Asbestos floor tiles

Deer900

Hi,
I have a small entrance that is carpeted but has asbestos tiles underneath. They are broken up in places and I want them removing but I don't know where to start looking for a suitable company to remove them. I know that lots of people remove them themselves but I'm too anxious to do that. Even if I took precautions I'd be worried. Having said that before we purchased the house the council took some up with no safety measures whatsoever. Any advice on finding a company to remove them? 
Thank you

Albermarle

Just for clarity, the tiles will not be 100% asbestos. The asbestos ( if it is there) will have been used as a filler/reinforcing agent in a plastic, or asphalt  floor tile. So the asbestos will be encapsulated and if the tile is undisturbed,  presents no danger.
However if the tiles are broken up there is a chance a small amount of asbestos could be released.
It would be a relatively simple/low level job for a company to remove them.
Are you sure they contain asbestos, have you had a small piece tested?

ButterCheese

You can either google asbestos removal and get a company in, but they will charge a lot.  But be careful.  In my friends case, they booked a "verified" company from Checkatrade and they were complete cowboys who charged 20 grand, left asbestos in the roof and now their children are on 12 monthly checkups for life due to past and potentially lifelong respiratory illness.

You can send samples to see what type of asbestos they contain (if any).  If it's the white type, not as harmful, can be removed by you but you will have to pay for a special skip for disposal.  If it's the blue or any other type, I don't think you can remove it yourself.  I'm sure there are websites that tell you this

danrv

They're possibly Marley tiles, 9" or 10" diameter. My property has black ones on the ground floor, originally covered with carpet.

They can be left in place if stuck down well. Any loose bits, I remove carefully using PPE and dampen with a water spray.
Bag up and take to a suitable recycling centre. 
Diluted PVA or SBR can be brushed onto the broken areas and adhesive and then levelled with a sand/cement mix or self leveller.

A flooring company would be able to advise too but it would normally be part of a flooring job.

Albermarle

ButterCheese said:

You can either google asbestos removal and get a company in, but they will charge a lot.  But be careful.  In my friends case, they booked a "verified" company from Checkatrade and they were complete cowboys who charged 20 grand, left asbestos in the roof and now their children are on 12 monthly checkups for life due to past and potentially lifelong respiratory illness.

You can send samples to see what type of asbestos they contain (if any).  If it's the white type, not as harmful, can be removed by you but you will have to pay for a special skip for disposal.  If it's the blue or any other type, I don't think you can remove it yourself.  I'm sure there are websites that tell you this

Many local recycling centres will accept certain types of materials with asbestos in them. Usually you have to double bag it.

Deer900

They are the marley tiles. Council have already stated they are the ones containing asbestos. I'm not comfortable taking them up myself even though I know the danger is limited.

danrv said:

They're possibly Marley tiles, 9" or 10" diameter. 

ButterCheese said:

You can either google asbestos removal and get a company in, but they will charge a lot.  But be careful.  In my friends case, they booked a "verified" company from Checkatrade and they were complete cowboys who charged 20 grand, left asbestos in the roof and now their children are on 12 monthly checkups for life due to past and potentially lifelong respiratory illness.

This what I'm worried about. Someone saying they know what they're doing but don't. I'll just have to try and dp some more research I think. 

Heedtheadvice

Why ask for advice from random people ( like me! ) who perhaps only guess or give partial  information based on their own experiences and do not know where you live so which laws, rules and arrangements apply.

 Why not ask the experts for guidance. The Environmental agencies appropriate to your country.

Their contact details come up with a simple entry into a search engine.

Section62

Heedtheadvice said:

Why ask for advice from random people ( like me! ) who perhaps only guess or give partial  information based on their own experiences and do not know where you live so which laws, rules and arrangements apply.

 Why not ask the experts for guidance. The Environmental agencies appropriate to your country.

Their contact details come up with a simple entry into a search engine.

Work to remove the tiles would come under the remit of HSE for England, Scotland and Wales, or HSENI for Northern Ireland. The relevant 'Environmental agencies' would only get involved where asbestos was being illegally transported or dumped.

A good reason for asking people on this forum is some of us have worked with asbestos and asbestos regulation and can give pointers in the right direction - at zero cost and without bias.  IIRC one regular on the forum works or worked in an asbestos testing lab.

My advice to the OP would be to ask the local council if they maintain a list of approved or recommended asbestos removal contractors.  Many councils do this as a service for residents and to help reduce flytipping of asbestos-containing materials by cowboy firms.  That said, if the OP's council or their own contractor removed tiles without taking basic safety precautions then they might not be the best organisation to ask.  In which case finding out if a neighbouring authority has a list might be the next best alternative.

Deer900

Section62 said:

Heedtheadvice said:

Why ask for advice from random people ( like me! ) who perhaps only guess or give partial  information based on their own experiences and do not know where you live so which laws, rules and arrangements apply.

 Why not ask the experts for guidance. The Environmental agencies appropriate to your country.

Their contact details come up with a simple entry into a search engine.

Work to remove the tiles would come under the remit of HSE for England, Scotland and Wales, or HSENI for Northern Ireland. The relevant 'Environmental agencies' would only get involved where asbestos was being illegally transported or dumped.

A good reason for asking people on this forum is some of us have worked with asbestos and asbestos regulation and can give pointers in the right direction - at zero cost and without bias.  IIRC one regular on the forum works or worked in an asbestos testing lab.

My advice to the OP would be to ask the local council if they maintain a list of approved or recommended asbestos removal contractors.  Many councils do this as a service for residents and to help reduce flytipping of asbestos-containing materials by cowboy firms.  That said, if the OP's council or their own contractor removed tiles without taking basic safety precautions then they might not be the best organisation to ask.  In which case finding out if a neighbouring authority has a list might be the next best alternative.

Thank you. This was exactly the reason I asked on here. I'm panicking thinking we have probably already breathed it in or are breathing it in even though they are under carpet. I've not looked but it feels uneven so I'm guessing they're broken. I can't change how the council dealt with it and possibly exposed us and their workers to the dust but I can try and have the ones I still have removed with as little risk as possible. I'm going to try a neighbouring council. I know the risk is not high but I have health anxiety and find dealing with this sort of thing very difficult. Thank you everyone for your help.

Heedtheadvice

My point is that questions posted about  something as potentially important as how to deal with something like asbestos ( and other issues) often results in a mix of responses from some who know and some who do not but are well meaning. Sometimes responses have very questionable suggestions.

HSE, environment agencies,  councils and trade bodies can all be involved and often with overlap of training, duties, guidance  assessment and enforcement. Anyone can post on a forum!

There is a presumption that the OP's local council did not treat previous removal of tiles properly. They ought to have assessed ( or conducted a survey) to decide how to remove them. It might well have been that the removal then complied with that assessment and any precautions identified. 

I agree they could be a good starting point and if they have done a survey it might still be relevant. But the original question was how to find a contractor and one to choose might be from outside the local authority area and there are national lists and any of those organisation to help find them.

The suggestions to bag up and take to the local dump is not good till you are certain of the contents. In all likelihood they could be suitable for such disposal but finding the right contractor  @Deer900 is what you wish.

Deer900

Heedtheadvice said:

My point is that questions posted about  something as potentially important as how to deal with something like asbestos ( and other issues) often results in a mix of responses from some who know and some who do not but are well meaning. Sometimes responses have very questionable suggestions.

HSE, environment agencies,  councils and trade bodies can all be involved and often with overlap of training, duties, guidance  assessment and enforcement. Anyone can post on a forum!

There is a presumption that the OP's local council did not treat previous removal of tiles properly. They ought to have assessed ( or conducted a survey) to decide how to remove them. It might well have been that the removal then complied with that assessment and any precautions identified. 

I agree they could be a good starting point and if they have done a survey it might still be relevant. But the original question was how to find a contractor and one to choose might be from outside the local authority area and there are national lists and any of those organisation to help find them.

The suggestions to bag up and take to the local dump is not good till you are certain of the contents. In all likelihood they could be suitable for such disposal but finding the right contractor  @Deer900 is what you wish.

I appreciate your help. Thank you. I have an email from the council stating they contain asbestos. We have similar in the kitchen but they don't contain asbestos as they were laid later. I wasn't aware of where to find out about a reputable company so all input on this is helpful. I have no intention of doing it myself and am now at least a bit more clued up on what measures are needed which will help when I do get a tradesman hopefully.