XRF Lead Paint Surveys & Testing in Commercial Property

Commercial Property Lead Paint Survey

EnviroHive are members of FOLPA – The Fellowship of Lead Paint Assessors and we provide lead paint surveys, lead paint tests & assessments within commercial and industrial premises.  Lead paint can be present to many of the same features found within residential property but particularly to metal elements such as roof trusses, RSJ’s, metal windows, balconies, cladding and sheet materials.

Those involved in the strip-out, refurbishment and renovation of Commercial properties particularly to external elevations such as brickwork, windows, rainwater goods, shutters and other timber and metal features will need to ascertain whether lead paint is present to these elements and to what degree prior to works commencing. Where lead paints have been tested and detected these coatings can then be removed in a safe manner and any waste including shot media disposed of correctly, allowing for the renovations to proceed.

XRF lead paint testing provide onsite non-destructive analysis with results returned in a matter of hours. This type of testing has many advantages over the traditional method of taking samples whereby these samples are sent to a laboratory for analysis which typical takes a number of days for the samples to be dissolved and analysed. XRF testing removes the need for lengthy laboratory testing and the downtime that accompanies it. This method represents the cutting edge of environmental testing technology and is vastly superior to the outdated practice of physically removing paint flakes from surfaces. It should not be mistaken for swab or bud tests, commonly available from online retailers, which change color and often produce unreliable results, including false positives and negatives.

Our XRF onsite testing will be of particular interest to those with onsite works such as:

• Architects
• Principle Contractors
• CDM Principle designers
• Main Client
• Quantity Surveyors and Project Managers

Lead Paint surveys are also an important tool when managing properties that are occupied or trading as part of assessing what lead paint coatings are present within a building and whether these are in a satisfactory condition or likely to be presenting a risk to the occupants. A lead paint register can be produced following a survey with XRF testing in order to document the location, extent & condition of these coatings to form an ongoing management plan in line with other Health & Safety requirements and and planned maintenance, upgrade or renovations