Preparing for Your Asbestos Survey: A Step-by-Step Guide
Prefer to watch? This 11-minute briefing explains how to prepare for an asbestos management survey, what information the surveyor will need, and what to expect before, during and after the site visit. Click the play button below to watch.
Video Credit: The KV Group Ltd. Learn how to prepare for an asbestos management survey, including the information, access and practical arrangements your surveyor will need before, during and after the visit.
An asbestos survey is the foundation of asbestos management.
Here are the steps you need to take to prepare for your asbestos management survey, reduce disruption and obtain a more accurate survey report.
1. Check what type of asbestos survey is being commissioned
Before making arrangements, confirm that everyone understands the survey scope. An asbestos management survey is designed to support the ongoing management of asbestos during the building’s normal occupation and use. It may involve minor intrusive inspection and sampling, but it is not intended to support extensive refurbishment or demolition work.
Where planned work will disturb the building fabric beyond the scope of the management survey, a refurbishment and demolition survey may be required before that work begins.
Understanding what has been commissioned helps the building team provide the correct information and access and prevents the completed survey from being used for work it was never designed to cover.
If you are unsure about the different types of survey, read our guide to understanding asbestos surveys for hotels, which includes the difference between management surveys and refurbishment and demolition surveys.
2. Gather reliable information about the building
How well do you know the history of the building? Before the survey, gather as much reliable information as possible, including:
The original construction date
Known extensions and additional wings
Changes of use
Major refurbishment projects
Different construction or refurbishment phases
Areas that have been altered since the available plans were produced
Different parts of a building can contain entirely different materials, even when they look similar. An original wing, later extension and recently refurbished floor may each require separate consideration. Decide how this information will reach the surveyor. You could annotate the floor plans, prepare a short written summary or arrange for a knowledgeable member of staff to explain the building during the initial walkthrough. Do not rely on important information being mentioned casually or passed through several people.
3. Review the existing asbestos records
Review the asbestos information already held for the building and identify the reliable evidence.
This may include:
Previous asbestos survey reports
Laboratory analysis results
Asbestos-removal documentation
Certificates of reoccupation
Asbestos air-testing records
Updated plans or marked-up drawings
Records of encapsulation or remedial work
Provide relevant evidence to the surveyor before the survey begins. Demonstrably inaccurate information should not be passed forward as valid asbestos information. It can waste time, complicate the inspection and create confusion within the new asbestos register. Your asbestos consultant can help distinguish useful historical evidence from records that should not be relied upon.
4. Check the floor plans carefully
Open and review the plans before sending them to the surveyor. Make sure they are:
Legible
Reasonably current
Consistent with the room numbers used on site
Labelled with recognisable area names
Inclusive of the entire building
Pay particular attention to extensions, basements, plant areas, outbuildings, roof spaces and areas altered since the plans were produced. If part of a plan is inaccurate, mark the difference rather than leaving the surveyor to discover it during the inspection. Send the best available plans electronically before the visit and keep a printed copy available on site.
The plans help the surveyor prepare, track survey coverage and accurately record the findings. Missing or misleading information increases the risk of an area being overlooked or incorrectly identified in the final report.
5. Identify maintenance routes and service areas
Some of the most important survey areas are the ones guests never see. An asbestos management survey should reflect how the building is actually maintained—not just its most visible or readily accessible areas. Think about where maintenance staff and contractors routinely need to work. Depending on the building, this might include:
Service risers
Ceiling voids
Electrical cupboards
Lift motor rooms
Plant rooms
Roof spaces
Ducts and access hatches
Outbuildings
Infrequently accessed stores
Mark these areas on the plans where possible and prepare a separate list if necessary. Also identify anything needed to gain access, such as a particular key, ladder, permit, isolation, specialist contractor or authorised member of staff.
The person supporting the surveyor must understand these maintenance routes. Knowing where the occupied rooms are is not enough if they cannot identify the spaces contractors are likely to access during future work.
6. Select representative bedrooms and accommodation areas
A few convenient bedrooms will not necessarily represent an entire hotel. Where representative sampling is used, the selection should reflect the full bedroom stock, including relevant differences in:
Building age
Wing or extension
Floor
Room layout
Construction type
Refurbishment phase
Rooms that look identical from the corridor may have different construction histories. Different materials can be concealed behind otherwise similar finishes. Prepare a list of representative bedrooms in advance and explain what each selected room represents. Where possible, include alternative rooms of the same type in case the first choices become occupied or unavailable.
The survey report should record which rooms were inspected and the basis of the selection. Bedrooms outside the agreed sample must remain clearly accounted for so that nobody later assumes every room was individually surveyed.
7. Arrange access before the survey
If the surveyor cannot reach an area, it cannot be inspected. Prepare the keys, access cards, permissions and equipment needed for the visit. Check that access hatches open and confirm that locked, restricted or equipment-containing rooms can be entered safely.
If an area requires specialist access equipment, an isolation, a permit or another contractor, tell the surveyor in advance, not after the inspection has started. In hotels, bedroom access should be coordinated with reception and housekeeping. Agree the order in which rooms will be inspected to avoid unnecessary conflict with arrivals, departures and cleaning schedules.
Inaccessible areas will normally be recorded as survey limitations. These limitations may then create additional requirements before maintenance work can proceed, so resolving access beforehand can save time, expense and another site visit.
8. Appoint and brief a suitable chaperone
The right chaperone can make the entire survey run more smoothly. Choose somebody who knows the building and can remain available to support the surveyor. They should understand:
The building’s history
The floor plans
The maintenance routes
The representative bedroom selection
The access arrangements
Who can resolve operational or safety issues
The chaperone does not necessarily need to remain beside the surveyor throughout the whole inspection. However, they should be contactable and able to respond promptly when needed. Nominate an alternative contact in case the agreed person becomes unavailable.
A useful chaperone understands what needs to be shown to the surveyor and why. Simply handing over a collection of keys does not provide the same level of support.
9. Confirm the arrival arrangements
A smooth survey begins before the surveyor reaches the building. Confirm:
Where the surveyor should park
Where they should report
Who they should ask for
Whether they need to sign in
Whether a site induction is required
Any emergency procedures
Any site-specific restrictions
Make sure reception and the appointed chaperone know when the surveyor is expected, who they are and why they are attending. Tell the surveyor about anything that could affect the visit, including busy function periods, contractor activity, unavailable rooms or restrictions affecting plant areas. Clear arrival arrangements reduce delays and allow the inspection to begin safely and efficiently.
10. Hold a pre-start discussion
Before the inspection begins, take a few minutes to agree how the work will be carried out. The pre-start discussion should cover:
Guest, staff and surveyor safety
Occupied areas
The order of inspection
Areas to avoid at particular times
Access equipment or isolations
Support required from hotel staff
How samples will be taken
Likely noise and minor damage
How sampled locations will be labelled, left safe and made good
Who can authorise temporary operational changes
The surveyor’s risk assessment should reflect the site-specific arrangements discussed. This is an important expectation management exercise. It protects guests and staff, reduces avoidable disruption and ensures everyone understands what the survey may involve before sampling begins.
11. Maintain clear communication during the survey
Once the inspection begins, clear communication keeps it moving. Agree how long the survey is expected to take and what support will remain available. Confirm which areas the surveyor can inspect independently and which require a member of staff.
The surveyor should know who to contact if an access, safety or operational problem arises. If the chaperone cannot resolve the issue, someone with sufficient authority should be available to agree alternative access or temporary operational changes.
Deal with problems while the surveyor is still on site. An inaccessible room or service area may become a formal survey limitation and could require another visit, if the issue is not resolved promptly.
12. Complete a final preparation check
Before the survey date, confirm:
Are the floor plans clear, reasonably current and accurate?
Has reliable historical asbestos information been provided?
Have maintenance routes and service areas been identified?
Do the selected bedrooms represent the different parts of the hotel?
Have keys, permissions, equipment and access arrangements been organised?
Is the inspection order agreed?
Has the chaperone been properly briefed?
Is an alternative contact available?
Does each important action have a named person responsible for it?
Assign an owner to each action rather than assuming somebody else will deal with it.
What should you do after the asbestos survey?
The site inspection may be complete, but there is still an important review stage. When the asbestos management survey report arrives, check the survey limitations promptly. These identify areas or materials that could not be fully inspected and may create additional requirements before future maintenance or refurbishment work. You should also check the report for practical accuracy:
Do the locations and room references make sense?
Does the stated survey coverage reflect what happened on site?
Are the representative areas clearly identified?
Have important access restrictions or observations been recorded?
Are the plans and photographs correctly labelled?
Raise questions or inaccuracies before the report is finalised. Once agreed, the new information should be incorporated into the organisation’s asbestos management arrangements. The asbestos register is a live working document and should be updated when asbestos-containing materials are identified, removed, treated or inspected.
The survey is an important source of information, but it does not manage the asbestos by itself. Effective asbestos compliance depends on the findings being understood, communicated and used whenever work is planned.
Need help preparing for an asbestos management survey?
Kusten Vorland provides independent asbestos advice and asbestos compliance support for hotels and hospitality businesses across the UK.
We can help you define the survey scope, prepare the building, appoint suitable UKAS-accredited asbestos surveyors and turn the completed findings into practical asbestos management arrangements.
Contact Kusten Vorland to discuss your asbestos survey or wider duty-to-manage requirements.
Find out more about our asbestos management survey service for hotels, from defining the scope and appointing UKAS-accredited surveyors to reviewing the completed report and updating your asbestos register.
Questions and answers
1. What is the purpose of an asbestos management survey?
An asbestos management survey is intended to locate, as far as reasonably practicable, asbestos-containing materials that could be disturbed during normal occupation, routine maintenance or foreseeable work. Its findings help inform the asbestos register and ongoing asbestos management plan.
2. Who should carry out an asbestos management survey?
The survey should be completed by a competent asbestos surveyor. Using UKAS-accredited asbestos surveyors provides independent assurance that the surveying organisation has been assessed against the relevant competence and quality requirements.
3. What happens when an area cannot be accessed?
The area will normally be recorded as a survey limitation. It must not be assumed to be free from asbestos. Additional inspection or a more intrusive survey may be required before work affecting that area begins.
4. Does an asbestos management survey cover refurbishment work?
Not necessarily. A management survey supports normal occupation and routine maintenance. Before refurbishment or demolition work, a refurbishment and demolition survey may be required for the specific area and scope of the proposed work.
5. What should happen after the survey report is received?
The dutyholder should review the report, address any inaccuracies or limitations and incorporate the findings into the asbestos register and asbestos management plan. The information must then be communicated to anyone who may disturb the identified or presumed materials.
