Does it need a licensed firm?
Licensed contractor only
- Sprayed coatings
- Lagging and thermal insulation
- Loose-fill insulation
- Millboard
- Most work on insulating board, apart from short jobs
Often no licence required
- Most asbestos cement jobs: garage and shed roofs, gutters, downpipes
- Some lower-risk materials, such as textured coatings and floor tiles, provided an assessment shows the exposure limit will not be reached
"No licence" does not mean "anyone". HSE still requires the people doing the work to be informed, instructed and trained, and some unlicensed jobs have to be notified to the authorities. The contractor decides which side of the line your job falls on.
Where this comes from: HSE page on licensable work; HSE FAQ page; HSE list of where it is found.
Jobs people ask about
Barn, garage and shed roofs
The most common cement job. See the roofs guide.
Textured ceilings
Test first. If it turns out to be asbestos, the choices run from leaving it alone, through covering it, to taking it off, depending on its state and your plans.
Old floor tiles
The tile, its adhesive and any backing paper can all contain it. Many get left in place and covered. Where the floor has to come up, it is lifted with care.
Boiler and pipe lagging
Licensed work. Don't touch it.
Soffits, panels and boxing-in
Often insulating board, and most of that needs a licensed contractor.
What happens to the waste
HSE classes asbestos waste as hazardous, so it must stay out of ordinary household rubbish. A contractor removes and disposes of it as part of the job. If you want to take a small amount of cement-bonded material to a recycling site yourself, the rules vary by council and several Somerset sites refuse it altogether. Read the tip rules for all three councils first.
Checking the contractor's licence
HSE links to its register of licensed contractors from its licensing page. You are welcome to look up the firm we pass your enquiry to.