HSE Asbestos Licence Types Explained

The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 divides asbestos work into three categories based on the level of risk involved. Understanding which category applies to your job tells you whether you need to hire an HSE-licensed contractor.

Licensed work covers all asbestos removal or disturbance that poses the highest risk of fibre release. It is legally required whenever:

• The material being worked with is asbestos insulation, asbestos insulation board (AIB), or asbestos coatings • The work is of short, intermittent duration and the exposure is not sporadic and of low intensity

An HSE licence is mandatory. Only contractors holding a current licence issued by the Health and Safety Executive may carry out this work. Licences must be renewed every three years and can be suspended or revoked by the HSE if standards are not maintained.

All contractors listed on AsbestosIndex hold an active HSE licence, verified against the official register.

NNLW sits in the middle tier. It applies to lower-risk asbestos work — such as work with asbestos cement products, asbestos textiles, or asbestos-containing floor tiles — where the exposure is sporadic and of low intensity.

A licence is not required, but the work must be notified to the HSE before it begins. Workers must have had medical surveillance and the work must be recorded.

Typical NNLW tasks: removing intact asbestos cement roof sheets, drilling through asbestos cement panels, or removing textured coatings (artex) containing low levels of asbestos.

The lowest tier. Short duration, low-risk tasks where exposure is sporadic and of low intensity. No licence required, no notification to the HSE required. Examples include: taking a single bulk sample for analysis, or encapsulating already-friable asbestos under controlled conditions.

However, workers must still be trained and competent, and employers must ensure safe working methods are followed.

The HSE publishes a searchable register of all currently licensed asbestos removal contractors at hse.gov.uk/asbestos/licensing/licensed-contractors.htm

You can check a contractor by name or licence number. The register shows the licence number, the licence holder's name, their address, and the licence expiry date.

AsbestosIndex automatically verifies every listed contractor against this register on a weekly basis. You will see the licence number, status, and last-checked date on every profile page.