Asbestos Survey Edinburgh — choose the survey that matches the building and the work
Four survey routes with different levels of inspection
The planned use of the report determines the right survey. Selecting the survey around the decision avoids information that is too limited for what follows.
Management Asbestos Survey
For normal occupation, foreseeable maintenance, the asbestos register and ongoing management.
Refurbishment Asbestos Survey
Intrusive inspection targeted at walls, floors, ceilings, services and other building elements affected by alteration.
Demolition Asbestos Survey
Highly intrusive inspection for the full or partial demolition boundary before the structure is broken apart.
Asbestos Reinspection Survey
Condition review of known or presumed ACMs already recorded in an existing asbestos register.
UKAS-accredited asbestos inspection with the brief agreed before attendance
HSE strongly recommends accredited asbestos surveying organisations. ASM holds UKAS 32982 for defined inspection activities to ISO/IEC 17020.
The brief should define the survey purpose, buildings, rooms, work areas, access, planned intrusion and known restrictions.
See HSE HSG264 and ASM's national asbestos survey service.
A useful survey brief answers:
- Why is the survey needed?
- Which buildings and areas are included?
- What work is planned?
- How intrusive must the survey be?
- What access or isolation is required?
- What existing asbestos information exists?
One suspect material may need a sample; a wider building question needs a survey
Match the size of the evidence to the size of the decision.
One specific material
Targeted sampling can suit one accessible textured coating, floor tile, cement sheet or other suspect product.
Whole property or several areas
A structured survey provides location, condition, scope and limitation information that unrelated samples do not.
Renovation
Sampling one visible product does not investigate concealed ACMs behind the building fabric that intrusive works may expose.
After asbestos is found
Finding asbestos does not automatically mean immediate removal; condition and future disturbance determine the next action.
Survey scopes matched to Edinburgh's varied building stock
Building age, use, construction, access and proposed work determine the correct survey route.
Historic & converted property
Former traditional buildings, older commercial buildings, sandstone tenements and traditional housing and conversions can contain multiple construction phases, concealed voids and access constraints.
Education, healthcare & hospitality
Occupied estates need access planning and clear reports that maintenance teams and contractors can use.
Industry & wider the Lothians
Factories, engineering property, warehouses, farms and business parks can require surveys across plant, roofs, services and multiple buildings.
Survey scopes matched to tenements, listed property, hotels, universities and commercial buildings
Tenement flats & shared areas
Private flats, common stairs, roof spaces, basements, risers and shared service routes need clear scope boundaries and access arrangements, particularly where ownership and maintenance responsibility are split.
Georgian, Victorian & listed buildings
New Town, Old Town and traditional sandstone property can contain sensitive finishes, concealed voids and several phases of alteration. Intrusive inspection should be coordinated with the project team and retained fabric.
Hotels, education & commercial property
Princes Street, Haymarket, South Gyle, Edinburgh Park and city-wide estates can require surveys around occupation, plant, security, access equipment and programme-critical refurbishment.
Edinburgh and the Lothians support through ASM's local Edinburgh office
ASM supports projects throughout Edinburgh, the Lothians and wider Scotland through its local Edinburgh office, led by James Brown, Regional Manager Scotland. UKAS-accredited bulk sample analysis is undertaken at ASM's Sunderland headquarters laboratory within the applicable accredited scope.
ASM Edinburgh Office
Third Floor
3 Hill Street
Edinburgh
EH2 3JP
Regional Manager Scotland:
James Brown
Edinburgh: 0131 202 4096
National: 0330 433 9680
Monday–Friday
08:00–18:00
UKAS Accreditation No. 32982
Edinburgh and the Lothians coverage
Edinburgh City Centre, New Town, Old Town, Royal Mile, Leith, Stockbridge, Morningside, Newington, Marchmont, Bruntsfield, Haymarket, Murrayfield, Gorgie, Dalry, Corstorphine, Portobello, Liberton, Colinton, Craigentinny, Granton, South Gyle, Sighthill and Edinburgh Park, with wider attendance across Musselburgh, Dalkeith, Bonnyrigg, Penicuik, Livingston, West Lothian, East Lothian, Midlothian, Fife, Falkirk and Central Scotland subject to project requirements and availability.
Attendance is subject to project requirements, scope, access and availability.
ASM holds UKAS accreditation number 32982 for defined asbestos inspection activities to ISO/IEC 17020. Current UKAS schedules define the precise accredited activities and locations.
Edinburgh survey routes and supporting guidance
Choose the specialist survey route that matches the property use or planned work, then follow the supporting guidance relevant to the decision.
Edinburgh & the Lothians FAQs
Which asbestos survey do I need?
A Management Survey supports occupation and routine maintenance. A Refurbishment Survey covers the parts affected by intrusive work. A Demolition Survey covers full or partial demolition, while a Reinspection reviews asbestos already recorded.
Are ASM asbestos surveys UKAS accredited?
ASM holds UKAS accreditation number 32982 for defined asbestos inspection activities to ISO/IEC 17020.
Is asbestos sampling the same as an asbestos survey?
No. Sampling answers a specific material question. A survey systematically inspects a defined property or work area and records broader information.
Can a Management Survey be used before refurbishment?
Not automatically. Intrusive refurbishment may require a Refurbishment Survey covering the building fabric the work will disturb.
Does finding asbestos mean it must be removed?
No. Depending on condition, accessibility and future disturbance, ACMs may be managed, repaired, protected, encapsulated or removed.
Tell us what decision the survey needs to support
Send the Edinburgh or the Lothians address, property type, proposed works, drawings, existing asbestos information and access constraints. ASM can confirm the suitable survey type and provide a written quotation.
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