Asbestos essentials

Asbestos Essentials is a task manual for building, maintenance and allied trades on how to safely carry out non-licensed work involving asbestos.

Equipment and method sheets

• EM1. What to do if you uncover or damage materials that may contain asbestos ^[2]
• EM2. Training ^[3]
• EM3. Building and dismantling a mini-enclosure ^[4]
• EM4. Using a class-H vacuum cleaner for asbestos ^[5]
• EM5. Wetting asbestos materials ^[6]
• EM6. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) ^[7]
• EM7. Using damp rags to clean surfaces of minor asbestos contamination ^[8]
• EM8. Personal decontamination ^[9]
• EM9. Disposal of asbestos waste ^[10]
• EM10. Statement of cleanliness after textured coating removal ^[11]

Work with asbestos cement (AC) (non-licensed)

• A9. Drilling holes in asbestos cement and other highly bonded materials ^[12]
• A10. Cleaning debris from guttering on an asbestos cement roof ^[13]
• A11. Removing asbestos cement debris ^[14]
• A12. Cleaning weathered asbestos cement roofing and cladding ^[15]
• A13. Repairing damaged asbestos cement ^[16]
• A14. Removing asbestos cement sheets, gutters, etc. and dismantling a small asbestos cement structure ^[17]
• A15. Removing asbestos cement or reinforced plastic product eg tank, duct, water cistern ^[18]
• A16. Painting asbestos cement sheets ^[19]
• A35. Replacing an asbestos cement flue or duct ^[20]
• A36. Removing an asbestos cement panel outside, beside or beneath a window ^[21]

Working with textured coatings (TC) containing asbestos (non-licensed)

• A26. Drilling and boring through textured coatings ^[22]
• A27. Inserting and removing screws through textured coatings ^[23]
• A28. Removing textured coating from a small area eg 1 square metre ^[24]
• A29. Cleaning up debris following collapse of a ceiling or wall covered with textured coating ^[25]

Strictly controlled minor work on Asbestos Insulating Board (AIB)

• A1. Drilling holes in asbestos insulating board ^[26]
• A2. Removing a single (screwed-in) asbestos insulating board ceiling tile ^[27]
• A3. Removing a door with asbestos insulating board fireproofing ^[28]
• A4. Removing a single asbestos insulating board panel less than 1m2, fixed in with nails or screws ^[29]
• A5. Cleaning light fittings attached to asbestos insulating board ^[30]
• A6. Repairing minor damage to asbestos insulating board ^[31]
• A7. Painting undamaged asbestos insulating board ^[32]

Safe work with undamaged asbestos materials

• A8. Enclosing undamaged asbestos materials to prevent impact damage ^[33]
• A20. Laying cables in areas containing undamaged asbestos materials ^[34]
• A34. Removing pins and nails from an asbestos insulating board panel ^[35]

Removal and replacement of other asbestos containing materials

• A17. Removing asbestos paper linings ^[36]
• A18. Removing asbestos friction linings ^[37]
• A19. Removing an asbestos fire blanket ^[38]
• A21. Removing asbestos-containing bituminous products ^[39]
• A22. Removing metal cladding lined with asbestos-containing bitumen ^[40]
• A23. Removing asbestos-containing floor tiles and mastic ^[41]
• A24. Removing flexible asbestos duct connectors (gaiters) ^[42]
• A25. Removing compressed asbestos fibre gaskets and asbestos rope seals ^[43]
• A30. Removing an asbestos-containing 'arc shield' from electrical switchgear ^[44]
• A31. Removing a single asbestos-containing gas or electric heater ^[45]
• A32. Replacing an asbestos-containing part in a 'period' domestic appliance ^[46]
• A33. Replacing an asbestos-containing fuse box or single fuse assembly ^[47]
• A37. Removing asbestos-containing mastic, sealant, beading, filler, putty or fixing ^[48]

Fly-tipped waste

• A38. Making safe and collecting fly-tipped asbestos waste