Think You Have Found Asbestos? What to Do Next

You lift a carpet and find old floor tiles. A roofer tells you the sheets on your garage look like asbestos. A builder stops halfway through a job and says he is not happy to carry on. It is an unsettling moment, but a suspected asbestos material that has not been damaged is rarely an emergency. What you do in the first few minutes matters more than what you do over the next few days.

Step 1: Stop and leave it alone

Stop what you are doing. Do not break off a piece to check it, and do not scrub, brush, wipe, vacuum or tidy anything nearby. Disturbing the material is what releases fibres, so the safest thing is to leave it exactly as it is.

Step 2: Keep people and pets away

Close the door to the room, keep children and animals out and switch off any fans or heating that might move dust around. If there is visible dust or debris, do not sweep it up or use a household vacuum cleaner. If you have been working in the area, ask for advice on how to deal with dusty clothing rather than shaking it out or putting it in with the family wash.

Step 3: Keep the risk in proportion

The chance of developing an asbestos-related disease generally rises with the amount and length of exposure, so a single short incident carries a much lower risk than repeated exposure over years. That is not a reason to be casual, but it is a reason not to panic. If you are worried about your health, speak to your GP. HSENI also runs an asbestos advisory service that can point you to the right guidance.

Step 4: Find out what it actually is

You cannot tell by looking. Plenty of old materials resemble asbestos and plenty of asbestos materials resemble modern ones. The only way to know is to have a sample taken by a competent person and analysed in a laboratory.

If you only need one material identified, a targeted sample may be enough. If building work is planned, or you have found asbestos in one place, a survey of the wider area is the better option, because where there is one asbestos material there are often others nearby.

Step 5: Decide what happens next

The result tells you which of these applies:

• No asbestos found. Carry on as planned.
• Asbestos in good condition and out of harm’s way. Leave it, record where it is, label it if appropriate and check it from time to time.
• Asbestos that is damaged or in the way of planned work. Plan for it to be sealed or removed by a suitably qualified contractor. Some materials need a contractor licensed by HSENI.

What not to do with suspected asbestos

• Do not put it in a household bin, burn it, bury it or dump it. Asbestos is hazardous waste and has to go to an authorised facility. Check with your council before taking anything to a recycling centre, because arrangements vary.
• Do not give away or reuse old sheets, tiles or boards, including through online marketplaces.
• Do not ask a friend to take a quick look or give it a quick clean.
• Do not carry on with the job on the basis that it will probably be fine.

If you work in or manage a building

If you find suspect material at work, tell the person responsible for the premises and stop work in that area until it has been checked. Tradespeople are encouraged to ask for the asbestos register before starting a job, and anyone responsible for a non-domestic building should have one to hand. Our guide to the duty to manage asbestos covers what is expected of building owners and managers.

Frequently asked questions

Is it illegal to have asbestos in my building? No. The law bans the supply and use of asbestos, but existing material does not have to be removed. The rules are about how it is managed and how it is worked on.

Are grey corrugated sheets always asbestos? Not always. Many sheets made from the late 1980s onwards do not contain it, but you cannot tell by sight. Only laboratory analysis confirms it.

Can I remove it myself? The regulations are aimed at people who work for others, so a homeowner working on their own house is not strictly covered. The health risk is exactly the same, though, and most materials should be handled by trained people. Some work legally requires a licensed contractor.

Talk to us

If you have found something and are not sure what to do, call Asbestos Solutions NI on 07702 332 333. We carry out sampling and surveys across Northern Ireland, with every sample analysed by a UKAS-accredited laboratory, and we will tell you plainly what the result means and what your options are.