Posted By nick james I am the last person in the building where I work. It is due to be demolished soon. Today I saw a chap going around, getting into the roofspace and heard him banging around. I noticed whilst he was doing this he had a face mask on. At the end of the day I bumped into him and asked what he was doing and he said it was Asbestos survey and he was taking samples. Now this has annoyed me, because in two days I am out of the building - so why the firm couldn't wait I don't know. My question is, was this risky for me considering the disturbance of dust and breaking of suspect material for samples. Is it the done thing to carry out these surveys with employees around without respiratory protection?

Posted By Mal Hi Nick, if the building is due to be demolished, then it is likely that he was carrying out a type 3 destructive survey. So it is not the best idea to have you in the building at the same time. You need to have it confirmed that he was doing a type 3, and at the very least you should have been informed what was happening, where and when, so as to avoid any potential interaction during the survey and sampling process. Ask some questions Nick, this is not good enough!!

Posted By nick james Thanks to everyone who has replied. I think I should've been informed too. The sampler in question had no special clothing (jeans and t-shirt) and the face mask he was wearing looked like the cheap type you buy from B&Q. Phoned the Health and Safety helpline this morning, they seemed to be saying that sampling isn't covered by the Asbestos Act 2006, but the company have a responsibility under the Health and Safety at Work act, though that is obviously less specific. The helpline advisor said that there is nothing in the Act to compel the company to inform me. I have emailed the Health and Safety section of my union to see what their advise is. I'm doing all this before I contact management.

Posted By jervis You should get a better response from the Union.

Posted By Peter MacDonald Nick Can you keep us informed of what happens please. Pete

Posted By nick james Hi all, Once again, thanks for all the response. Well, I have spotted the chap on site again today. Not near me this time, but I walked past a window and he looked like he was bashing into the wall underneath. No face mask. Clothing the same - t-shirt and jeans, but this time he has got a green fluorescent vest on. This is definitely a Type 3 because as I came upstairs this morning there are punch holes in the plaster(?) and ceiling tiles removed. No response yet from the union email I sent. No reply on the local office phone either. Might give the national number a ring, as well as the suggested local HSE office. If I bump into this sampler again, should I ask him any specific question?

Posted By Robert B. The first issue is, were you at risk from asbestos while the survey was being carried out. The answer is almost certainly no. Samples are normally very small and certain precautions taken to minimise the release of any asbestos fibres. Access to areas should be restricted while samples are being taken But - how would you know which areas to avoid or what signs to look for if you weren't even told that this work was going ahead? The banging and crashing you have heard is not necessarily him taking samples. He will be opening up the fabric of the building to find hidden ACMs. He need not wear full RPE and PPE while doing this but, depending on the age and type of building and the extent of known ACMs, this may well be adviseable. He should certainly wear it when he actually takes samples. In my opinion, a type 3 should NEVER be carried out in an occupied building as there is a real risk of smashing through some hidden asbestos when accessing wall and ceiling voids. It's certainly happened to me a couple of times. The HSE certainly gave you the wrong info. As said above, asbestos surveying and sampling IS covered by CAR 2006. There is no absolute requirement for asbestos surveys to be carried out in teams of two, but again, it's a good idea. Especially for a type 3 survey. One thing that concerns me is that I personally would not carry out a type 3 without complete electrical isolation of the building. I assume that since you are still working in this building, the power is still on? Surley he's assessed the electrical hazard in his risk assessment?? If I was you, I would walk out of the building and refuse to return. A type 3 survey is essentially minor demolition and often leaves broken and splintered timbers, exposed nails, plaster dust, glass fibre and other building debris scattered around and so is not a suitable working environment for "office" workers.

Posted By TBC I believe the 'helpline' is run by a company in Wales with call centre staff who have gone through a Nebosh cert course and have manuals available to them.

Posted By Robert K Lewis Now we know where some of our favourite non-expert experts work - The HSE infoline. Letter to the Mail et al. methinks, something to the effect that experts employed by the HSE to give advice do not know the law. Bob

Posted By Dave Wilson Have a read of the following HSE advice http://hse.gov.uk/foi/in.../oc/200-299/265-48-2.htm