Asbestos waste products cannot be disposed with your normal household waste, it must be disposed of separately.

Ideally, to prevent fibres being released and becoming airborne asbestos waste should be double wrapped in suitable packaging and labeled appropriately to inform people of the contents.

Complete and undamaged cement sheets for example, should be left as they are when being disposed of. Try not to break textured coating attached firmly to a board, instead double wrap and label them in a suitable polythene sheet.

Only a licensed disposal site should handle asbestos waste products. Your local authority can usually provide details of your nearest licensed site.

Transporting waste needs to be done correctly. Using suitable containers for asbestos waste will prevent any fibres becoming airborne whilst being transported to your disposal site.

A good professional service should offer to dispose of the waste as part of job. These services will correctly and efficiently dispose of the waste removed whilst following appropriate procedures and regulations.

At Roof Cleaning Systems, we know and follow all the legal responsibilities around safe asbestos disposal. We also have our own moral code for handling asbestos.

I think I have asbestos within my home. What should I do?

If you are not a professional, do not try and remove any asbestos yourself.

If you do come across asbestos materials in your house it is usually best to leave them. Asbestos only becomes a risk when it is damaged and the fibres exposed. Occasionally you should check the condition of the materials to see if they become damaged or are beginning to become worse. Sometimes, asbestos materials that are damaged can be repaired. This is done by sealing or enclosing them. You should only do this yourself if you have had the appropriate training.

You should inform any builders, contractors or maintenance workers if you are having work done about the asbestos materials before they are due to start work. In doing this, the risks of further damage being caused to asbestos will be reduced.

You should always check to see if contractors have the appropriate training and protective clothing and instruments before they start to work on any asbestos containing material. You could be held liable to any future claims made against you relating to asbestos related illnesses.

Failing to comply with the procedures and laws surrounding asbestos and the removal of it is a criminal offence.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigate incidents where the duty to manage the risk of asbestos materials has failed and the appropriate action is then taken.

An unlimited fine or up to two years in prison are the maximum penalties for asbestos related offences. Similarly to other offences to do with health and safety law, company directors and officers can be held liable for offences made with their consent, connivance or neglect.

Due to the serious health implications connected to working inappropriately with asbestos, all reported violations are treated with priority.

At Asbestos Roof Cleaning Systems, we ensure your roof repair is complaint with the procedures and laws surrounding asbestos removal. In fact, through our sister company Asbestostrip, we have often been consulted in the preparation of the laws and set standards.

The removal or cleaning of asbestos should only be done by a licensed professional contractor. Removing asbestos is highly hazardous.

Workers who are employed to remove these materials are trained to do so and follow the correct procedures to remove asbestos. Professionals have the experience and knowledge on how to safely and quickly remove asbestos from a building.

Professionals are insured and are members of professional bodies that regulate and accredit the companies. Using professionals means you have legal recourse and accountability.

Professionals offer the best solution to your asbestos problem by removing it without causing any more damage to the materials and do not make the fibres airborne. Using a professional will ensure asbestos is safely and completed move from within your home or work place, and correctly and responsibly disposed of.

It is your legal and moral duty to do so.

As a home or building owner you need to understand the risk of asbestos and where it could be found in your building. Any domestic or commercial building which was built before 2000 may be at risk of containing asbestos. It is important to understand where asbestos could be within your home or work place. Asbestos is usually found in the below products:

• Floor tiles, textiles and composites
• Asbestos cement products
• Asbestos insulating board
• Lagging
• Textured coatings
• Sprayed coatings on ceilings, columns/beams and walls
• Loose asbestos in ceiling or floor cavity
• Asbestos coated hot water and steam pipes
• Walls and floors around wood-burning stoves protected with asbestos paper, millboard, or cement sheets
• Roofing and siding shingles
• Vinyl floor tiles
• Vinyl sheet flooring and adhesives
• Wall and ceiling textured paint and patching compounds
• Boilers
• Pipe insulation

Asbestos was a popular fibrous building material that has been used extensively since the 1950s as an insulator. In the UK, it was outlawed as a building material in 2000 when it become apparent that asbestos is the most common cause of work related deaths.

On average, 20 tradesmen die per week due to exposure to asbestos. It can be difficult to know if you’re working asbestos as it is usually mixed with another material.

It can be found in a range of building products such as pipe insulation, sprayed coatings, boilers and ceiling tiles. Buildings such as offices, hospitals schools, houses and factories built before the year 2000 have a chance of containing asbestos.

Materials containing asbestos are safe if they’re in a good condition. However, if damaged asbestos fibres become airborne and can become harmful.

Repairing and re-coating an asbestos roof can add years to the life of your building, and will cost you a lot less than replacing your roof. At Asbestos Roof Cleaning Systems, we safely clean and re-coat your asbestos roofs, whilst ensuring complete compliance and environmental procedures. Our process is so safe, in most cases we can work on the roof whist you continue using the building, ensuring minimum disruption and down time.