Asbestos Awareness Toolbox Talk
Asbestos is still in a huge number of older buildings, and trades workers are the people most likely to disturb it. Breathing the fibres causes mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis, often 20 to 40 years later. If you are not sure whether something is asbestos, stop and treat it as if it is.
Takes about 7 minutes, plus a 5-question quiz.
What happened: a real incident
In September 2023, demolition at a site in Cannock, Staffordshire, was halted after asbestos was found, and a survey later found 218 square metres of asbestos materials and debris. The demolition contractor had gone ahead even though it knew asbestos was there, and the client then hired an unlicensed company to clear it up. In March 2026 the client was fined £74,900 and the demolition firm £13,400. The man who ran the clear-up got a suspended prison sentence and a five year ban from being a company director.
Source: Health and Safety Executive
Key points to read out
- Any building built or refurbished before 2000 may contain asbestos. Ask for the refurbishment and demolition survey before you start.
- Common places: soffits and fascias, bath panels and wall boards (AIB), floor tiles, pipe lagging, textured coatings like Artex, cement roof sheets and gutters, and old fuse boards.
- A survey does not cover everything. Check what areas the refurbishment and demolition survey actually opened up, because materials hide behind panels, under floors and above ceilings.
- If you find something suspect: stop work, do not touch it, keep people away and tell your supervisor.
- Never cut, drill, sand, break or water blast material that might contain asbestos.
- Never dry sweep or use a normal vacuum on asbestos dust or debris.
- Some short, lower risk jobs are non-licensed work, and some of those are notifiable (NNLW) with health checks and records. Only do them if you are trained and the plan says so.
- Most higher risk asbestos work must be done by an HSE licensed contractor. Anyone who could disturb asbestos needs asbestos awareness training.
- Disposable coveralls (type 5) and at least an FFP3 mask are needed for any work near asbestos. A paper dust mask does not protect you.
- Asbestos waste is double bagged, labelled and taken away by a licensed carrier. It never goes in the general skip.
- If you think you have been exposed, tell your supervisor and make sure it is recorded. Exposure records matter decades later.
Questions to ask the crew
- Have we seen the asbestos survey or register for this building?
- Which materials on this job might contain asbestos?
- What would you do if you drilled into something and it looked like fibre sheeting?
- Who do we call to remove it?
- When did you last do asbestos awareness training?
Reference: Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012
How to run this talk
- Bring the asbestos survey or register for this building to the talk and show where it is kept.
- Walk the crew to the areas the survey marks, and to any areas it did not open up.
- Show photos of common asbestos materials on this kind of job, such as sheeting, floor tiles and pipe lagging.
- Agree the stop work steps and who to call, and write the name and number on the sign-in sheet.
- Check when each person last did asbestos awareness training and note who is due.
- Record attendance on the sign-in sheet and keep it with the survey.
Asbestos Awareness quiz
Ask these after the talk. Answers are underneath each question.
Before you drill into the walls of an older building, what should you check?
- The refurbishment and demolition survey
- The building's paint colour
- Whether the owner says it is fine
Answer: A. You need to know where asbestos is, or assume it is there, before doing anything that could disturb it.
You drill into a wall panel and it looks like fibre cement sheeting that is not on the survey. What now?
- Finish the hole quickly
- Stop work, keep people away and tell your supervisor
- Sweep up the dust and carry on
- Spray it with water and keep drilling
Answer: B. Surveys miss hidden materials, and stopping straight away limits the fibres released and the people exposed.
Which mask protects you from asbestos fibres?
- A paper dust mask
- At least a fit tested FFP3 mask
- A surgical mask
Answer: B. Asbestos fibres are tiny and pass straight through paper and surgical masks.
How should asbestos waste and debris be cleaned up?
- Dry sweep it into the general skip
- Wet it, use a suitable vacuum, double bag and label it for a licensed carrier
- Blow it outside with an air line
Answer: B. Dry methods spread fibres and asbestos waste must be bagged, labelled and disposed of separately.
When do asbestos related diseases usually show up?
- Within a week
- Within a year
- Often 20 to 40 years after exposure
Answer: C. The long delay is why exposures must be recorded and why nobody should be casual about a small amount of dust.
Questions about asbestos awareness
Which buildings might contain asbestos?
Any building built or refurbished before 2000 may contain asbestos, because its use was banned in the UK in 1999. Before refurbishment or demolition work, a refurbishment and demolition survey is required under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012.
What should you do if you find asbestos on site?
Stop work straight away, do not touch or disturb it further, keep people out of the area and tell your supervisor. The material needs to be assessed and, if needed, removed by a properly trained or licensed contractor before work starts again. If you may have been exposed, make sure it is recorded.
Do you need a licence to remove asbestos?
Most higher risk work, such as removing sprayed coatings, lagging and most asbestos insulating board, must be done by an HSE licensed contractor. Some lower risk work is non-licensed, and some of that is notifiable non-licensed work (NNLW) with notification, health checks and records.
How long does it take for asbestos exposure to cause disease?
Asbestos diseases such as mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis usually appear 20 to 40 years or more after exposure. There is no known safe level, which is why every exposure should be avoided and recorded.
What the law says in United Kingdom
Under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012, before any work that could disturb asbestos, the employer must find out whether asbestos is present, its type and condition, or assume it is there; for refurbishment or demolition that means a refurbishment and demolition survey. Licensable asbestos work may only be done by a licensed employer. Anyone liable to be exposed, and anyone who supervises them, must be given adequate information, instruction and training, known as asbestos awareness training.
Source: legislation.gov.uk, Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012, regulation 10
Sign-in sheet
Print this page or download the sign-in sheet. Or run it in the app and the crew signs on the phone.
| Name | Company | Signature |
|---|---|---|
Get it signed
Run this talk in the app. The crew signs on your phone and you get a dated attendance record as a PDF.