HSE Guidance Documents

Health & Safety Executive, Free Asbestos Guidance & Information

Asbestos Information & Guidance as made available by the HSE

• Duty to manage
• Employees

Asbestos Essentials task sheets

For advice on when and how you should use these sheets make sure you printout and read

A0 – Advice to managers and sole traders on ‘Asbestos essentials’ [PDF]

• Work with Asbestos cement (AC) (non-licensed)
• Working with textured coatings (TC) containing Asbestos (non-licensed)
• Strictly controlled minor work on Asbestos Insulating Board (AIB)
• Safe work with undamaged Asbestos materials
• Removal and replacement of other Asbestos containing materials
• Fly-tipped waste
• Equipment and method sheets

Work with asbestos cement (AC) (non-licensed)

• A9. Drilling holes in Asbestos cement and other highly bonded materials [PDF]
• A10. Cleaning debris from guttering on an Asbestos cement roof [PDF]
• A11. Removing Asbestos cement debris [PDF]
• A12. Cleaning weathered Asbestos cement roofing and cladding [PDF]
• A13. Repairing damaged Asbestos cement [PDF]
• A14. Removing Asbestos cement sheets, gutters, etc. and dismantling a small Asbestos cement structure [PDF]
• A15. Removing Asbestos cement or reinforced plastic product e.g. tank, duct, water cistern [PDF]
• A16. Painting Asbestos cement sheets [PDF]
• A35. Replacing an Asbestos cement flue or duct [PDF]
• A36. Removing an Asbestos cement panel outside, beside or beneath a window [PDF]

Working with textured coatings (TC) containing Asbestos (non-licensed)

• A26. Drilling and boring through textured coatings [PDF]
• A27. Inserting and removing screws through textured coatings [PDF]
• A28. Removing textured coating from a small area e.g. 1 square metre [PDF]
• A29. Cleaning up debris following collapse of a ceiling or wall covered with textured coating [PDF]

Strictly controlled minor work on Asbestos Insulating Board (AIB)

• A1. Drilling holes in Asbestos insulating board [PDF]
• A2. Removing a single (screwed-in) Asbestos insulating board ceiling tile [PDF]
• A3. Removing a door with Asbestos insulating board fireproofing [PDF]
• A4. Removing a single Asbestos insulating board panel less than 1m2, fixed in with nails or screws [PDF]
• A5. Cleaning light fittings attached to Asbestos insulating board [PDF]
• A6. Repairing minor damage to Asbestos insulating board [PDF]
• A7. Painting undamaged Asbestos insulating board [PDF]

Safe work with undamaged Asbestos materials

• A8. Enclosing undamaged Asbestos materials to prevent impact damage [PDF]
• A20. Laying cables in areas containing undamaged Asbestos materials [PDF]
• A34. Removing pins and nails from an Asbestos insulating board panel [PDF]

Removal and replacement of other Asbestos containing materials

• A17. Removing Asbestos paper linings [PDF]
• A18. Removing Asbestos friction linings [PDF]
• A19. Removing an Asbestos fire blanket [PDF]
• A21. Removing Asbestos-containing bituminous products [PDF]
• A22. Removing metal cladding lined with Asbestos-containing bitumen [PDF]
• A23. Removing Asbestos-containing floor tiles and mastic [PDF]
• A24. Removing flexible Asbestos duct connectors (gaiters) [PDF]
• A25. Removing compressed asbestos fibre gaskets and Asbestos rope seals [PDF]
• A30. Removing an Asbestos-containing ‘arc shield’ from electrical switchgear [PDF]
• A31. Removing a single Asbestos-containing gas or electric heater [PDF]
• A32. Replacing an Asbestos-containing part in a ‘period’ domestic appliance [PDF]
• A33. Replacing an Asbestos-containing fuse box or single fuse assembly [PDF]
• A37. Removing Asbestos-containing mastic, sealant, beading, filler, putty / fixing [PDF]

Fly-tipped waste

• A38. Making safe and collecting fly-tipped Asbestos waste [PDF]

Equipment and method sheets

• EM1. What to do if you uncover or damage materials that contain [PDF]
• EM2. Training [PDF]
• EM3. Building and dismantling a mini-enclosure [PDF]
• EM4. Using a class-H vacuum cleaner for Asbestos [PDF]
• EM5. Wetting Asbestos materials [PDF]
• EM6. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) [PDF]
• EM7. Using damp rags to clean surfaces of minor Asbestos contamination [PDF]
• EM8. Personal decontamination [PDF]
• EM9. Disposal of Asbestos waste [PDF]
• EM10. Statement of cleanliness after textured coating removal [PDF]

Duty to manage

• Manage buildings? You must manage Asbestos [PDF 343KB]
• A short guide to managing Asbestos in premises [PDF76KB]
• Notice to governors, proprietors and head teachers of schools in England and Wales about the duty to manage the risk from Asbestos in buildings [PDF 81KB]
• Duty to manage checklist [PDF 122KB]

Employees

• Asbestos Hidden Killer campaign leaflet [PDF 433KB]
• Asbestos Hidden Killer campaign flyer [PDF 358KB]