Asbestos was extensively used as a building material in the UK from the 1950s through to the late nineties. It was used for a variety of purposes and was ideal for fireproofing and insulation. Any building built before 2000 (houses, factories, offices, schools, hospitals etc.) may contain asbestos. Asbestos can cause serious illness, often taking a long time to develop, the most serious being Mesothelioma (a form of lung cancer).

Asbestos materials in good condition can be safely managed. If asbestos is damaged or disturbed the fibres become airborne, it then needs to be removed or encapsulated under controlled conditions by a contractor licensed by the Health & Safety Executive.

Asbestos cement products:
• Floor tiles
• Artex ceilings & walls
• Toilet Cisterns
• Shed / garage roofs
• Loose asbestos cement sheets and debris
• Environmental clean of area contaminated with asbestos
• Rope seals and gaskets
• Farm building roofs
• Gutters & Downpipes
• Cement flue pipes
• Wall cladding
• Fuse boards

Asbestos removal falls into three main categories:

Notifiable work – this type of work covers asbestos containing materials such as insulation board, pipe lagging and thermal insulation. The work must be notified to the HSE a minimum of 14 days before the work commences. The work is carried out under fully controlled conditions and will require an analyst to carry out a 4-stage clearance on completion. For more details please see:  http://www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/licensing/licensed-contractor.htm
Notifiable Non-licensed work (NNLW) – this type of work requires a notification to the HSE but a 14 day notification period is not required. It covers asbestos containing materials such as textured coating ceilings or badly damaged asbestos cement products for example. For more details please see:  http://www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/licensing/notifiable-non-licensed-work.htm
Non-notifiable work – this type of work covers asbestos containing materials such as asbestos cement in good condition and floor tiles for example. For more details please see:   http://www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/licensing/non-licensed-work.htm

A site visit to assess the building, the condition of the asbestos and whether further sampling will be required will then determine which category the asbestos falls into.