Finding asbestos, or something you think might be asbestos, can leave you wondering what you should actually do next. Quite often, the safest thing is simply to leave it alone until you know what you’re dealing with.
We’ve answered some of the questions that commonly come up when people are planning building work, dealing with an old garage or roof, arranging asbestos testing or deciding whether asbestos needs to be removed.
Every property is different, so the right answer usually depends on what the material is, what condition it’s in and what you’re planning to do around it.
Asbestos work isn’t always as straightforward as removing something and disposing of it. Sometimes testing is needed first.
Other times the asbestos is already known about, but a decision needs to be made about whether to remove it, manage it or deal with it as part of other building work.
Leave it alone for the time being, particularly if it isn't damaged.
Don't drill it, break a piece off or start pulling it down to get a better look. If you can safely take a photo without disturbing anything, that can be useful when you first speak to us.
From there, we can look at what you've found, where it is and what you're planning to do in that part of the property.
No. That's often the reason people get in touch in the first place.
There are plenty of older building materials that people mistake for asbestos, and you can't reliably confirm it just from appearance. If you're not sure, tell us where the material is and what you know about it.
If it needs testing before anything else can be decided, we'll explain that rather than guessing.
Yes, but it's better to deal with the asbestos side before builders start disturbing the area.
We often see problems when somebody starts stripping out an older building and only thinks about asbestos once they've uncovered something suspicious.
If you're planning refurbishment, demolition or other work that could affect known or suspected asbestos, include it in the planning from the start.
A few basic details normally help: where the material is, roughly how much there is, its condition and what you're hoping to do with the area.
Photos can be useful too, although they can't confirm whether something contains asbestos.
If you've already had testing or a survey carried out, send that information across as well. It saves going over ground that's already been covered.
It means the particular asbestos work doesn't require an asbestos-removal licence, provided it meets the relevant requirements.
That doesn't make it ordinary building work. The type of material matters, but so does its condition and what needs to be done to remove it.
Asbestos cement is one material that can commonly fall into non-licensed work when it's in suitable condition and can be removed carefully.
People often search for or refer to it as unlicensed asbestos removal, but non-licensed asbestos work is the better term.
The important distinction is that non-licensed doesn't mean unregulated. There are still requirements for assessing the work, controlling exposure and dealing with the waste correctly.
If you're unsure which category a job falls into, don't make that decision based purely on what the material looks like.
Certain lower-risk asbestos-containing materials can fall into non-licensed work. Asbestos cement products are a common example.
You can't decide that from the name of the material alone, though. An intact asbestos cement sheet that can be carefully removed is a different situation from material that's badly damaged or has to be broken up.
That's why we look at the actual job rather than simply saying a particular material is always non-licensed.
It can be, and asbestos cement garage and shed roofs are a common type of non-licensed asbestos work.
We'd still look at the condition of the sheets and how they need to come off. Sheets that can be removed largely intact are different from roofing that's badly damaged, crumbling or has already been broken up.
The fact that it's a garage roof doesn't automatically decide how the job should be handled.
Some asbestos work doesn't need a licensed asbestos contractor but does fall under notifiable non-licensed work, usually shortened to NNLW.
Whether that applies depends on the material, its condition and the work being carried out.
It's one of the reasons “non-licensed” shouldn't be taken to mean there are no further requirements. The job needs to be assessed properly before work starts.
We wouldn't recommend assuming something is suitable for DIY removal simply because it may fall under non-licensed work.
You still need to think about how the material will be removed without unnecessarily breaking it, how exposure will be controlled and what happens to the waste afterwards.
If you're unsure what the material is or it's already damaged, leave it alone and get advice before starting.
“Non-licensed” can sound as though the work doesn’t have the same controls around it. That’s not what it means.
Certain lower-risk asbestos work can be carried out without an asbestos-removal licence, but there are still rules around how the work is assessed, carried out and disposed of.
Sometimes the biggest question is simply whether a material contains asbestos at all.
Testing can remove that uncertainty.
It’s particularly useful before renovation or repair work where a builder is going to drill, cut or remove an older material.
A photograph can give us an idea of what you're looking at, but it can't confirm asbestos.
Some asbestos-containing products look very similar to materials that don't contain asbestos. Even somebody who sees these materials regularly shouldn't tell you something is definitely asbestos-free simply from a photograph.
Where confirmation is needed, a sample needs to be properly taken and analysed.
We wouldn't advise doing that.
If the material does contain asbestos, breaking a piece off is disturbing it before you even know what it is. It's particularly easy to create dust when somebody starts cutting, scraping or snapping a sample from a board or textured material.
The sampling itself needs to be done carefully, not treated as a normal DIY job.
No. The result relates to the material that was actually sampled.
An older property can contain several different materials from different periods. A clear result from one ceiling, for example, doesn't tell you what might be behind another wall, under flooring or on an outbuilding roof.
This becomes particularly important when you're planning work across several parts of a property.
Possibly, but don't automatically pay for another survey without checking what you've already got.
Look at when the report was carried out, which parts of the building it covered and why it was originally commissioned.
If you're now planning refurbishment in an area that wasn't properly inspected before, the old report may not give you all the information needed for that work.
Not simply because of age.
What concerns us more is the condition it's in and whether it's likely to be disturbed. Material that's intact and left alone is a different situation from asbestos that's cracked, broken, drilled or starting to deteriorate.
That's why two properties with the same type of asbestos can need completely different approaches.
Sometimes, yes.
Removing asbestos unnecessarily can create disturbance where there wasn't a problem before. If it's in good condition, unlikely to be disturbed and can be properly managed, leaving it in place may be appropriate.
That changes if you're planning work that will affect it. Something that can be left alone today may need dealing with before a future refurbishment.
Encapsulation means sealing suitable asbestos-containing material rather than removing it.
It can be an option where the material is in a condition that allows it to remain safely in place and isn't going to be disturbed by other work.
It isn't a way of making asbestos disappear. The material is still there, so anybody carrying out future work around it needs to know about it.
Don't disturb it any further.
Avoid sweeping up debris, using a household vacuum cleaner or trying to remove the remaining material yourself. Those are the sorts of things that can spread dust further.
Keep people away from the immediate area and get advice on what has been damaged. What happens next will depend on the material and how badly it's been affected.
Finding asbestos doesn’t automatically mean it all has to come out.
Where it is, what condition it’s in and what you plan to do with the property all make a difference.
Sometimes leaving and managing asbestos is the sensible option. In other situations removal makes more sense.
Demolition and refurbishment are where hidden asbestos can become a problem very quickly.
Once walls, ceilings, roofing and other parts of a building start coming apart, materials that have been sitting untouched for years can suddenly be disturbed.
Because once demolition starts, it's much harder to control what gets broken or disturbed.
A sheet, panel or other material that was previously intact can end up cut, crushed or mixed with general demolition waste.
Identifying and dealing with asbestos before the main demolition work gets under way means it can be handled separately rather than discovered halfway through the job.
Stop work around that material.
Don't pull more away to see what's behind it and don't carry on because “it's probably fine”. If there's any doubt, it needs checking before work continues in that area.
It's far easier to deal with one undisturbed suspect material than something that's already been broken up and spread around the work area.
A lot of older materials aren't visible during normal use of a building.
They may be behind later finishes, inside boxing, above ceilings or underneath other materials. Refurbishment can open up parts of a property that haven't been seen for years.
That's why the asbestos information needed for intrusive refurbishment can be different from what you might have from a general inspection of the property.
Yes. The asbestos-containing parts can be dealt with separately before the rest of the structure comes down.
Older garages and sheds are a common place to find asbestos cement roofing and panels.
Separating that material from the ordinary demolition waste makes much more sense than knocking everything down together and then trying to sort out asbestos amongst the rubble afterwards.
Not necessarily.
The roof and the rest of the garage can be looked at separately. If the structure itself is staying, it may only be the asbestos-containing material that needs dealing with.
We'd want to look at the condition of the sheets and what you want to do with the garage afterwards before deciding the sensible way forward.
No, that's something we'd avoid.
A pressure washer is quite aggressive and can damage the surface of older asbestos cement. You can also end up spreading contaminated water and debris around the surrounding area.
If an older asbestos roof is covered in moss or looks tired, don't automatically treat it as you would a modern roof. Get advice before cleaning or repairing it.
No. Asbestos waste needs to be kept separate from normal building and household waste and disposed of through the appropriate route.
Don't break sheets into smaller pieces just to make them fit into a skip either.
If you're doing other building work at the same time, plan for the asbestos waste separately rather than mixing everything together and trying to sort it afterwards.
Don't break them up or keep moving them around unnecessarily.
Tell us what you've removed, roughly how much there is, where it's currently stored and whether any of it has been damaged.
Even though the sheets are already off the building, they're still asbestos waste and need to be handled and disposed of correctly.
Older garages, sheds and outbuildings account for plenty of the asbestos enquiries we see.
Corrugated cement roofing is particularly common.
The main thing is not to treat an old asbestos roof in the same way you would a modern fibre-cement sheet.
Most people don’t deal with asbestos very often, so it’s understandable not to know what to do when you come across it.
The main thing is not to turn a manageable situation into a bigger one by drilling, cutting, breaking or trying to clean up something you’re unsure about.
Don't panic simply because asbestos has been identified.
You need to know what material has been found, where it is, what condition it's in and whether your plans for the property are likely to disturb it.
An intact material tucked away somewhere can be a very different consideration from asbestos sitting directly in the way of the extension or refurbishment you're planning.
Stop working on it and keep other people away from the immediate area.
Don't sweep or vacuum the dust with an ordinary household vacuum and don't carry on drilling to finish the job.
The next step is to establish what you've disturbed. Once that's known, you can get proper advice on whether anything further needs to be done.
Not automatically.
If the asbestos is in good condition and isn't currently being disturbed, there may be no reason to remove it years before you need to.
It's still worth thinking ahead, though. If you know a future extension or refurbishment will affect that exact area, you can plan how the asbestos will be dealt with before the main building work starts.
Every property is slightly different. What makes sense for an intact garage roof may not be right for damaged material inside a house, and the approach can change again if you’re planning demolition or refurbishment.
If you’ve found something you’re unsure about, already have an asbestos report or are planning work that could disturb asbestos, speak to J&A Asbestos Removal Specialists Ltd about what you’ve got and what you’re planning.
Photos, previous test results or survey information can all be useful when discussing the next step.
Get in touch with J&A Asbestos Removal Specialists Ltd and tell us what you’ve found or what work you’re planning. Free, no-obligation quotations are available.
