Rank: Super forum user 
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Where work, 1 of the managers is trying to buy a house. Survey has come back saying the garage roof is possibly Asbestos Containing Material (ACM). He's under the impression that because it's not a commercial premise he doesn't have to employ a company to conduct the work. That he can sort his own PPE and conduct the work himself.
The ACM's are sheet material with no signs of damage that I can see from the photo he has shown me.
A quick look by myself can see no evidence to say that he has to employ an authorisd contractor. Perhaps I'm looking in the wrong place or misreading the info on the screen in front of me.
Anyone care to offer some sensible advice. I've tried the Don't do it speech but hes willing to push ahead
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Any work removing ACM should be undertaken by a competent and authorised contractor. However you will also need to determine if it is notifiable work.
Try this as a bit of guidance: http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/guidance/a0.pdf
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 1 user thanked DaveBridle for this useful post.
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Rank: Super forum user 
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It is my understanding for low risk asbestos removal an authorised contractor is not necessary. Moreover, if the asbestos corrugated sheet panels are in a reasonably good condition they can be removed with little risk as long as certain precautions are adopted and we are only talking about one garage. See HSE guidance asbestos essentials - http://www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/essentials/#a1
The waste sheets should be put in an asbestos approved skip (with a lockable lid) and disposed of as asbestos waste.
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1 user thanked RayRapp for this useful post.
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Like most H&S legislation the asbestos regulation do not apply to domestic owner occupies, They are free to given themselves asbestoses! However the disposal is subject to the Hazardous Waste Regulations.
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2 users thanked Alfasev for this useful post.
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Rank: Super forum user 
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I am with Ray on this one. Most Council waste dumps have covered waste skips for just this purpose & a call to your local LA will elicit useful advice on bagging etc.
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2 users thanked Zyggy for this useful post.
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Thank you all for the help and advice. I'll pass on the information and he can make his own decision.
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Rank: Super forum user
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I did the same with an old garage I inherited with a new house. The sheets were in good condition and they could be removed intact. Everything was wetted down to reduce the likelihood of dust and the sheets were then wrapped in plastic sheeting and disposed of in the local council’s designated asbestos skip.
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2 users thanked A Kurdziel for this useful post.
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Originally Posted by: A Kurdziel  I did the same with an old garage I inherited with a new house.
I don't think the regs apply to homeowners DIY-ing either. I too removed some probable asbestos from my own house (a smallish piece of undamaged board, in my case behind a redundant gas fire (which I didn't remove myself)) and took it to my local council waste site. Not all sites have an asbestos skip so you need to find out which can take it (at least, that's the case round me) and it's worth ringing in advance that they have space for the amount you're taking (at least, that's the case round me).
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2 users thanked achrn for this useful post.
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Further to the local disposal route- ideally you would take it to the tip in a trailer but my local council assume that anybody using a trailer is commercial and so they insist that you buy a permit to bring the trailer on site. Not having time to take them to court over this issue I ended up having to put the stuff in the boot and taking it in like that; not ideal but that is why I wrapped it up. So call up the site before and get details of what they will take and how they expect it to be presented. I suspect they would not be best pleased if you turned up with loose asbestos lagging . Also ask about their rules about vehicles etc.
Edited by user 27 April 2018 09:36:08(UTC)
| Reason: one day I will spell perfectly and then i will take over the world
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Some council tips will only take very small pieces now in thick plastic and stickers. By small I mean a4 size. But easiest is to hire a skip with doors specifically for this fill it up and get proper waste company to take away. forget about council they are hard work.
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Originally Posted by: chris42 Some council tips will only take very small pieces now in thick plastic and stickers. By small I mean a4 size. But easiest is to hire a skip with doors specifically for this fill it up and get proper waste company to take away. forget about council they are hard work.
My piece was bigger than A4, equivalent to about A3 in area (but not exactly the same shape). You really think I should have hired a whole asbestos skip and arranged a full waste transfer? And you consider that will be less work than double-bagging it, taping it up, and taking it to the council site?
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I’m not saying anything other than a friend went to our local council tip and asked about asbestos. They went to give him a small bag about a4 size and he said no he had some sheets (6). They told him he could not bring them there as they only accepted small amounts and indicated the bag. It was not a case of paying or even double bagging with stickers they just would not accept bigger quantities If your local council will accept them good or perhaps they allow bigger bits, but mine will not. Which unless you are into fly tipping a waste contractor is your only option if your council is the same.
My suggestion would be ensuring your local council will take it or you have some other means of safe disposal, before dismantling.
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An asbestos skip will probably cost you about £1200 - so even if the council make a small charge for disposal then it is likely to be worth it. Phone them up and tell them you have x sheets of asbestos cement and do they have a waste site that can receive it. Failing that some licensed contractors and waste disposal companies will do a collection from you under carriers rounds. You will probably have to wrap the sheets if it is a part load. We would normally use 1000 guage plastic - this is typically referred to as visqueen at a builders merchant and is what is used as the damp proof membrane in a concrete floor. And yes quite obviously you can do the work if it is a genuine domestic situation just follow the guidance on HSE's website.
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1 user thanked Bruce Sutherland for this useful post.
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Is the roof damaged in some way? Why not just leave the roof as is?
jim
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That will be my advice. Leave the roof alone until it presents itself as a hazard and has to be dealt with. I think he's under the impression that because the roof could be ACM then the whole world is about to end and if he moves in, he'll die of asbestosis in the next 12 months. He is a bit of a worrier.
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The problem with asbestos roofs is that they are ALL old. Mine was in good condition but I was going to take the garage down anyway but I often see dodgy looking roofs about and the material is beginning to degrade after 50 years or so. Perhaps the guy is wise to be a hit of a worrier. I am surprised that the council will only take small pieces: I got rid of a whole roof (more than 10 years ago) with no issues (other than the trailer). If we don’t have proper system for managing this issue then we will have loads of problems in the future with fly tipping etc. Of course if I was being cynical I might guess that the powers that be want this to be a problem as then they can start issuing fines which will offset their declining tax revenues.
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2 users thanked A Kurdziel for this useful post.
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Somerset CC have 7 sites that accept asbestos, max of 1T or 30 sheets. About £13 for a sheet. Ballpark costs are couple of hundred quid + wrapping consumables.. So he's not overly worried now. His first quotes were from contractors and they were talking £2.5K minimum.
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Decided to look at what larger councils say so looked at Cardiff as I live in Wales and it seems that the normal tips will not accept any and even collections are limited to 600 x 600mm, (Achrn with your A3 bit you would be just in luck). I got rid of some asbestos cement roof sheets at same council, 20 plus years ago and was allowed to just lob it in the back of a shipping container (and I mean lob – no plastic wrapping etc! the good old days eh). My view, get rid of ASAP before rules tighten even more. I would reiterate check first as who knows what your local rules are. We all want to get rid for free, but councils will have to pay to remove it properly and they are cutting expenditure wherever they can at the moment. Extract from Cardiff council web site Items not accepted at any Household Recycling Centre We do not accept the following items at any of our Household Recycling Centres:
- Asbestos - Asbestos can only be collected by licensed companies. Please see the asbestos page for more information.
From Asbestos page Disposing of asbestos
We can arrange a collection of a small amount of household asbestos waste that can safely be contained in one specially designed sack.You can pick up an asbestos sack at Lamby Way main reception and we can arrange a collection.
Lamby Way reception is located adjacent to the Lamby Way recycling centre.
The main reception opening hours are:
Monday – Thursday, 8.30am – 4.30pm
Friday, 8.30am – 4.00pm
There are 3 collections a year. Large quantities/ sizes of asbestos (in excess of 600mm x 600mm) cannot be collected by the council and can only be collected by licensed companies. Please contact us for more information.
Sorry missed the op's reply, they have checked, Obviously Wales is more stringent!
Edited by user 30 April 2018 10:10:22(UTC)
| Reason: Added note at end
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2 users thanked chris42 for this useful post.
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Perhaps my advice might change now then. If some councils are refusing it completely, then that will only cascade down to other councils.
I know that I'll end up helping him. He's not that practical when it comes to stuff like this.
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1 user thanked Mark-W for this useful post.
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Bedford.gov.uk
Search asbestos.
"Asbestos is a dangerous material and should normally be handled
only by qualified contractors. Where a contractor removes asbestos
from your home they should also dispose of the waste material they
produce.
Asbestos cement was a common roofing and building material some
years ago. It is normally a grey colour and hard and brittle. It
contains a small proportion of asbestos fibres and is not normally
dangerous unless it is broken up or crushed. Damage can release
fibres into the air that could be breathed in.
REMEMBER: If you are in doubt whether you have asbestos in
your home or workplace don't touch it! Call a contractor to check
what the material is before you handle it
The Council is not currently able to provide
a collection service for asbestos. Please contact a licensed
contractor to remove asbestos from your property"
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To transport waste, as a business, you need a SEPA licence (in Scotland) which is £254. Coupled with the increasingly stringent rules on what councils will accept, its little wonder the 'Fly Tipping' is on the increase!
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Originally Posted by: chris42 Decided to look at what larger councils say so looked at Cardiff as I live in Wales and it seems that the normal tips will not accept any and even collections are limited to 600 x 600mm, (Achrn with your A3 bit you would be just in luck).
I had to take it to a specific site - so it wasn't just the 'normal' site.
I'm sure it was a little under 600mm in all dimensions, though I didn't record the dimensions. The chap at the tip who unlocked the skip for me to put it in didn't measure it or anything, but maybe he just went by eye that it was a 'reasonable' size piece.
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There is obviously a lack of joined up thinking somewhere (can guess where but they are too busy thinking about Brexit and how to hold onto their jobs). Lots of homes have bits of asbestos in them, and this stuff as it degrades becomes dangerous. Most of us do not maintain our houses as well as we should perhaps and this problem will just keep growing. The law states that we as private individuals can dispose of our own asbestos in our own way (unlike businesses who must use licenced contractors) but we must dispose of the waste correctly i.e. in a designated asbestos skip. If the law was to say that we had to use licenced contractors like businesses then there would be headlines in certain newspapers (that rhyme with whale) about “Health and Safety gone mad” and “Englishman’s home is his asbestos riddled castle” etc. but councils it seems are less and less willing to take the stuff as in these straitened times it must cost them fortune to dispose of it and I suspect that the money they charge barely covers their costs.
But with no direction for the centre, this problem will grow and grow and we will get it in the neck either having heavy charges imposed on us or due to health risks caused by fly tipping. A final thought: councils are suggesting that we employ contractors to take the stuff away but how do we chose those contractors? We as H&S professionals know about due diligence etc and duty of care visits etc but how will Fred know that the guy who took way his garage roof is going to take it to the tip rather than just dump it in the nearest layby. If they do, who gets caught by the powers that be the contractor or the householder?
Edited by user 01 May 2018 15:16:48(UTC)
| Reason: English is hard
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Originally Posted by: A Kurdziel If they do, who gets caught by the powers that be the contractor or the householder?
Sadly its the householder, the only proof of safe disposal for a householder is an official waste transfer certificate to the disposal company. Even then there is a duty to check that the disposal company is 'proper'.
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Originally Posted by: SNS Originally Posted by: A Kurdziel If they do, who gets caught by the powers that be the contractor or the householder?
Sadly its the householder, the only proof of safe disposal for a householder is an official waste transfer certificate to the disposal company. Even then there is a duty to check that the disposal company is 'proper'.
Some how I am not suprised!
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Local Authorities have a duty to accept ACMs pursuant to the Environmental Protection Act...I think, however they are not obliged to accept building waste that contains asbestos - so a very handy get out! Who the hell writes these regulations..rhetorical question of course.
There is no duty on a domestic householder as mentioned before, except where a building contractor removes asbestos on behalf of the householder the regulations then apply to the contractor.
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