Air Monitoring & Four Stage Clearance Testing

If you have concerns regarding the presence of asbestos, air monitoring is a useful way of establishing the level of risk.  In addition, most asbestos removal work will require air monitoring and 4 stage clearance testing which by law, must be undertaken by a UKAS accredited laboratory independent to the asbestos removal contractor.

Working in conjunction with our carefully selected UKAS accredited partners, PL Consulting can provide all forms of monitoring:

  • Compliance monitoring is conducted to check that exposure to workers does not exceed the control limit.  The control limit can be calculated over a 10 minute or 4 hour period.
  • Background monitoring is generally conducted to check that fibre levels in the air are below the recommended level, usually during minor remedial works or when accidental damage has occurred to ACMs.  Can also be used as part of an over-all monitoring strategy to manage asbestos-related risk.
  • Leak (enclosure check) monitoring is preformed outside the enclosure while asbestos removal work is in progress to check that control measures are adequate.
  • Personal monitoring is where operatives’ exposure is measured within an enclosure during asbestos removal works to check that the protection factor of their respiratory protective equipment (RPE) is not exceeded.
  • Four-stage clearance is the procedure carried out by the UKAS accredited laboratory following the removal of asbestos.  A visual inspection must be conducted by the analyst to ensure that the area has been cleaned to a satisfactory standard and is suitable for re-occupation.  Clearance air monitoring is then conducted inside the enclosure to check that airborne fibre levels are below the recommended limit.  Once satisfactory results are achieved the analyst will issue a certificate of re-occupation.
  • Reassurance monitoring – This may be conducted in certain circumstances (such as when an enclosure has been removed on completion of asbestos remedial works) to confirm that the airborne fibre levels are satisfactory.

All air test certificates should be kept in your site Health & Safety file or together with other asbestos-related documentation on site.

Contact us