The grey corrugated sheet on garages, lean-tos and farm buildings put up before 2000 is very often asbestos cement. It is not dangerous sitting on the roof if it is sound, and a great deal of it across Powys and Ceredigion is still doing its job. It becomes a problem when it cracks, when moss and weather wear the surface, or when the building is being altered. This page explains what the rules are and what a replacement involves, and we can pass your enquiry to a local contractor who does this work.
What the rules actually say
Under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012, removing asbestos-cement sheets is non-licensed work when the sheets are in good condition and can be taken down whole. The contractor does not need an HSE licence, but the workers must be trained, the sheets kept wet and lowered rather than dropped, and the waste double-bagged or wrapped. If the sheets have to be broken up, the HSE classes it as notifiable non-licensed work, which means notifying the HSE, keeping records and health surveillance for the workers. The waste is hazardous and must leave the site with a registered waste carrier under a consignment note, to a licensed tip. A contractor who cannot show you the carrier registration and the consignment note is not doing it properly.
What replacement involves
Confirming what it is
A sample tested by a UKAS-accredited laboratory settles whether the sheet is asbestos cement. It is cheap and it decides how the job is done.
Removal
Sheets unbolted and lowered whole, kept damp, wrapped and stacked for collection. Purlins and fixings checked once the sheets are off.
The new roof
Fibre cement sheet is the like-for-like replacement and the usual choice over livestock. Plastisol-coated steel is lighter and cheaper on garages and workshops. Rooflights and ridge ventilation are renewed with it.
Encapsulation instead of removal
Where the sheet is sound but weathered, coating and sealing it in place is cheaper and avoids the waste question entirely. It is a genuine option on large sheds; it is not one on a roof that is cracked or crumbling.
How it works through us
Tell us the building, its size and what the roof is doing. We pass it to a contractor in your area who removes and replaces asbestos-cement roofing, and they quote in writing. Free to use. We do not remove asbestos ourselves and we do not hold a waste carrier registration; the contractor who quotes you does, and you should ask to see it.
