An asbestos survey is mandatory if you carry out work (or have work carried out) which involves refurbishment or demolition of a building or object built/manufactured before 1 January 1994. This obligation applies to work ranging from total demolition to, for example, replacing a wall tile or window or drilling. The responsibility for meeting the obligation rests primarily with the party that commissions the work, but also with the employer due to their responsibility for the workers involved.
Exceptions
The survey requirement does not apply in a limited number of cases. View the survey obligation exceptions in the Working Conditions Decree (Dutch)
Survey
An asbestos survey must be carried out by a certified asbestos survey company. You can check whether a company is certified at ascert.nl (Dutch).
You should give clear instructions to the asbestos survey company regarding the work you want done. Once you have commissioned an asbestos survey, the company must register the survey in the National Asbestos Tracking System (Landelijk Asbestvolgsysteem, LAVS). An expert asbestos surveyor (Deskundig Inventariseerder Asbest, DIA) from the company will take samples from locations where it is suspected that asbestos has been used and have them examined by an accredited laboratory. The results will be included in an asbestos survey report. The company will then add the report to the LAVS.
Limit value and risk classes
The asbestos survey company also determines the risk class the removal of the asbestos found falls into. That depends on whether the content of asbestos fibres is below or above the legally set limit value of 2,000 v/m3.
The asbestos survey company uses the SMA-rt tool to determine the risk class. SMa-rt stands for Substances Manager Asbestos Risk Method (Stoffen Manager Asbest Risico Techniek). The SMA-rt printout indicating the risk class must be present in the asbestos survey report.
Validation
It is possible to bring the emission of asbestos fibres below the legally set limit value by using a specific working method. For example, a removal that was classified in risk class 2 based on SMA-rt can be performed in risk class 1. However, this must then be demonstrated using a validation study (validation measurements).
A validation study can be conducted for 1 specific project and must be carried out on the basis of the SCi 548 (document) and the resulting study report must form part of the asbestos survey report.
Alternatively, a nationwide validation survey can also be conducted. The outcomes are then submitted to the Asbestos Validation and Innovation Point (VIP). After approval by the VIP, the specific working method for the respective application that contains asbestos can be included in SMA-rt.
More information
Frequently asked questions about asbestos (Dutch)
Asbestos Validation and Innovation Point
Asbestos in the soil (Dutch)