Building insurance claims and Asbestos

This article was first published on the Asbestos Limited news section of the website.

With the amount of lovely rain recently, we've seen an increase in flood damage, which has led me to write this blog.

The last thing you think about when your property is damaged, is whether you have Asbestos Containing Materials (ACMs) in your pre-2000 property. However, this is exactly what you should be considering as you decide how to deal with the fall-out.

If the damage is bad enough for you to put in an insurance claim, this is one of the first things that will need to be established?and?prior to a contractor undertaking the repair work. Sometimes a re-instatement contractor will be sent to assess the damage and it is the contractor that should be asking for a?pre-refurbishment asbestos survey?to be carried out. In a lot of instances, sadly, they only seem to think of getting the artex or floor tiles sampled.

Taken from the page on our website,?Example Scenario, the following explains why simply testing the artex or the floor tiles is not sufficient action for you to be deemed compliant and that all ACMs must be identified in order to eradicate all risks.

The property has artexed ceilings

The insurance company has identified textured coating (artex) to the ceiling which, following testing, is confirmed as containing asbestos. It needs to be removed and replaced as part of the repair work. As the work involves disturbing a pre-2000 building, everyone should come back and advise that they need a Refurbishment/Pre Demolition (RD) survey carried out. Before they can start work, all ACMs identified in the survey would need to be removed.?But the artex has been tested, so why is this needed?

The textured coating has been identified, but you are now disturbing the fabric of the building - you need to know what it is applied to and what the surrounding area contains.

Suggested worst case scenario:

Asbestos?Textured Coating?applied to:

Asbestos Insulation Board?and above where there is:

Asbestos Sprayed Coating?to a hidden RSJ in the ceiling void.

The control measures and removal methods for each of the?above?Asbestos Containing Materials (ACMs)?are not the same, so it is necessary to identify all the risks - not to mention the non-asbestos risk of the baby grand piano that is on the floor above falling through the ceiling that you have just disturbed!

If you’re thinking you may need some help and guidance, don't hesitate to get in touch via our?Enquiry form?or call us on?01634 864550?and let us help you keep everyone safe.

Asbestos regulations are complex, but with our help, managing it isn’t complicated!