Asbestos Surveyor: what the job involves and who is licensed to do it

How asbestos surveyor works

1. Check accreditation at the source. UKAS publishes the organisations it accredits and the scope each one is accredited for, so accreditation can be confirmed without asking the surveyor for anything. A firm that is accredited will give you its certificate number without hesitating; a firm that describes itself as working to a standard rather than being accredited to it is telling you something specific.
2. Ask who is actually attending. Accreditation belongs to the organisation and competence belongs to the person. Ask which surveyor is coming and what certificate of competence they hold. A large accredited firm subcontracting the visit is not doing anything wrong, but you should know it before the report arrives with an unfamiliar name on it.
3. Separate the surveyor from the remover. A firm that both surveys a building and then quotes to remove what it found has an interest in what it finds. That is not a reason to refuse them, but it is a reason to be told about it, and many duty holders keep the two apart deliberately for exactly that reason.
4. Agree the scope in writing before the visit. The scope is the list of rooms, floors and structures the surveyor will enter and what happens to anything they cannot access. A no-access area is not a clean area, and a good report says so explicitly rather than leaving a blank. Agree how no-access will be recorded and who follows it up.
5. Ask what happens after the report. A survey ends with recommended actions, and the duty holder has to do something with them. Ask whether a re-inspection is proposed, at what interval, and whether the surveyor will provide the register in a form you can keep updating rather than a PDF nobody can edit.

Paperwork and evidence

Common questions

Is an asbestos surveyor licensed by HSE?

No. HSE licenses contractors to do higher-risk asbestos work, not surveyors. Surveying competence is demonstrated through UKAS accreditation of the organisation and personal certification of the surveyor, which is a different system with different evidence.

Can the same firm survey and remove?

Yes, and many do. Ask how the two are quoted and priced, and consider taking removal prices from firms that did not write the survey if the recommended work is substantial.

What if the surveyor cannot get into a room?

The report should record the area as not accessed rather than as clear, and say what would be needed to inspect it. Anyone planning work in that area has to treat it as potentially containing asbestos until it is inspected.

How do I check a certificate is real?

UKAS lists accredited organisations and their scopes on its own site, so the organisation half is verifiable independently. For the individual, ask which certification body issued the certificate and when it expires.

Licensed contractors by county