Asbestos Removal

First of all, let us reassure you that just because asbestos may be present in your building, it is not necessarily going to have to be removed. The Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations do not impose a duty to remove asbestos.

Asbestos was widely used in construction materials up until the mid 1980's, but could still be imported into the UK until as late as 1999.

Most of these materials are perfectly safe, particularly items like floor tiles, old toilet cisterns and seats.

Materials that can easily release asbestos fibres are the ones that cause most concern, because when damaged they can cause a danger to health and in some cases, can lead to the immediate closure of the affected area and occasionally, an entire building.

There are of course, different types of asbestos and they all vary in the risk that they present.

For example, there are still many buildings that have corrugated asbestos cement roofs.

In general, these are perfectly safe as the asbestos used was usually Chrysotile or "white asbestos" contained in a cement base. Asbestos fibre release is usually rare, but if a roof is in poor condition, it may have to be replaced.

It is no longer possible to buy replacement asbestos cement panels, but it could be possible to replace an asbestos cement panel with a man-made fibre cement alternative.

During our many asbestos surveys, we have discovered a specific type of roof liner that are made from fibre board and then coated with an asbestos paper.

Often, due to roof leaks, these panels become damaged and present an immediate risk to health - either by falling or disintegrating and releasing fibres.

Asbestos Insulation Board or AIB as it is known, was often used in buildings as partition work or within loft areas or behind heaters. AIB most usually contains two types of asbestos - Chrysotile (white) and Amosite (brown).

If there is a risk of these asbestos insulation boards becoming damaged or disturbed, we would recommend their removal or encapsulation, as they do present a risk to health.

If the asbestos insulation boards are not accessible and are clearly marked as containing asbestos, it should be possible to leave them in place where they can do no harm.

Older boiler rooms often contained asbestos that was sprayed into position. This type of asbestos is called Crocidolite or blue asbestos and is the most dangerous of all. (Blue asbestos is not blue in colour)

Over time, the asbestos becomes unstable, or gets damaged in some way and is extremely susceptible to asbestos fibre release. The fibres of blue asbestos are more cerrated than brown or white asbestos and because of this, it's these fibres that can lodge more easily into the lining of the lungs, where they stay forever, eventually causing lung disease.

If this type of asbestos is present in a building, where it can be easily damaged or disturbed, we recommend it's removal, as there is no safe level for this type of asbestos.

The examples above provide only the briefest information and therefore, if in doubt, please contact us for advice - we don't charge and because we are qualified asbestos surveyors, we have to provide impartial advice.

If you need asbestos removing from your premises, we can either recommend a suitably qualified removal company, or we can manage the process on your behalf.

In some cases, you may qualify for very generous tax rebates for removing asbestos from commercial premises and we will be pleased to advise further on this matter.

Asbestos removal must be carried out by fully licensed contractors - but remember that they are under no obligation to provide objective, unbiased advice.

If we manage your removal project on your behalf, you can be assured that the advice you receive is completely unbiased - we will be working on your behalf to keep costs as low as possible.

If you have any concerns about asbestos in the workplace, please feel free to call us on the telephone numbers at the top of the page.