Asbestos floor tiles

Albermarle

Deer900 said:

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.

Of course if you are anxious about these sorts of things, you want it sorted properly.
However to put things in perspective, you are much more likely to be hurt by falling down the stairs, or being knocked over as a pedestrian ( and many other potential dangers) than these old tiles.

Bigphil1474

OP, I work in H&S at a council. We don't keep a list of approved asbestos companies. We can't recommend any companies anyway. I'd be surprised if yours does. 

I'd say your best bet is to contact either a flooring company, or a local builder, advise they are asbestos containing tiles, and see if they will deal with it. They will have come across them before. It will be non-licensed asbestos work, meaning you don't need a specialist asbestos firm. 

At our place, the asbestos unit wouldn't routinely test these sorts of tiles for asbestos content, they'd either know from their own records, or would assume they contain asbestos and act accordingly. The actual asbestos content is likely to be low % Chrysotile (white) asbestos. Solid products like this can be removed with a gloved hand if they are in good condition and aren't friable. It's the dust that may come from them that you might breath in that causes the health issues.

Appreciate you don't want to do it yourself, but if it was me, I'd DIY it - FFP3 mask and gloves, give it a good dampen down, put the loose broken parts in a bag and double bag, dispose of appropriately, anything that's left, cover in self levelling compound or paint over with PVA or similar. The problem tends to be if you try and remove the stuck down remnants as both the tile and the adhesive used could contain asbestos. The Control of Asbestos Regulations don't apply to householders doing work in their own house btw.

Section62

Bigphil1474 said:

OP, I work in H&S at a council. We don't keep a list of approved asbestos companies. We can't recommend any companies anyway. I'd be surprised if yours does.

There's nothing legally stopping a council maintaining a list of approved/recommended contractors and making those details available to members of the public.  It would be different if an individual council officer informally recommended specific companies as that could risk improper conduct (such as receiving backhanders).

It is worth a phone call or email to the OP's local council, even if it turns out they are one of the less enlightened/helpful authorities.  It is less risky than relying on the yellow pages or google to pick a company at random.

Some councils link to the "Find a contractor" on the "arca" website - which is also worth a go.

Bigphil1474 said:

I'd say your best bet is to contact either a flooring company, or a local builder, advise they are asbestos containing tiles, and see if they will deal with it. They will have come across them before. It will be non-licensed asbestos work, meaning you don't need a specialist asbestos firm.

The problem with that is lots of flooring companies and builders employ people who don't understand or don't care about the risks associated with asbestos - they are happy to say "yes, no problem" to get the work. Even if it means knowingly lying to the customer and claiming the material doesn't contain asbestos, or is only "safe asbestos".

As a homeowner the OP seems willing to pay what it costs to have someone remove the tiles in a way which won't leave them feeling anxious about it.  Which is understandable.

So although a flooring company or builder could remove the tiles, the OP won't know that they won't do this by smashing them up and sweeping the dust around with an oversize broom until they are actually doing the work.  Many people wouldn't care, but if you are someone who is sometimes anxious, paying more than you need to get a contractor to do the job properly is probably money well spent for peace of mind, and is almost certainly a better solution than paying almost as much for a cowboy to do the job less safely than the OP could do it themselves.

Heedtheadvice

See https://www.arca.org.uk/

stuart45

Section62 said:

The problem with that is lots of flooring companies and builders employ people who don't understand or don't care about the risks associated with asbestos - they are happy to say "yes, no problem" to get the work. Even if it means knowingly lying to the customer and claiming the material doesn't contain asbestos, or is only "safe asbestos".

As a homeowner the OP seems willing to pay what it costs to have someone remove the tiles in a way which won't leave them feeling anxious about it.  Which is understandable.

So although a flooring company or builder could remove the tiles, the OP won't know that they won't do this by smashing them up and sweeping the dust around with an oversize broom until they are actually doing the work.  Many people wouldn't care, but if you are someone who is sometimes anxious, paying more than you need to get a contractor to do the job properly is probably money well spent for peace of mind, and is almost certainly a better solution than paying almost as much for a cowboy to do the job less safely than the OP could do it themselves.

I'd agree with this. A lot of the lads I've worked with over the years would happily remove them without really taking any extra precautions and charge a lot more for doing the job. The thing about asbestos removal is that when it's finished you don't really know if they have done it properly, unless you understand exactly what methods were needed. 

robatwork

I wonder where the OP would dispose of the tiles if they decide to remove? I know my local tip guys would have a massive seizure if I turned up with bags of asbestos - and they are very hot on checking everything I dump.

Albermarle

robatwork said:

I wonder where the OP would dispose of the tiles if they decide to remove? I know my local tip guys would have a massive seizure if I turned up with bags of asbestos - and they are very hot on checking everything I dump.

I think most will accept smaller amounts. This is from my local county council.

At a Community Recycling Centre (CRC)

You can take asbestos to certain CRCs:

• 
  The CRCs can only accept small amounts (up to six sheets) of asbestos cement materials such as:

• Corrugated or flat sheets
• Cold water tanks
• Rainwater pipes and gutters
• Lining under eaves
• Flue pipes

To dispose of other types of asbestos, you must use a licensed company. See the section below for details.

Before taking your asbestos to the CRC

• Telephone the site to check that there is enough space in the special container for your asbestos.
• If bringing asbestos in a van, pickup or trailer you must have a van permit and you are only allowed to bring up to the limit for construction and DIY waste. You must not mix asbestos with other construction and DIY waste.
• Spray the asbestos cement with water.
• Double wrap or double bag the asbestos cement with heavy duty polythene.
• Secure the wrapping with tape.
• Make sure that none of the vehicle occupants have access to the asbestos waste.

On arrival at the CRC

• Inform a member of staff that you are disposing of asbestos so that they can direct you to the special container.
• They will ask you to complete a declaration of household waste form to confirm that the asbestos has come from your own home

Section62

Albermarle said:

robatwork said:

I wonder where the OP would dispose of the tiles if they decide to remove? I know my local tip guys would have a massive seizure if I turned up with bags of asbestos - and they are very hot on checking everything I dump.

I think most will accept smaller amounts. This is from my local county council.
...

Policies vary between councils. Essex (for example) say -

How to dispose of hazardous waste

Household asbestos

Asbestos is not accepted in your kerbside collection or at any Essex County Council recycling centre. Essex residents can request a collection of asbestos, if the asbestos is from their own household.
...

The collections are chargeable, and the service isn't made available to residents of Southend-on-Sea or Thurrock.

danrv

If the CRC are unable to take asbestos, they will be able to advise where to take it. My local centre handed me a form to fill in.
For an AIB coated door, I had to buy large hazardous waste bags, double bag then take it to a large waste depot.
Some councils may offer a free collection service for asbestos but mine has ceased to do this.

To dismantle a warm air heater, I was quoted £3400 + £125 for asbestos testing. The company, via the local council, explained the job in detail and I had no doubt that it would have been professionally conducted.
In the end I decided to do a bit of research into the heater contents. Turned out to contain no hazardous materials so I went ahead and dismantled it.

With work such as this, it can be very expensive but necessary if a quick, hopefully thorough job is needed.
For the OP, if DIY is out, then best to either ask a knowledgeable, patient handyman if known or hire a recommended asbestos removal company.  

GDB2222

One quick thought for the OP: carpet underlay can get crumbly after a while. So, the crunch you are feeling under the carpet may just be the underlay. 

If the tiles are still in good condition, I’d just seal them with PVA and put new flooring on top.