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Asbestos: inventory, inspection, analysis and measurements

Asbestos is a major public and occupational health problem: this multi-talented material, massively used until it was banned, has proven to be highly toxic. Legislative requirements are changing, with the recent addition of the obligation for municipalities to carry out a census of asbestos installations and sites and to draw up a plan for its removal, for example. Training requirements have also been established to ensure the safety of workers handling asbestos.

What is

asbestos inspection ?

Asbestos diagnosis and analysis allows us to assess the level of risk associated with potential asbestos-containing materials in buildings and facilities and to establish action plans.
Asbestos-containing materials can pose a health risk if they release their fibres into the environment. The identification of the existence of asbestos in buildings and installations and the assessment and prevention of risks related to the exposure of workers to this material are therefore a necessity for companies and individuals.

 

Law 7/2022, of 8 April, on waste and contaminated soils for a circular economy establishes that, before 10 April 2023, local councils must draw up a census of installations and sites with asbestos, including a timetable for their removal.

Our technicians will help you locate the asbestos in your facilities, analyse it and advise you on the most appropriate measures in each case to achieve reliable risk management.

First inspection entity

accredited

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Apave is the first inspection entity accredited by ENAC to carry out the following works, according to the criteria established in the UNE 171370-2 standard.

 

Type of inspection :

  • Inspection Type 1: Location, Identification and Assessment of asbestos-containing materials (ACM), for their maintenance in use: Buildings and industrial installations.
  • Inspection Type 2: Preliminary identification of asbestos-containing materials (ACM), for their removal: Buildings and industrial installations.

Location and diagnosis of asbestos

in accordance with UNE 171370-2:2021

The standard "UNE 171370-2:2021 Asbestos. Part 2: Location and diagnosis of asbestos" establishes the procedures for locating asbestos-containing materials, assessing the potential risk associated with each asbestos-containing material identified, establishing priorities for action and deciding on the need and type of appropriate measures to be implemented for its proper management.

 

What to do in a building suspected of containing asbestos?

 

Preliminary analysis:

  • Documentary analysis (plans, technical reports, equipment sheets, etc.).

 

Reconnaissance and sampling visit:

  • Inventory of probing
  • Sample extraction
  • Laboratory analysis

 

If asbestos is present:

  • Risk assessment

 

What is the risk assessment?

 

Analysis of risk factors:

  • Location of material
  • Extent / quantity of material
  • Accessibility of users
  • Potentially exposed persons
  • Technical accessibility
  • Condition of the material (or possible deterioration)
  • Variety of material
  • Weighting according to the friability of the material

 

Response actions:

 

Once the risk assessment has been carried out, a decision on the material needs to be taken.

The possible response actions, with 1 being appropriate for the highest risk and 4 for the lowest risk, would be:

  • Removal of the material.
  • Encapsulation. Enclosure of the material with a physical barrier.
  • Stabilisation. Surface protection with a sealing product.
  • Signage, documentation of the presence of the material, and design of a maintenance plan if not to be removed.

 

If not complete removal:

  • Operation and maintenance plan.
  • Work manual and procedures.

Sampling

and analysis

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Sampling of materials containing asbestos or presumed to contain asbestos and analysis in an accredited laboratory in accordance with the UNE-EN ISO/IEC 17025 standard.

 

The methods used for the determination of asbestos in the samples of materials taken are based on the following techniques depending on the objective of the analysis:

  • Optical polarisation-dispersion microscopy (OPDM).
  • Electron Microscopy (Transmission-MET or Scanning Electron Microscopy-SEM).
  • Other techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD).
  •  

The experience accumulated by Apave in work related to asbestos from the different perspectives of its business lines (Occupational Risk Prevention, Building and Environmental Control) allows us to offer a comprehensive service to our clients to achieve a reliable management of the risk posed by the existence of this compound.

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Why choose Apave?

1

a team of experts at your disposal

of more than 1,400 people specialized in different technical disciplines.
2

Geographical coverage nationwide

with more than 30 offices and international presence in more than 50 countries through the Apave Group.
3

Complementary areas of activity

that allow our customers to combine safety and performance at all stages of their projects.