesmen working in the house would have been exposed to elevated levels of airborne asbestos fibre.

After further investigation by the homeowners insurance company, the owner was moved into hotel and it was then decided that most of their possessions could not be decontaminated and had to disposed of as asbestos waste. Having a targeted Refurbishment Survey would have prevented all the stress and cost.

Case study 2

In a near miss in Harpenden, a home owner had the good sense to call us in to carry out some last minute checks prior to a kitchen refit. The work was going to involve extending the kitchen by knocking through into the garage.

During our asbestos inspection we discovered that, contrary to the advice of the kitchen fitter, the dividing wall was lined with asbestos insulation board. Had the works gone ahead as planned the family, including four-year-old twin girls, would have been exposed to very high levels of asbestos which would have spread unchecked across the kitchen, dining room, play room, lounge and garage.

A Refurbishment Survey should be carried out prior to the start of construction works. It is designed to highlight all asbestos containing materials that could be disturbed by the planned works. This allows remedial works to be costed and properly planned. Not having a survey leaves you reliant on the asbestos awareness of the tradesmen in your house. They are not trained experts.

I wouldn’t want an asbestos surveyor to rewire my kitchen so why would I want an electrician to do my asbestos survey?

To discuss any works renovation works you have planned please give our expert team a call on 01923 661144 for guidance and advice to keep you and your loved ones safe from the dangers of asbestos.