SOCOTEC, the UK’s leading provider of testing, inspection and compliance services, has been granted UKAS accreditation for asbestos identification and quantification in soils, sediments and aggregates at its Carcroft laboratory.
The accreditation provides further capacity to supplement the existing soils laboratories in Burton on Trent and Bridgend, South Wales.
Located in South Yorkshire, the Carcroft laboratory delivers a full suite of asbestos consultancy and project management services, including surveying, air monitoring, clearance inspections and sample analysis.
Despite the substance being banned for use in construction in 1999 in the UK, asbestos can be present in many buildings constructed before 2000, as well as within soils in brownfield sites. With a greater emphasis from the Government on the development of brownfield sites over recent years, SOCOTEC’s asbestos services team has seen a significant surge in client requests for analysis of soil samples to identify possible asbestos fibre contamination.
Matthew Harris, technical and quality manager commented:
“While the presence of asbestos in soils poses little threat if managed correctly, it remains a serious issue throughout the UK. The fact that we can now offer three UKAS accredited laboratories for asbestos in soil analysis means that we can provide an even greater service to our clients throughout the UK, who are benefitting from a streamlined offering and a five-day turnaround on laboratory analysis as standard.”
Published on Sunday 30th June 2019