Asbestos in Commercial Property: Where Are You Going To Find It?

To avoid duplication against each area this section has been included to remind you that you may find asbestos products generally throughout a commercial building in the main constructed areas. These are the basic ceilings, walls, and floors throughout. These general construction asbestos products are the surface finish to the walls, ceiling, and floors. They include asbestos partitioning, panelling and decorative textured coating finishes which also includes boxing or panelling to risers of columns. You will also find asbestos vinyl tiles or vinyl covering to the floor fixed in place with asbestos containing bitumen glue. There are a few other asbestos items to look out for. These include asbestos resin wall skirtings and stair nosing’s.

The basics: Here are the main places that you will find asbestos to the general internal construction.

• Ceiling or wall panelling
• Partitions
• Textured decorative coating
• Resin / vinyl skirtings
• Resin stair nosing’s
• Boxing & riser panels
• Vinyl floor tiles / coverings
• Bitumen glue

You can see what these asbestos products look like in more detail by visiting our “what does asbestos look like?” page.

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Internal office type areas are covered in the previous section. This section covers those larger open areas such as warehousing and production. Where you will find asbestos in these areas is slightly different. That’s due to the construction. You may find asbestos products similar to the previous section, however in these larger open areas you need to be looking to the walls and roof. Check for corrugated asbestos cement, internal lining boards or cement panelling and asbestos products to roof lights. You may also find asbestos sprayed insulation to the underside of the roof, ceilings, walls, and any supporting structures. It is usual for pipework and services including heating units to run through these areas and you may find asbestos gaskets or insulation to these elements.

The basics: Here are the main places that you will find asbestos to the general internal construction.

• Corrugated cement sheeting
• Lining boards / panels
• Sprayed coating
• Services insulation
• Services gaskets

You can see what these asbestos products look like in more detail by visiting our “what does asbestos look like?” page.

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Look at the roof. Remember that asbestos can be overclad and covered with more modern materials. You may think you have a modern metal clad roof, but have you checked beneath it. Roofing on commercial buildings is a hotspot for asbestos materials, both inside and out. When you check the underside / internal of the roof be on the lookout for asbestos panels, boarding and asbestos paper lined boarding. These are all common occurrences.

The basics: Here are the main places that you will find asbestos on or near your roof.

• Roof sheeting
• Internal roof lining
• Roof tiles
• Felt roof covering
• Downpipes & guttering
• Flues & stench pipes
• Undercloak (edging)
• Fascia’s & soffits
• Behind non-asbestos

You can see what these asbestos products look like in more detail by visiting our “what does asbestos look like?” page.

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If your roof has a void, then you should be on the lookout for asbestos products which have been used for insulation purposes. These include general building insulation and services / pipe insulation. Remember many of these are hidden beneath modern non asbestos insulation types and within constructed voids such as ceilings, voids, or boxing. In addition, it is usual that asbestos products are used for waterproofing the roof and for water tanks. Remember it is common for asbestos to be located beneath fibreglass insulation or lagging.

The basics: Here are the main places that you will find asbestos in your roof voids.

• Water tanks
• Loose fill insulation
• Pipe insulation or lagging
• Boarding to all areas
• Paneling to all areas
• Behind non-asbestos

You can see what these asbestos products look like in more detail by visiting our “what does asbestos look like?” page.

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Your ceiling voids maybe above plasterboard. In this case they may not even be accessible. That does not mean asbestos will not be present. The other void is above a suspended ceiling. Much easier to access. With the floor voids again, access will differ. However, it is likely to be a void below timber or boarded floors. The size and extent of all voids will differ within locations and buildings. Whenever there is a void the potential for asbestos products is there. When you are looking in your voids be on the lookout for hidden asbestos beneath or behind non-asbestos products.

The basics: Here are the main places that you will find asbestos in your ceiling and floor voids.

• Fire breaks – boarding
• Boarding to beams & joists
• Sprayed insulation to construction
• Pipe insulation or lagging
• Boarding to all areas
• Paneling to all areas
• Behind non-asbestos

You can see what these asbestos products look like in more detail by visiting our “what does asbestos look like?” page.

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Boiler and tank rooms can be in different places depending on the building. It is essential that you look within all areas of these rooms as there will be a need for insulation materials to be used. Where this is the case then asbestos is likely. The main place to look for asbestos is the pipes and vessels followed by boilers and other machinery. However, the construction of these rooms will need to be looked at to check the construction of the walls and ceiling which could be lined with asbestos board or sprayed insulation. Be sure to remember that if the boiler room has new modern insulation there may be residue or similar of asbestos insulation hidden beneath.

The basics: Here are the main places that you will find asbestos in your boiler and tank rooms.

• Sprayed insulation to construction
• Pipe insulation or lagging
• Gaskets to pipes and boilers
• Boarding to all areas
• Paneling to all areas
• Behind non-asbestos

You can see what these asbestos products look like in more detail by visiting our “what does asbestos look like?” page.

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Within many commercial buildings you will find service and heating ducts. These generally run below ground level and are connected at some point to the boiler room or similar. These are places that you will want to look for asbestos products. These areas undergo maintenance over long periods and asbestos can be hidden below areas which have been modernised. Due to the services and pipework that generally run through these areas you should be on the lookout for asbestos boarding or cement used in the structure. These are generally shuttering panels to the ceiling or walls of the ducts.

The basics: Here are the main places that you will find asbestos in your service and heating ducts.

• Pipe insulation or lagging
• Gaskets to pipes
• Shuttering panels
• Behind non-asbestos

You can see what these asbestos products look like in more detail by visiting our “what does asbestos look like?” page.

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With commercial buildings the electrical and gas rooms can be sizeable. No matter the size the asbestos products that you may find will be very similar. The construction of the rooms may have asbestos products for fire protection including doors and the gas and electrical installations themselves may have asbestos products hidden within for their insulating properties.

The basics: Here are the main places that you will find asbestos in your electrical or gas rooms.

• Panelling throughout
• Gaskets, ropes, and strings
• Electrical and gas pipe sheathing
• Fuse guards
• Fuse backing panels
• Behind non-asbestos

You can see what these asbestos products look like in more detail by visiting our “what does asbestos look like?” page.

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The number of these rooms will vary with the building. When you’re looking for asbestos in these rooms you need to consider their usage. For example, if the room is a kitchen or an area where heat or fire protection would be needed you need to be on the lookout for asbestos fire protection to the walls, ceilings and of course any cooking equipment. With the wet type rooms look for asbestos products that will be designed for water protection. These will include asbestos vinyl flooring, asbestos cement splashbacks and not forgetting asbestos resin cisterns / toilet seats. One of the most common places and that which gets overlooked is below any sinks or drainers where you are likely to find asbestos bitumen pads. Then you need to consider the main construction of the rooms and you may find asbestos walls, ceilings, and even asbestos decorative / textured coating to either.

The basics: Here are the main places that you will find asbestos in your bathrooms, toilets, restrooms, or kitchens.

• Ceiling or wall panelling
• Textured coatings
• Resin cisterns and toilet seats
• Splashback panels
• Vinyl floor tiles / coverings
• Gaskets, textiles and strings

You can see what these asbestos products look like in more detail by visiting our “what does asbestos look like?” page.

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Windows and doors are well worth a look if you are wanting to find asbestos in your building. Look out for asbestos board or cement panels above and below windows, on the backs of doors and even inside doors. Cement windowsills are another asbestos product which can get overlooked. In addition, commercial buildings can have asbestos ropes and gaskets to the windows for glazing and weatherproofing.

The basics: Here are the main places that you will find asbestos on or near your windows and doors.

• Cement or board window panels
• Cement or board door panels
• Board door linings
• Cement windowsills
• Gaskets and ropes

You can see what these asbestos products look like in more detail by visiting our “what does asbestos look like?” page.

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When you go to the external of your property and you’re looking to find asbestos there are a few surprising places to look. There are the obvious ones such as other smaller structures, garages and outbuildings with asbestos cement roofing and wall sheeting or asbestos roofing felt. However, did you know that asbestos damp roof courses and asbestos mastic sealant to brick joints are also very common. The other thing to look out for is that textured paint finish you may have, this could well contain asbestos. With commercial buildings asbestos cement debris to the floor areas from previous roofing work or damage to asbestos cement products is a common occurrence.

The basics: Here are the main places that you will find asbestos on or near the buildings external.

• Bitumen damp proof course
• Mastic expansion joints
• Textured paint or finish
• Roofing and walls to garage, shed or outbuildings
• Debris

You can see what these asbestos products look like in more detail by visiting our “what does asbestos look like?” page.

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If you want to know where to look for asbestos and where to find it in any commercial buildings, you must realise that due to the years of upgrades and maintenance there will be some surprise unexpected finds. Just because you have a clean and modernised boiler room it does not mean that there is no asbestos. In fact, this type of area is where we find the most hazardous hidden asbestos. This is true for all areas of a commercial building. As the quality of asbestos removal has increased over a 50 year period it is very usual to find asbestos remnants and debris even from an area which is reported to have had asbestos removal in the past. And that can be very recent if a poor operation was carried out. The following are some of these unexpected finds you should be aware of.

The basics: Here are the main places that you will find asbestos that will be unexpected.

• Asbestos insulation debris and snots stuck to walls and surfaces where pipes are present or have been in the past. Potentially painted over and hidden.
• Asbestos insulation debris and snots stuck to the surfaces of pipework or vessels below modern insulation. Usually due to historic asbestos removal operations.
• Asbestos bitumen adhesive present below carpets, carpet tiles and modern flooring. Usually a remnant from previous asbestos flooring.
• Asbestos overspray debris from sprayed insulation. Can be found in any voids, cracks or crevices near historic asbestos sprayed insulation coatings.
• Asbestos insulating board debris laying on ceilings and tiles within ceiling voids. Usually from previous damage or previous asbestos removal operations.
• Asbestos products, debris and other within any void in the construction. This includes wall, ceilings, boxings and beneath built constructed items such as cupboard etc. Usually built over or covered historically during refurbishment works.

You can see what these asbestos products look like in more detail by visiting our “what does asbestos look like?” page.

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