The Asbestos (Licensing) Regulations 1983
These regulations require work with the most dangerous types
of asbestos - coating, insulation (lagging) and asbestos insulating
board, to be carried out only by contractors who have a licence
issued by the Health and Safety Executive.
'Coatings' includes fire protection mixtures, applied by spray
or hand, and decorative and textured finishes.
'Insulation' includes lagging and infill, preformed sections
of pipe insulation and millboards
'Asbestos insulating board' is a lightly compressed board made
from asbestos fibre and hydrated Portland cement or calcium
silicate with other filler materials and can be used for structural
purposes e.g. as a partition.
Not included are: Articles made of rubber, plastic, resin or
bitumen, but which also contain asbestos, e.g. vinyl floor tiles,
electric cables and roofing felts; other asbestos products which
may be used at high temperature but have no insulation purposes
such as gaskets, washers, ropes and seals and asbestos cement
products.
Asbestos cement, normally found in the form of roofing sheets,
wall boards, soffits, gutters, drainpipes and flues, is a mixture
of cement and asbestos which in a dry state has a density greater
than 1 tonne per cubic metre. If you are unable to distinguish
whether material is asbestos cement or insulating board, you will
have to have a sample analysed to determine its bulk density.
There are 3 exemptions from the requirement to hold a
licence:
- work of short duration
- air monitoring or sample collection to identify asbestos
- if you are an employer carrying out work with your own employees. You will, however, still have to formally notify your enforcing authority (under Reg.5) of the work to be carried out.
'Work' includes sealing or painting damaged asbestos insulating board or insulation or coating.
CAWR also still applies even to exempt work and work with
asbestos cement, which means that the precautions outlined in CAWR
must be taken and Maximum Exposure Levels also apply.
If you think that exemptions (1) and (3) apply, you should
consult the enforcing authority for further advice.
Notification to Enforcing Authority You must give the relevant
enforcing authority 14 days written notice of your intention to
carry out the work.
The amended regulations also increase HSE's discretionary
power to revoke a licence if the holder is found to be in breach of
any health and safety legislation.
For details of licensed contractors and details of how to
apply for a licence, contact the HSE Asbestos Licensing Unit,
Belford House, 59 Belford Road, Edinburgh EH14 3UE Telephone: 0131
247 2135; Fax: 0131 247 2143