Asbestos Diagnosis Report

What is an asbestos diagnostic report for?

The asbestos diagnostic report is the final document that concludes the inspection mission. It has a triple function: legal document, operational tool and information document. It is the documented proof that you have satisfied your legal verification obligation before works. It is also the working document you provide to your construction company, your notary, the municipality for obtaining a building permit, or the labour inspectorate in the event of an inspection.

A rigorous report is more than an administrative form: it is a management tool that allows works to be planned with full knowledge of the situation, potential decontamination costs to be anticipated, stakeholders to be informed, and informed decisions to be made on the management of your property.

The value of a report depends directly on the competence of the diagnostician who prepared it and the rigour of the analyses carried out by the accredited laboratory. A report produced by a FACH-recognised diagnostician, supported by analyses from a SAS-accredited laboratory, has a probative force that is binding on authorities, companies and parties in a dispute.

The complete structure of an asbestos diagnostic report

1. Cover page and identification information

The report begins with information allowing unambiguous identification of the inspected property, the mission carried out and the responsible professional:

• Unique report reference and number
• Full address and description of the property (building type, estimated year of construction, surface area)
• Identity of the owner or commissioning party
• Identity of the diagnostician — name, company, FACH recognition number, contact details
• Inspection date or dates
• Clearly defined mission objective (before targeted works, before demolition, comprehensive diagnosis, preventive inventory)
• Reference to the planned works or demolition project, if applicable

2. Methodology and inspection conditions

This section describes how the mission was conducted, which is essential for assessing the reliability of the conclusions:

• Inspection protocol applied (SIA 2023 standards, FACH directives, VDI 3866)
• Inspected zones and non-inspected zones with reason (impossible access, outside scope, etc.)
• Inspection conditions (accessible parts, access to technical rooms, availability of plans)
• Sampling methods used
• SAS-accredited laboratory mandated for analyses
• Analytical methods used (PLOM, TEM)

Documentation of the inspection’s limitations — inaccessible zones, undisturbed embedded materials — is a mark of the diagnostician’s seriousness. It allows precise understanding of what the report covers and what it does not.

3. Building description

A serious asbestos diagnosis includes a summary description of the inspected property:

• Building history (date of construction, known renovations, changes of use)
• Architectural and structural description (type of structure, dominant construction materials, technical systems)
• General observations on the building’s condition relevant to the asbestos assessment

4. Inventory of inspected materials

This is the main body of the report. It exhaustively lists all materials inspected within the scope of the mission, zone by zone and room by room.

For each material or group of materials, the report records:

• Precise location: level, room (number or name), construction element concerned (floor, wall, ceiling, roof, partition, pipework, etc.)
• Nature of the material: technical description (cement render, vinyl floor tile, fibre cement sheet, pipe lagging, sprayed coating, tile adhesive, etc.)
• Surface area or estimated quantity: expressed in m², linear metres (for pipework) or kg depending on the nature of the material
• State of conservation: intact, slightly degraded, heavily degraded, friable — with a description of the observations justifying this assessment
• Sample reference: if a sample was taken from this material, the reference allowing the link to be made with the analysis results

Non-sampled materials must also be documented: either because they are clearly identifiable as non-suspect, or because they are inaccessible (with mention of this limitation). This documentation of the diagnostician’s decisions contributes to the traceability and credibility of the report.

5. Laboratory analysis results

For each sample taken, the report integrates or annexes the analysis results produced by the accredited laboratory. These results specify:

• The sample number and the laboratory’s internal reference
• The date the sample was received and the date of analysis
• The analytical method used: PLOM (Polarised Light Optical Microscopy) or TEM (Transmission Electron Microscopy)
• The conclusion: presence or absence of asbestos
• In the event of a positive result: the types of fibres identified among the six recognised varieties (chrysotile, amosite, crocidolite, tremolite, actinolite, anthophyllite) and an estimate of the asbestos content in the material
• The laboratory’s identification and its SAS accreditation number

The original laboratory results, on letterhead and signed, must appear in the report appendix.

6. Summary and risk assessment

This section translates the technical results into an operational risk assessment. For each identified positive material, the diagnostician assesses:

• The risk level linked to the state of conservation: a friable or heavily degraded material presents a risk of spontaneous fibre release into the ambient air, even in the absence of works. A material in good condition and encapsulated presents a significantly lower risk under normal conditions of use.
• The risk linked to the use of the room: an asbestos-containing material in a heavily frequented room, exposed to regular shocks or vibrations, is more concerning than a similar material in a rarely visited technical room.
• The risk linked to the planned project: in the context of a pre-works diagnosis, the risk is assessed in relation to the precisely planned interventions. An intact material that will not be disturbed during the construction site can be left in place, under monitoring. A material that will be cut or removed during the works must be removed in advance by a specialised company.

7. Action recommendations

For each identified asbestos-containing material, the report formulates a clear recommendation in one of the following categories:

• Priority removal before works: the material is friable, heavily degraded, or directly in the intervention zone. It presents an immediate risk and must be removed by a qualified decontamination company before any other intervention. This recommendation is often accompanied by an indication of the necessary removal conditions.
• Removal before future works: the material is asbestos-containing but stable. It is not urgent to remove it, but it will need to be removed before any construction site that would affect it. The report specifies the types of works that would trigger this obligation.
• Encapsulation or confinement: in certain situations, covering or treating the material to limit fibre emission is an acceptable alternative to removal. This recommendation is accompanied by precise conditions on implementation and monitoring.
• Periodic monitoring: the material is in good condition, will not be disturbed during the works, and does not present an immediate risk. Regular inspection (every 1 to 2 years) is recommended to verify that its condition does not deteriorate.
• No action required: the material is stable, inaccessible or outside the works scope. Its presence is documented for information, but no intervention is necessary under current conditions.

8. Photographic documentation

A quality report includes photographic documentation illustrating:

• The inspected zones and their general condition
• Identified suspect and positive materials, with their visible location
• The state of conservation of asbestos-containing materials (degradation, cracks, visible friability)
• Particular inspection conditions or access difficulties encountered

Photos are indispensable for allowing companies that intervene subsequently to precisely locate materials and understand their condition without having to re-inspect.

9. Mapping and location plan

For buildings of a certain complexity, the report includes a schematic plan of the building on which the identified asbestos-containing materials are located. This mapping facilitates communication with decontamination and construction companies, and allows a rapid overall view.

How to read and interpret an asbestos diagnostic report

The positive / negative distinction

A “positive” result for a material means that asbestos was detected in the analysed sample. This does not mean that the building is dangerous or uninhabitable. The associated recommendation determines what needs to be done concretely.

A “negative” result means that no asbestos fibres were detected in the analysed sample. Note: a negative result on a sample does not certify the absence of asbestos throughout the material — asbestos may be heterogeneously distributed. This is why the sampling protocol and the representativeness of samples are important.

Recommendations: not a list of mandatory works

The report’s recommendations do not constitute a list of interventions to be carried out immediately in all cases. They are contextualised to the project and the state of the property at the time of inspection. A material with a “monitoring” recommendation does not require immediate removal.

The report’s limitations

Any diagnostic report must be read taking into account its explicitly documented limitations: non-inspected zones, non-sampled embedded materials, access conditions during the visit. If works affect zones not covered by the report, an extension of the inspection will be necessary.

Validity period of an asbestos diagnostic report

The validity period of a report is not uniformly regulated at the federal level in Switzerland. In practice:

• In the canton of Vaud, practice generally retains a validity period of 3 years for an asbestos diagnostic report, provided no significant modification of the building has occurred since the inspection and the conditions of use are unchanged.
• In other Western Swiss cantons, the validity period varies according to cantonal and municipal practices. In the absence of explicit specification, a period of 3 years is often retained as a reference.
• Situations that render the report void before its expiry: works carried out in the inspected zones, significant deterioration noted on identified materials, a disaster (fire, flood) that may have affected the materials, or a significant change in the use or occupation of the building.

How to use your report in your procedures

For a building permit or renovation authorisation

The asbestos diagnostic report is attached to the application file. It must be complete, signed by the FACH diagnostician and accompanied by the laboratory analysis results in the appendix. Check with the municipality or cantonal authorities whether a report less than 3 years old is sufficient or whether an update is requested.

To inform construction companies

Provide a complete copy of the report to each commissioned company before works begin. Serious companies require it. The report allows them to plan their intervention safely, to anticipate necessary protective equipment, and to identify zones where special precautions are required.

To commission a decontamination company

The report constitutes the basis for decontamination tenders. The decontamination company uses the information in the report (material location, nature, condition, quantities) to establish its intervention plan and its price offer.

In the context of a property sale

The report can be given to the potential buyer as information on the asbestos condition of the property. It allows the seller to inform the buyer in good faith and to protect against subsequent recourse based on the guarantee of defects. For a buyer, it allows an informed decision to be made.

For planning and budgeting

The report’s recommendations allow asbestos-related costs in your project to be anticipated. You can integrate them into your overall renovation budget and present them to your bank or investors.

To receive a complete and legally usable report, call on a FACH-recognised asbestos diagnostician. To request your quote, visit the asbestos diagnosis quote page.