OHSS Consultants

Unit 2 Beat Centre, Stephenstown Industrial Estate Balbriggan Co. Dublin

Tel: 01 6905907 Fax 01 8020439
info@ohss.ie www.ohss.ie
NOTE:
The Safety Health and Welfare at Work (Exposure to Asbestos) Regulations 2006-2010 and specifically
Regulation 7: Identification of the presence of asbestos sets a legal requirement for owners and
occupiers of buildings to identify whether asbestos is present in their building and to assess the risks
posed by asbestos containing materials
There are many companies that provide consultancy and surveying services, sometimes at what
initially appears to be at low cost. However, before commissioning an organisation to undertake such
work it is important to consider the risks:
The HSA is responsible for enforcing compliance with the health and
safety regulations and prosecution maybe taken against persons who
fail to ensure the health and safety of their employees and others
present
Selecting an organisation accredited by the Irish National
Accreditation Board ( INAB) will ensure that you
are appointing a competent surveying organisation that will
understand and meet your requirements
The accreditation process determines the technical competence and
integrity of organisations providing inspection, testing, calibration and
certification services. INAB is the sole national accreditation body,
recognised by Government, to assess these types of organisations
against international standards. It provides an independent and
authoritative declaration that the organisation carrying out the survey
has the people, facilities, technical expertise,management systems
and track record to undertake the activity professionally and
competently.
HSA strongly recommends the use of an accredited surveyor.
Health and Safety Legislation requires to assess their competence
Are you confident that the organisation has the technical competence
to undertake the work in question ?
Are you satisfied that the organisation has the resources to do the
work?
Are the surveyors working to suitable codes of conduct to ensure
inspection are carried out impartially and with integrity?
Are you confident that the organisation has adequate quality system
in place?
Are you satisfied that safeguards are in place, eg professional
indemnity, employers and public liability insurance, in case difficulties
arise?
Inexperienced staff competence is built on qualifications,
knowledge and experience ( P402 alone is not a demonstration of
competence)
Insufficient resource leading to inadequate and incomplete surveys
and possibility of missing asbestos products especially those that
are not immediately obvious by sight alone
Unclear reports and inappropriate recommendations for remedial
action
A lack of impartiality
No comeback (no formal complaints procedure, no higher authority)
Lack of due diligence/exposure to future claims
Possible insurance gaps
OHSS are accredited to ISO-17020 for the surveying and risk assessment of buildings and ISO-17025 as a testing laboratory for
the presence of asbestos in materials. This means our surveying methods, quality management system and reporting all
conform to the highest international standards. OHSS is the market leader in asbestos surveying in Ireland
INAB currently accredits asbestos inspection bodies to carry out
surveys. Accreditation is a rigorous and ongoing assessment to
ISO-17020 of an asbestos surveying organisation to establish that:
The organisation is impartial
The organisation employs technically competent staff
The organisation has the appropriate resources and facilities
The organisation is performing to the required standard
The organisation is adequately insured
HSA strongly recommends the use of an accredited surveyor.
The organisation must demonstrate that individuals carrying out
surveys are technically competent to do so. This is demonstrated
through:
Qualifications attained
Internal training
Routine competence monitoring
Internal auditing to include witnessed survey performance by a
qualified auditor
Quality control of surveys through programme of resurveying
properties representative of general business e.g. types of premises
The organisation must demonstrate that:
It has appropriate liability insurance
It operates a Code of Conduct
It has implemented processes for working safely
It has a process to manage contract review to ensure that customer
requirements are fully understood, the work is adequately
resourced, and any deviations to the work are immediately brought
to the attention of the client
It has a complaints process (with referral to INAB if not satisfied)
The organisation must demonstrate that:
Surveys are carried out independently and impartially. INAB looks
for sufficient safeguards to ensure that links to other bodies (such
as removal contractors) do not influence the survey or any
subsequent recommendations
Integrity is being maintained by all staff at all levels through
contractual obligation to written codes of conduct. Such safeguards
are necessary to ensure that inspections are undertaken with
sufficient impartiality and that recommendations on the treatment of
discovered asbestos materials are appropriate to given situations.
An asbestos management plan for an organisation is a specification for
managing asbestos containing materials. The plan addresses:
Identification
Assessment
Management in situ
Repair
Removal
Disposal
Monitoring
The purpose of an Asbestos Management Survey is to
locate the presence of any asbestos containing materials or ACMs
which could be damaged or disturbed during normal building
occupancy. This should incorporate all areas of the premises, including
all maintenance areas. This is the survey type you will require for the
management of asbestos in any existing premises.
The key requirement of an Asbestos Refurbishment Survey is to locate
asbestos containing materials prior to the commencement of any
refurbishment works. The scope of the survey should be directly
related to the planned works, whether this is a new kitchen or the entire
refurbishment of an office block. The asbestos surveying company
should be provided with as much information about the project as
possible.
Essential to an Asbestos Demolition Survey is the necessity to locate
any asbestos containing materials prior to the demolition of a building.
As with a Refurbishment Survey all areas effected by the demolition
need to be included in the survey.
Sample of materials is used as part of the survey to confirm if asbestos
is present in materials. Analysis by an ISO-17025 accredited
laboratory ensure reliability of the test results. False positives by non
accredited laboratories can lead to expensive and unnecessary
removal work. False negatives can result in health risk to workers.
OHSS Consultants
Unit 2 Beat Centre, Stephenstown Industrial Estate Balbriggan Co. Dublin
Tel: 01 6905907 Fax 01 8020439
info@ohss.ie www.ohss.ie
OHSS are accredited to ISO-17020 for the surveying and risk assessment of buildings and ISO-17025 as a testing laboratory for the
presence of asbestos in materials. This means our surveying methods, quality management system and reporting all conform to the
highest international standards. OHSS is the market leader in asbestos surveying in Ireland