There are three types of asbestos that you should be aware of, Brown, Blue and White each being easily identified by its colour.
Of the three the blue and brown are classed as the most dangerous and were banned some 20 years ago. White asbestos (chrysotile) whilst still dangerous is the least dangerous of the three and its use was only banned, except for some specialist uses, in 1999.
You will find that the asbestos sheets used for roofing are normally classed as low risk as the fibres are bonded within the cement and as such you do not need to be licensed to work on it. However you MUST, I repeat MUST take precautions if you intend to remove it yourself.
DO NOT USE POWER TOOLS.
DO NOT BREAK UP LARGE SHEETS.
DO NOT TAKE CONTAMINATED PROTECTIVE CLOTHING INTO YOUR HOME.
DO NOT EXPOSE LOVED ONES, FRIENDS OR NEIGHBOURS TO UN-NECESSARY RISKS BY IGNORING THE ABOVE POINTS.
DO WEAR DISPOSABLE PROTECTIVE CLOTHING.
DO WEAR A SUITABLE FACE MASK (APPARENTLY A DUST MASK IS OK, I WOULD GO FOR A FULL OR AT LEAST A HALF MASK WITH SUITABLE FILTERS MYSELF)
DO WEAR GLOVES
DO ENSURE THE SHEETS ARE KEPT DAMP, USE A WATER SPRAY TO ACHIEVE THIS.
Having gone through all that you will still need to dispose of the sheets correctly and therefore you must contact your local council offices and follow their advice and regulations.
This basic information was given to me by one of the HSE officers manning their stand at Inter Build in April. Whilst I relate it in good faith I would reccomend that you contact them directly to clarify any specific points you may have.
The HSE can be contacted by any of the following methods:
Infoline:-
Tel: 08701 545500
Fax: 02920 859260
Email:
[email protected]
Free HSE leaflets can be downloaded from their website
www.hse.gov.uk.
I hope the above is of some help.