Asbestos inventory
Asbestos in your business premises can pose a significant risk to your employees. To protect them, you are required to draw up an asbestos inventory and follow up with the appropriate actions.
Mensura has the expertise needed to draw up an asbestos inventory for you.
Request more information.
Why choose an asbestos inventory?
- To ensure your employees’ health, an asbestos inventory of your business premises is required by law.
- After our visual inspection, you will know whether asbestos is present in visible and accessible places.
- For each asbestos-containing material, you will receive a proposal of required measures and a priority list.
- We will take samples of any suspect materials and have them analysed at an approved laboratory.
- To assess the risks accurately, we use a list based on the Forum Amiante Suisse method.
What is an asbestos inventory?
An asbestos inventory is a technical report that details all asbestos present in a building. The inventory is a requirement for all locations where your employees work: both permanent workplaces and temporary worksites. It should also be updated yearly.
Our experts draw up the inventory after a visual inspection. For each asbestos-containing material, we will list the measures needed to protect your employees. At the end of the process, you will receive the legally required document.
The person who conducted the inspection was very friendly, and the visit went smoothly. The report was delivered quickly and was very comprehensive.
Gael Mawet
Vamodis
Read more: FPS WASO – regulations on asbestos-containing materials
Mensura helps you
Mensura offers a variety of products and services to boost well-being and health and safety in your organisation. From the legally required to the incredibly useful.
asbestos victims are claimed every year
In recent decades, the Belgian Asbestos Fund has recognised an average of 200 cases of pulmonary mesothelioma caused by asbestos every year. It is highly likely that the victims were contaminated decades ago. Today, the risk of cancer from asbestos is very low – provided the safety measures are strictly followed.
Frequently asked questions
Is an asbestos inventory a legal requirement?
Since 1995, employers have been required to inventory all asbestos and asbestos-containing materials on their business premises. Areas that are hard to access are exempt from this requirement, as they don’t normally present an exposure risk.
You are also required to update the inventory annually. And, from 2026, the inventory must be drawn up by a qualified asbestos surveyor.
If you are leasing the premises, you should request all the necessary information from the building owner. You can work with an external partner such as Mensura to prepare or update the inventory, possibly in conjunction with an approved specialist laboratory. If asbestos is found, you need to develop a management program to minimise the exposure risk for employees.
What is the building owner’s role regarding asbestos?
The lease usually sets out the obligations of lessee and lessor. The building owner must also provide all the information requested by employers – in order to prepare an asbestos inventory, for example. As an employer, for the purposes of complying with the law you are therefore at least partly dependent on the building owner.
In the event of serious asbestos contamination, the owner/lessor must have the asbestos removed. If the contamination is minor, a survey will determine the work that is needed. Major repairs are the lessor’s responsibility; as a lessee, you are responsible for minor work yourself.
In any case, it’s best for you as employer and lessee to inform the owner of any asbestos contamination. The owner must then take action according to the principles of civil law. However, there may also be criminal consequences: if the owner refuses to cooperate, they risk prosecution as an accomplice or accessory.
If you are leasing the building together with other employers, you can join forces.
What’s the difference between an asbestos inventory (as required by the Codex) and an asbestos certificate (as required by OVAM)?
An asbestos inventory is a technical report that details all asbestos present in a building, and is usually drawn up by employers or when renovations take place.
An asbestos certificate is required for the sale of buildings built before 2001. This official document is based on an asbestos inventory and issued by a certified expert.
The inventory is therefore the technical basis, and the certificate is the official document for sale purposes.
Does Mensura also propose measures?
As well as issuing the official document – the mandatory inventory – we propose measures to protect employees’ health.
Are air measurements also performed?
Measurements aren’t always necessary. If there’s a risk of exposure among your employees, we first assess the risk before deciding whether an air measurement is needed. Such measurements are mandatory for certain activities, though.
How is the sampling process performed?
It can take various forms, depending on the material and the location. During sampling, absolutely no fibres must be released. Our experts take the samples and send them to an approved laboratory for analysis.
Is an asbestos inventory a legal requirement?
Since 1995, employers have been required to inventory all asbestos and asbestos-containing materials on their business premises. Areas that are hard to access are exempt from this requirement, as they don’t normally present an exposure risk.
You are also required to update the inventory annually. And, from 2026, the inventory must be drawn up by a qualified asbestos surveyor.
If you are leasing the premises, you should request all the necessary information from the building owner. You can work with an external partner such as Mensura to prepare or update the inventory, possibly in conjunction with an approved specialist laboratory. If asbestos is found, you need to develop a management program to minimise the exposure risk for employees.
What is the building owner’s role regarding asbestos?
The lease usually sets out the obligations of lessee and lessor. The building owner must also provide all the information requested by employers – in order to prepare an asbestos inventory, for example. As an employer, for the purposes of complying with the law you are therefore at least partly dependent on the building owner.
In the event of serious asbestos contamination, the owner/lessor must have the asbestos removed. If the contamination is minor, a survey will determine the work that is needed. Major repairs are the lessor’s responsibility; as a lessee, you are responsible for minor work yourself.
In any case, it’s best for you as employer and lessee to inform the owner of any asbestos contamination. The owner must then take action according to the principles of civil law. However, there may also be criminal consequences: if the owner refuses to cooperate, they risk prosecution as an accomplice or accessory.
If you are leasing the building together with other employers, you can join forces.
What’s the difference between an asbestos inventory (as required by the Codex) and an asbestos certificate (as required by OVAM)?
An asbestos inventory is a technical report that details all asbestos present in a building, and is usually drawn up by employers or when renovations take place.
An asbestos certificate is required for the sale of buildings built before 2001. This official document is based on an asbestos inventory and issued by a certified expert.
The inventory is therefore the technical basis, and the certificate is the official document for sale purposes.
Does Mensura also propose measures?
As well as issuing the official document – the mandatory inventory – we propose measures to protect employees’ health.
Are air measurements also performed?
Measurements aren’t always necessary. If there’s a risk of exposure among your employees, we first assess the risk before deciding whether an air measurement is needed. Such measurements are mandatory for certain activities, though.
How is the sampling process performed?
It can take various forms, depending on the material and the location. During sampling, absolutely no fibres must be released. Our experts take the samples and send them to an approved laboratory for analysis.
Read more: FPS WASO – regulations on asbestos-containing materials
Develop your talents and skills with Mensura Learn&Connect
Lifelong learning: a smart move! Mensura Learn&Connect is an enthusiastic community for people looking for high-impact training. The focus is on acquiring and exchanging knowledge – to share in the benefits of wellbeing. Choose from practice- and evidence-based learning solutions for wellbeing.