Ensuring Safety and Compliance in Asbestos Management

Asbestos was commonly used in UK construction materials between the 1950s and 1999 – including roof sheets, soffits, garage panels, Artex ceilings, vinyl floor tiles, pipe lagging and cement gutters. If your property was built or refurbished before 2000 and you’re planning works that might disturb suspect materials, a Management Asbestos Survey is the safe first step before any drilling, cutting or demolition.

Licensed asbestos work covers higher-risk materials – mainly sprayed coatings, pipe lagging and most asbestos insulating board – and must be carried out by an HSE-licensed contractor with 14 days’ notification to the HSE. Non-licensed work covers lower-risk materials such as asbestos cement (garage roofs, gutters, downpipes) and bonded floor tiles, with notifiable non-licensed work (NNLW) reported to the HSE.

Two main types: a Management Asbestos Survey identifies and assesses suspect asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) in a building that could be disturbed during normal occupancy or maintenance. A Refurbishment and Demolition (R&D) Survey is more invasive and required before any planned refurbishment or demolition works, including drilling into walls or removing internal structures.

Yes – domestic asbestos removal is routine for materials such as garage roofs, soffits, downpipes, floor tiles and old Artex. Lower-risk asbestos cement removal can be carried out as non-licensed work; higher-risk materials need an HSE-licensed contractor. In either case, the work follows strict containment, PPE, air-monitoring and disposal procedures to protect occupants and neighbours.

Yes – asbestos must be disposed of in our specialist 12-yard enclosed asbestos skip, which is sealed and clearly marked. Asbestos waste cannot go in a general skip, and mixing it with other waste leads to refused collection and additional charges. We co-ordinate the skip with the removal and disposal at a licensed treatment facility, with consignment notes provided.

A straightforward domestic job – garage roof sheets, soffits, a small floor area – typically takes a single day, including set-up, removal, bagging and clean-down. Larger commercial or industrial jobs (warehouse roofs, multiple plant rooms) are quoted per project and run over several days with daily air-monitoring records. We’ll give a realistic timescale at the survey stage.

You receive a consignment note for the disposal (legal proof of where the asbestos was sent), an air-clearance certificate where required, photographs of the work, and the survey report if one was carried out. This paperwork is important if you’re selling the property, completing a refurbishment audit, or evidencing compliance with the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012.

Costs depend on the type of asbestos, the quantity, the access available and whether licensed or non-licensed work is required. We provide written quotes after a site visit or survey – there’s no fixed price-per-job, because the work and risk profile vary significantly. Contact us on 01829 260687 to arrange a survey or quote.

Stop work immediately, keep people out of the area, don’t try to clean it up yourself, and don’t sweep or dry-vacuum the debris. Open ventilation, contain the area as best you can, and contact a licensed asbestos contractor for advice and remediation. Accidental disturbance is one of the most common causes of asbestos exposure in domestic refurbishment.