Asbestos
Asbestos is a mineral fibre that was used for many years due to its strength and resistance to heat and oil. If your property was built or refurbished before the year 2000, it's possible that it contains materials made from asbestos.
Inhaling asbestos fibres can cause serious illnesses, including malignant lung cancer, mesothelioma and asbestosis.
If you discover asbestos in your home you should:
- not panic - it's usually only a problem if it's disturbed
- don't drill, saw or disturb materials containing asbestos
- seek advice if you think you've got a problem with asbestos in your home
Get help and advice on the correct handling of asbestos on the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) website.
Licence to work with asbestos
Under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012, in some circumstances working with asbestos requires a licence; it is an offence to work with asbestos without one and could result in prosecution.
In non-domestic situations, the law on asbestos work is enforced by the Health and Safety Executive with the local authority inspectors enforcing mainly in the retail and services sectors.
Find out more about licences to work with asbestos on the HSE website.
Non-licensed notifiable work
Some minor work is notifiable but can be carried out by those who are trained without a need for a license. Find information on notifiable asbestos work [PDF] from the HSE website.
In such cases you must:
- notify the enforcing authority about the work
- keep a record of the job
- ensure all workers have had a medical examination
If you’re in retail or a service business and are planning any work where you suspect asbestos may be present contact us on 01636 650000 or email environmental.health@newark-sherwooddc.gov.uk
Disposal of asbestos
Controlled and authorised removal and disposal of asbestos containing materials is required in all cases. If you’re a resident and dismantle and remove a structure containing asbestos yourself from your own home, you can book an appointment to dispose of it at a dedicated site for a fee, providing you meet certain criteria.
For more on the disposal of asbestos, contact Nottinghamshire County Council on 0300 500 80 80 or you can book an asbestos disposal appointment online.
The Mesothelioma Center
Their goal is to educate about the danger of asbestos and asbestos-related diseases.
There is a new guide that comprehensively covers asbestos in the UK. You can check it out here:
https://www.asbestos.com/mesothelioma/uk/
Asbestos and your home - Advice for Council Tenants
This section is designed to provide you with information regarding the possible risks associated with asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) and includes what asbestos is, where you might find it in your home, what the risks are, how we manage asbestos and what you should do.
What is asbestos?
Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral made up of many small fibres. It is mined from rock and milled into fibres from which a wide range of materials can be produced. It has been used commercially for over 100 years because it is strong, flexible, stable and could be used in many products. The 3 types of asbestos that have been mainly used in the UK are:
- Crocidolite (blue asbestos)
- Amosite (brown asbestos)
- Chrysotile (white asbestos)
Where can asbestos be found in the home?
Due to the many properties of asbestos, with it being particularly strong and resistant to heat and chemicals, this led to its widespread use in a wide range of building materials and products, particularly during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. Asbestos was often used as fireproofing but also as a general building material.
The Absestos Diagram (PDF File, 171kb) illustration and list below provide a basic understanding of where some asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) may be found in and around the home, both internally and externally. Please remember that asbestos was used in over 2,500 different products and this list is not fully inclusive of all these products.
Inside
- Asbestos insulating board (AIB) around boiler
- Toilet cistern
- Vinyl floor tiles backed with asbestos paper and/or bitumen adhesive
- AIB or asbestos cement bath panels
- AIB ceiling tiles
- AIB airing cupboard and/or sprayed insulation coating boiler
- Pipe lagging
- AIB partition wall
- Asbestos cement water tank
- AIB behind fuse box
- Textured decorative coating, for example Artex
- Loose fill insulation
- AIB behind fire
- AIB or asbestos cement interior window panel
Outside
- AIB or asbestos cement soffits and fascias
- Roofing felt
- Asbestos cement roof tiles/slates
- Asbestos cement panels
- Profiled asbestos cement sheeting
- AIB or asbestos cement exterior window panel
- Gutters and asbestos cement downpipes
The use of asbestos was banned in the UK in 1999, and if your property was built after 2000 it will not contain asbestos. However, if your property was built prior to 2000, there is a possibility that it may contain some of the above asbestos containing materials.
What are the risks?
Asbestos materials pose little risk to health unless they are disturbed in some way that allows the fibers to be released into the atmosphere. This can occur if the asbestos containing material is drilled, sanded, cut or broken up, but could also occur if it is generally in a poor or damaged condition.
It is not unusual to find asbestos in the home, and if properly managed, asbestos does not pose a health risk. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) recommend that asbestos containing materials that are in good condition and that are not at risk of being damaged are best left where they are, undisturbed.
How we manage asbestos in Council properties
At Newark and Sherwood District Council, we manage asbestos containing materials by conducting surveys at your home if it was built prior to the year 2000. We will identify any asbestos and formulate an action plan to manage the asbestos material based on the asbestos type and condition.
There are two types of asbestos surveys we conduct and information from these surveys are held within our assets asbestos register. The two types of surveys are:
Management Surveys: A general survey of the home identifying and sampling any potential asbestos containing materials.
Refurbishment Surveys: A more intrusive survey often to isolated rooms prior to the completion of refurbishment works or major repairs.
It is not uncommon to have more than one asbestos survey carried out to your property, especially should there be the need for more intrusive/major planned works.
Works undertaken in your home by us include a risk assessment to check whether it is likely the work will disturb any asbestos containing materials. Where asbestos may be disturbed or is found to be damaged, it will be managed safely either by sealing or enclosing the material (known as encapsulation), or through removal by specialist contractors.
What should you do?
You must not carry out any alterations, improvements or additions to the property without first obtaining our written approval. (This is a condition of your tenancy agreement). If you want to carry out any home improvements, you must contact your Housing Officer and request permission.
Undertaking DIY work on asbestos containing materials can result in brief but possible high levels of exposure, so if you suspect materials might contain asbestos then do not:
- Carry out DIY work on asbestos containing materials
- Disturb any asbestos containing material
- Drill into any asbestos containing material
- Scrape or sand any asbestos containing material
- Attempt to remove any asbestos containing material
If you think you have damaged or disturbed asbestos in your home, you should contact us without delay. If there is any need to remove asbestos containing material from your home, we will agree a plan with you to do so.
Further information
The following organisations can provide further information and advice on asbestos:
Contact details
For more information, you can get in touch with the District Council on our Contact us page or go online via the MyHome portal.