There is often a lot of confusion for people who are not in the Asbestos industry as to what the difference is between Licensed (Notifiable) and non licensed (Non Notifiable) asbestos removal. We find this can very often lead to stress and confusion when trying to gain quotes for Asbestos removal. There are still many Grey areas within the Asbestos industry, therefore making it almost impossible to write the exact difference between Licensed (Notifiable) and non licensed (Non Notifiable) materials in a small blog post. We can however discuss the basics that need to be known by all and hopefully this will help you to gain better knowledge and understanding in Asbestos Removal. The damage/ deterioration and quantity of the material plays a massive part as to how the material should be removed, but the general rule is that if the material is non fibrous and bounded, such as Cement, vinyl, Bitumen etc it is treated as non licensed (Non Notifiable) removal (Providing its in good condition). Non licensed materials almost always contain the Chrysotile fibre and sometimes crocidolite. Some Examples of these non-licensed (Non notifiable) materials are – Asbestos Cement Roof Sheets, Asbestos Vinyl Floor Tiles, Asbestos Ceiling panels, Asbestos Bakelite Toilet Cistern, Asbestos Cement undercloaks and Asbestos Roof Slates. You then have materials that should be removed by Licensed Asbestos Removal Contractors; These types of removals require a 14 day notification to the HSE, Enclosures to be built around the material that is being removed, Fibre suppression, Decontamination units for the operatives to shower, Negative pressure units and much more. This material is often more fibrous then non licensed materials and requires minimal disturbance to realise fibres. Materials such as Garage ceilings (Board), Soffit Boards and Undercloaks often require a sample to be taken prior to removal to determine the type of material that is present. These types of materials almost always contain the Amosite Fibre, also Chrysotile or Crocidolite. You sometimes even have all 3 fibres mixed within the one material. For example: A Garage ceilings can either be Asbestos Cement or Asbestos Insulation Board, these two materials can easily be mistaken for one another by an untrained eye and sometimes even by professionals. By sampling these materials, the lab can determine the type of material and avoid Asbestos being wrongly removed and disposed of. Some examples of Asbestos that should be removed under Licensed (Notifiable) conditions are – Asbestos Insulation Board Soffits, Asbestos Insulation Board to Garage/other Ceilings, Asbestos Pipe Insulation (Also known to some as Pipe Lagging), and Asbestos Insulation board to Airing cupboards. There are many more Asbestos materials that have not been spoken about in this post and it is always highly recommended that you instruct an Asbestos Surveyor prior to any Refurbishment/ Demolition works to help identify any Asbestos that may be present.  Please find some photos below of Asbestos materials that should be removed under licensed (Notifiable) conditions and also an example of an enclosure that would be built for licensed removal of a Garage Ceiling -