Who Is At Risk?

You might be surprised, if you work in any of the following occupations you may come in to contact with asbestos:

• Heating and ventilation engineers
• Carpenters and joiners
• Roofing contractors
• Plasterers
• Fire & burglar alarm installers
• Gas fitters
• General maintenance staff e.g. Caretakers
• Cable layers
• Electricians
• Demolition workers
• Plumbers
• Painters & decorators
• Construction workers
• Shop fitters
• Computer installers
• Telecommunications engineers
• Building surveyors

This list does not include all occupations where you may come in to contact with asbestos. Some of the places where you may find it can be found in this interactive diagram. It’s not easy to identify asbestos from how it looks, it needs to be properly identified in a specialist laboratory. But here are a few examples of where it may be found; some pictures are also featured in this asbestos picture gallery.

• Asbestos used as packing between floors and in partition walls
• Sprayed (‘limpet’) asbestos on structural beams and girders
• Lagging on pipework, boilers, calorifiers, heat exchangers etc
• Asbestos insulating board - ceiling tiles, partition walls, service duct covers, fire breaks, heater cupboards, door panels, lift shaft lining, fire surrounds, soffits etc.
• Asbestos cement products such as roof and wall cladding, bath panels, boiler and incinerator flues, fire surrounds, gutters, rainwater pipes, water tanks etc.
• Other products such as floor tiles, mastics, sealants, rope seals and gaskets (in pipework etc.), millboard, paper products, cloth (fire blankets, etc.) and bituminous products (roofing felt, etc)

Some of the examples listed above can only be worked on by a contractor who has been granted a licence from the HSE. Details of these can be found in the licensing section of the HSE website. Other jobs can be carried out using the task sheets on that site, make sure you use the right sheet for the job and make sure you're workers have received the appropriate training and your business holds the appropriate insurances. Also, check the equipment and method sheets for details on what tools to use and how.