Asbestos roof - how to dispose of

HappyG1rl

Reading a thread on here has made me wonder whether asbestos MUST be removed by a professional. We have an asbestos roof on an outbuilding. How much would it cost for this?

HugoSP

A number of points come to mind:

There is a brilliant book published by the HSE concerning working with asbestos. I can't find my copy at the moment but if you give the HSE a call they should be able to point you towards it.

I would suggest you buy this for around the £10 mark and have a good read.

Also, I have removed similar corrugated asbestos sheets. I did it in light drissle to keep the dust down. However you could just wet the areas first.

As a minimum I would get some good quality P3 masks, disposable coveralls and disposable red rubber gloves - not the ones that come in a box of 100 but the ones that you get from the market for around £1.50 a pair. When you dispose of the asbestos - chuck these out with it.

In addition, move or cover up kitchen items/units etc with polythene sheeting and tape. It needs to look like a well preserved crime scene in there.

When you're kitted out, make sure that you can get safe access to and around the roof. You will need to cut all the bolts and remove the sheets.

If possible, cut the bolts from underneath and punch them through the joists. If you must cut them on the asbestos side, and risk damaging the asbestos make sure you dampen the area you're working on, whilst leaving it safe to work (don't drench).

When all the bolts on one sheet are cut and any flashing is removed, gently tug the sheet awayy from the roof. Be careful at this stage as they are not light, and they may snap.

Contact you LA re disposal rules. Mine like to be informed beforehand so they are ready to accept it.

tealady

I would agree with all that. Asbestos dust is what causes the problems so face masks are a must. Ring your local Coincil to ask where it can be taken, Birmingham require it be wrapped in accordance with their instructions before they take it away for free. Never dump it, its illegal and the fines can be horrendous.

Strangled

Also, you MUST first wrap and seal all pieces in a red polythene bag, and then wrap and seal in a clear polythene bag,all taped up with gaffer tape or similar. You must be able to see its double bagged.
In my job, the old 9x9 floortiles have a small amount of asbestos in them, and we get a specialist company to uplift and remove them.