SiteKiln gives you plain-English information, not legal advice or specialist asbestos consultancy. If you need advice specific to your situation, check HSE guidance or consult a licensed asbestos contractor.
7.6.1 The short version
Everybody who might disturb asbestos on site needs asbestos awareness training; that is basic law under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 (CAR 2012). Awareness tells you how to recognise suspect materials and stop work -- it does not qualify you to remove asbestos.
If you are actually disturbing or removing asbestos, there are two higher levels: non-licensed/"non-licensable" work training, and HSE-licensed removal for high-risk materials. Licensed removal needs a specialist contractor with an HSE asbestos licence, proper medicals, monitoring and full method statements notified to HSE.
7.6.2 Why it matters
Asbestos still kills more construction workers than most other hazards put together. It is in a huge amount of pre-2000 building fabric -- ceilings, boards, lagging, floor tiles, Artex -- and you often do not know it is there until it is too late. CAR 2012 assumes you will come across it, so it makes training and safe management a legal duty, not a nice-to-have.
From your side, the difference is simple: awareness training keeps you out of trouble on normal jobs; anything beyond "see it and stop" needs specific non-licensed or licensed training and, on the big stuff, an HSE-licensed firm.
7.6.3 Asbestos awareness -- what it is and who needs it
Regulation 10 of CAR 2012 makes asbestos awareness training mandatory for anyone who may encounter asbestos in their work (and their supervisors).
That includes typical trades like:
- General construction workers and site managers.
- Electricians, plumbers, heating engineers.
- Joiners, shopfitters, decorators, plasterers, flooring installers.
- Maintenance staff, caretakers, demolition and refurbishment crews.
A decent awareness course (often 2-4 hours online or half-day classroom) covers:
- What asbestos is, types and health effects.
- Where it was used and how to recognise likely asbestos-containing materials (ACMs).
- How to avoid disturbing it in day-to-day work.
- What to do if you accidentally disturb suspected ACMs (stop, evacuate, report, isolate).
It does not authorise you to remove asbestos; it just teaches you not to blunder into it.
7.6.4 Non-licensed and notifiable non-licensed work
If your job involves actually disturbing ACMs, but the material and risk are lower, you may be in non-licensable work territory.
Examples (if in good condition and small-scale) can include:
- Removing certain asbestos cement sheets, roof panels or gutters.
- Lifting small numbers of floor tiles or bitumen adhesive that contain asbestos.
- Drilling through textured coatings (Artex) with the right controls.
For this you need more than awareness:
- Task-specific training for non-licensed asbestos work (following the HSE "Asbestos Essentials" approach).
- Proper risk assessment, method statement, PPE, controls and waste procedures.
Some higher-risk non-licensed work is "notifiable non-licensed work" (NNLW) -- you must tell the enforcing authority before starting and keep extra health records. The exact split between non-licensed and NNLW depends on the type, condition and amount of ACM being disturbed.
7.6.5 Licensed asbestos removal -- when only an HSE-licensed contractor can touch it
Licensed work is the top tier -- higher risk jobs where only an HSE-licensed asbestos contractor is allowed to do the removal.
You are into licensed territory when:
- The asbestos is friable (easily crumbles and releases fibres) -- lagging, sprayed coatings, many insulation products.
- The job is large-scale removal, demolition or major refurbishment with significant disturbance.
- The risk assessment shows high potential fibre exposure.
Key features of licensed work:
- Contractor holds a current HSE asbestos licence.
- Detailed plan of work and risk assessment submitted, typically with notification to HSE at least 14 days before starting licensed work.
- Full enclosure, controlled removal methods, air monitoring and clearance testing.
- Medical surveillance and specialist respiratory protection for workers.
- Waste handled as hazardous waste with consignment notes and licensed disposal.
Using an unlicensed firm where a licence is legally required breaches CAR 2012 and can mean enforcement action, fines, project shutdown and serious health risks.
7.6.6 Quick asbestos training / competence health check
You are on the right side of CAR 2012 if you can say:
Everyone on your jobs who might disturb asbestos has up-to-date asbestos awareness training (and you keep the certificates on file).
You do not let awareness-only staff remove or work directly on ACMs -- you bring in trained non-licensed workers or HSE-licensed contractors as the risk demands.
You understand, at least at a high level, the difference between awareness, non-licensed/NNLW and licensed work, and you ask for competent advice when in doubt.
You have asbestos survey info and a management plan for non-domestic buildings, and you brief trades on where ACMs are before work starts.
If any of those are a "no", that is not a minor box-ticking issue -- it is a mix of criminal liability and long-term health risk that needs sorting now, not on the day someone drills through lagging.
7.6.7 What to do next
- Make sure everyone on your jobs who might disturb asbestos has up-to-date asbestos awareness training and you keep certificates on file.
- Do not let awareness-only staff remove or work directly on asbestos-containing materials.
- On refurb and demolition jobs in pre-2000 buildings, get a proper asbestos survey before work starts.
- If you are unsure whether work is non-licensed, notifiable or licensed, get competent advice before you touch anything.
7.6.8 Who to contact
- HSE -- hse.gov.uk -- for asbestos regulations, licensing and enforcement guidance (free)
- CSCS -- 0344 994 4777, cscs.uk.com -- for card queries and asbestos awareness certification (free)
- CITB -- 0344 994 4400, citb.co.uk -- for asbestos awareness training and grants (free)
- Environment Agency -- 03708 506 506 -- for hazardous waste disposal rules (free)
- Local authority building control -- for building regulations queries on refurbishment and demolition
7.6.9 Sources and legislation
- Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 -- duties on training, management and licensed removal. legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2012/632
- Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 -- employer duties on worker safety. legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1974/37
- Environmental Protection Act 1990 -- hazardous waste disposal requirements. legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1990/43
- Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 -- CDM duties on pre-construction information including asbestos. legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2015/51
7.6.10 Related guides on this site
- 7.1 CSCS cards -- full breakdown
- 7.7 First aid at work certification
- 7.12 Waste carrier licence
- 11.4 Hazardous waste regulations
- 2.1 Health and safety basics for small builders
- 7.8 SMSTS and SSSTS
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