You cannot confirm asbestos by eye, only by a lab test. But knowing the usual suspects helps you know when to stop and ask.
Asbestos cement sheets
Risk if disturbed: Lower
- Where it is found
- Garage, shed, barn and factory roofs and walls.
- What it looks like
- Hard grey corrugated or flat sheets, often weathered with moss, fixed with hook bolts.
- Who can work on it
- Usually non-licensed work if the sheets come off whole. Never jet wash, drill or walk on them.
Asbestos insulating board (AIB)
Risk if disturbed: High
- Where it is found
- Ceiling tiles, partition walls, boiler and airing cupboards, soffits, fire door panels and service risers.
- What it looks like
- Looks like plasterboard or soft fibreboard, usually painted, about 6-12 mm thick. Softer than cement: a drawing pin pushes in.
- Who can work on it
- Most work needs an HSE-licensed contractor and a sealed enclosure.
Pipe and boiler lagging
Risk if disturbed: Very high
- Where it is found
- Heating pipes, boilers and calorifiers in cellars, plant rooms and under floors.
- What it looks like
- Thick white or grey fibrous wrap, often painted or covered with cloth or a hard plaster-like shell.
- Who can work on it
- Licensed work only.
Sprayed coating
Risk if disturbed: Very high
- Where it is found
- Steel beams, the underside of floors and roofs in large buildings such as mills, warehouses and theatres.
- What it looks like
- Rough, fluffy white or grey-blue coating, like thick candy floss pressed onto the surface.
- Who can work on it
- Licensed work only.
Textured coatings
Risk if disturbed: Lower
- Where it is found
- Ceilings and sometimes walls in homes, pubs and offices decorated before 2000.
- What it looks like
- Swirls, stipples or peaks in a hard white coating, usually painted.
- Who can work on it
- Normally non-licensed. Large-scale removal by steaming or gelling is notifiable to HSE.
Vinyl floor tiles and adhesive
Risk if disturbed: Lower
- Where it is found
- Kitchens, hallways, schools and offices, often hidden under carpet or newer flooring.
- What it looks like
- Thin, hard tiles (commonly 9 inch square) in marbled colours, stuck down with black bitumen adhesive.
- Who can work on it
- Non-licensed work with the right controls.
Soffits and fascias
Risk if disturbed: Lower to high
- Where it is found
- Under the roof edge of houses, bungalows and porches from the 1950s to the 1980s.
- What it looks like
- Flat grey or painted boards. They can be cement (hard) or AIB (softer), so they need testing.
- Who can work on it
- Depends on the test result: cement is non-licensed, AIB is usually licensed.
Flues, gutters and downpipes
Risk if disturbed: Lower
- Where it is found
- Boiler flues through roofs and walls, garage gutters and rainwater pipes.
- What it looks like
- Grey cement pipes and half-round gutters, often with a collar joint.
- Who can work on it
- Usually non-licensed work.
Water tanks and cisterns
Risk if disturbed: Lower
- Where it is found
- Lofts (cold water tanks) and bathrooms (older black toilet cisterns).
- What it looks like
- Grey cement tanks, or shiny black resin cisterns and toilet seats.
- Who can work on it
- Usually non-licensed. Tanks are best removed whole.
Rope seals and gaskets
Risk if disturbed: Medium
- Where it is found
- Boilers, ovens, stoves, pipe flanges and old industrial plant.
- What it looks like
- White or grey woven rope or flat fibre gaskets between metal parts.
- Who can work on it
- Often non-licensed for short tasks; assessed job by job.
Bitumen roofing felt and damp proof course
Risk if disturbed: Lower
- Where it is found
- Flat roofs, under tiles and in walls.
- What it looks like
- Black felt or strip, looks the same as modern felt.
- Who can work on it
- Non-licensed work.
Loose fill insulation
Risk if disturbed: Very high
- Where it is found
- Lofts, cavity walls and under floors in a small number of properties.
- What it looks like
- Loose, fluffy blue-grey or white material, like dusty wool.
- Who can work on it
- Licensed work only. Keep out of the area and get advice.
Fire doors and panels
Risk if disturbed: High
- Where it is found
- Flat entrance doors, boiler room doors, and panels above or beside doors.
- What it looks like
- A normal-looking door or flat panel with a board core or facing.
- Who can work on it
- Usually licensed, because the core is often AIB.
Electrical items
Risk if disturbed: Medium
- Where it is found
- Old fuse boxes, fuse carriers, backing boards and some storage heaters made before the mid-1970s.
- What it looks like
- Woven pads inside fuse carriers, board behind the fuse box, or insulation inside a heater.
- Who can work on it
- Electricians should not disturb these without a test. Removal is assessed job by job.
