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The presence of materials containing installed asbestos (MCA) is still common in buildings constructed before 2002. However, one of the most frequent errors in its management is not its existence, but the failure to correctly assess the real risk it poses.
As stated in a recent publication specializing in prevention, merely identifying asbestos without assessing its danger and the context in which it is found can generate avoidable exposures and incorrect preventive decisions.
Today, asbestos management demands something more; it demands technical criteria, methodology, and objective prioritization.
IDENTIFYING ASBESTOS IS NOT ASSESSING THE RISK
For years, a simplified idea has predominated: “If the material is not handled, there is no risk.” This statement is incomplete. A material with asbestos can represent a relevant risk even without direct intervention if factors such as these are present:
- Progressive deterioration of the material
- Accessible location or in transit areas
- Vibrations, air currents, or thermal gradients
- High human occupancy of the space
For this reason, current regulations and technical evidence insist that preventive asbestos management should be based on the assessment of potential risk, not just its identification.
ASSESSING THE RISK: THE KEY TO PRIORITIZING DECISIONS
One of the most common failures in practice is to confuse location with evaluation. Identifying an MCA is not the same as knowing what risk it poses. The methodology published by the INSST proposes a structured risk assessment based on three axes:
- Material characteristics (type, condition, content, and variety of asbestos)
- Environmental conditions (activity, accessibility, vibrations, environment)
- Potential exposure of people
The result allows us to classify the risk as low, moderate, or high and, most importantly, to prioritize the removal of asbestos, as required by current European regulations.
Directive (EU) 2023/2668 is clear: the removal of asbestos must take priority over any other form of management when the level of risk justifies it. Failure to act or delaying decisions due to a lack of objective technical assessment poses a real risk to workers, users, and legal representatives of the site.
ASBESTOS MANAGEMENT REQUIRES METHOD, NOT IMPROVISATION
Asbestos management can no longer be based on perceptions or generic solutions, but on assessing its real risk and acting accordingly. Today, prevention requires method, traceability, and data-driven decisions.
At Teletest, we have specialized asbestos services: diagnosis, analysis, and control.
We offer a comprehensive approach to the technical and preventive management of asbestos, aligned with current regulations and the most up-to-date methodologies.
Consult all our services in asbestos analysis and diagnosis on our website.
