Many people in the UK are confused about which asbestos they can remove themselves and when they need to use a specialised contractor. Before I attempt to explain the whys and whens I’d just like to expand upon the word “asbestos” because its rarely used in the correct context and by-and-large it determines what you can and can’t remove.
Asbestos is a generic term for a family of fibrous minerals. When people say that something is asbestos they normally mean “it contains asbestos fibres”. The most commonly found members of the asbestos family are Crocidolite (aka blue asbestos), Amosite (brown) and Chrysotile (white). Different asbestos types have different properties so they tended to be used in different materials. For example white asbestos has long, strong and flexible fibres and is commonly found in construction materials such as roof sheets, paints and tiles. On the flip side, brown and blue asbestos have strong, fire-resistant (but brittle) fibres and tend to be used in thermal insulation products such as pipe laggings, sprays and boards.
Now that we’ve established the asbestos types its important to make a distinction between domestic and non-domestic work. Asbestos is regulated in the UK by the Control of Asbestos Regulations which is aimed specifically at the workplace (i.e non-domestic) and does not cover asbestos in the home. So, effectively, you are free to do what you want with asbestos in your own home. But, its important to remember that if, at any point, you hire someone in your home it becomes a workplace. Finally, before commencing any removal work in your home you need to consider how you are going to dispose of the waste. Many local authorities will accept white asbestos materials (roof sheets, tiles, Artex, etc) as long as they are correctly bagged. For all other products (AIB, sprays, insulations, etc) you will need to use a licensed waste carrier and you may find the cost prohibitive.
Right, asbestos removal in the workplace. The official way of working out when you need to use a licensed contractor is VERY complex and for the layman its almost impossible to calculate with 100% accuracy. Its based on the concentrations of fibres that you will be exposed to during the removal process. So, clearly, removing materials that contain high levels of asbestos fibres will expose you to greater numbers of fibres, right? True, but you also need to take account of factors such as whether its in or outside, which method you are using to remove it, and so on. Believe me its not simple. But, as a rule of thumb we can base it on material type and the following is 95% accurate.
Materials which can removed by a non-licensed person or organisation;
Composite materials (mostly white asbestos) i.e
- Asbestos cement (profiled roof sheets, panels, guttering, water tanks, etc)
- External tiles (roof or patio)
- Textured Coating (Artex)
- Internal plastic tiles and linoleoum
- Felts and bitumens
- Toilet cisterns (brown asbestos)
Materials which should be removed by a licensed contractor
Friable materials (normally blue and brown asbestos) i.e
- Asbestos insulation board (cladding, fire breaks, ceiling tiles, soffits)
- Sprayed insulation
- Packing
- Thermal insulations (pipe laggings)
Its important to bear in mind that any asbestos removal or repair works can cause significant asbestos exposure in both the long and short term and you should always consider using a specialist contractor.
If you are in any doubt then you should always consult a specialist.
Jason Nevin is a S301-qualified consultant and writes about asbestos on his website http://www.asbestosregisters.co.uk. You can find a wealth of information there relating to the management and control of Asbestos within the UK.
