The risks of asbestos in Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire grew significantly in the post-war years. Schools, homes, factories and offices all blossomed all over the county. Unfortunately, these were also the peak years for the use of asbestos. Back then, it was seen as a wonderful building material: light, strong, cheap, and of course incredibly fireproof.
Now, it’s seen as a silent killer, causing asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma, a cancer of the lining of the lung. It’s silent because there can be many years, even decades, between exposure to asbestos and the diagnosis of the disease. Sadly, by the time the diagnosis is made it’s often too late for effective treatment.
Asbestos exposure remains the leading cause of work-related deaths in the UK. The Health and Safety Executive explains the risks and dangers of asbestos here. They say:
- asbestos kills 5,000 people each year: more than are killed in road traffic accidents
- every week around 20 builders and craftsmen die due to historic asbestos exposure
Asbestos was particularly widely used in building new schools and hospitals, which of course leads to long-term exposure for those who work there. Death rates from asbestos-related diseases among female teachers and nurses are increasing, as the effects of years of exposure become clear. They are significantly higher than rates in the general population. Research indicates that asbestos is present in 80% of schools and 94% of hospital trusts in England.
In 2025, nine deaths in Hertfordshire were recorded as being due to mesothelioma, and therefore caused by exposure to asbestos.
In 2023 the famous Elstree Studios were found to contain asbestos. In December 2022 a major theatre in St Albans, The Alban Arena, was forced to close due to the risks of asbestos. It reopened five months later, after £240,000 was spent making it safe.
The importance of Asbestos Surveys
Asbestos can be present in any building that was built, modified, extended or refurbished before 2000.That’s why buildings that could put people at risk of exposure to asbestos must be surveyed. The survey identifies the risks, and so enables appropriate safeguards to be put in place. The risk is relatively low so long as the asbestos stays in place, so a simple survey may be sufficient.
The risk is much higher when the asbestos containing materials may be disturbed, for example by refurbishment, or even by demolition. In that circumstance a full survey is required. Samples must be taken of all the materials used, even if this damages the building. The samples are sent away to a lab for analysis. This forms the basis for planning how to remove the risks and protect the workforce.
Legal obligations: the Asbestos Management Plan
There is also a legal obligation on those responsible for any building in public use to protect against the risks of asbestos. The person responsible for the building is made responsible for managing the risk of asbestos in it, by producing and maintaining an Asbestos Management Plan, which must include:
- an asbestos register, based on surveys, and kept up to date
- a clear structure chart of responsibilities
- a plan for managing the risks of all known asbestos, including training needs.
A good management plan may also include:
- Risk assessment: An evaluation of the potential health risks posed by the asbestos-containing materials found in the building. It is based on the potential for fibres to become airborne, which puts people at risk of inhaling them.
- Management strategy: the overall plan for managing the asbestos-containing materials found in the survey. Options include removing the material, securely enclosing it, and leaving it in place.
- Maintenance and monitoring: procedures for regularly inspecting all known asbestos-containing materials, especially the higher risk ones. There may also be a need for monitoring air quality to ensure that asbestos fibres are not being released into the air.
- Emergency response plan: plans for responding to asbestos-related incidents and for ensuring the safety of building occupants and visitors if an emergency occurs.
Plan for the risks of refurbishment work
Asbestos is at its most dangerous when it is disturbed. Routine maintenance and refurbishment work can involve drilling, cutting or removing materials that contain asbestos, releasing dangerous fibres into the air.
Before work starts, it is essential to know whether asbestos is present and where it is located. This is particularly important before electrical work, plumbing, installing new cables, replacing ceilings or carrying out major refurbishment.
An appropriate asbestos survey protects employees and contractors and helps ensure that work can be planned and completed safely. Finding asbestos before work begins is always better than discovering it after it has been disturbed.
The hidden costs of hidden Asbestos
Some asbestos is obvious — like the sheets once used on garage and shed roofs. But much more is concealed within older buildings, creating serious hazards during refurbishment.
Previous refurbishments may have sealed asbestos away. A bricked-over heating pipe might still contain asbestos insulation, or debris could remain after earlier removal work. When uncovered, this hidden material brings both direct and indirect costs.
Direct costs come from removal — hiring specialists to make the site safe and dispose of the asbestos. Indirect costs come from delays. Even a small find can hold up a project for weeks, while the following steps are completed:
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Confirm the material is asbestos
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Obtain specialist quotes
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Agree extra costs with the building’s owner
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Carry out safe removal
Such delays can mean penalties under the contract, as well as re-booking workers and equipment.
Surveys cannot always detect hidden asbestos, since surveyors cannot drill through asbestos-containing materials to check behind them. But commissioning a thorough survey from experienced professionals remains the best way to protect your budget, schedule, and reputation.
How to choose a good surveyor
A quick Google search will tell you there are a lot of asbestos surveyors around. Finding one is easy: choosing a good one is rather harder. Here are a few key points that will help you reduce the numbers. Think of them as the first three questions in your pre-quote questionnaire.
1) Have they got ISO/IEC 17020:2012?
This is the international standard for surveying and inspection work. It defines the requirements for the operation of organisations performing inspections. To make your short list, the company should hold this specifically for asbestos surveys.
2) Do their lead surveyors hold BOHS P402?
The British Occupational Hygiene Society (BOHS) P402 qualification gives surveyors both background knowledge and also practical skills to safely survey buildings for asbestos.
3) Do their Project Managers hold BOHS P405?
P405 is the industry-standard qualification on “Management of Asbestos in Buildings (including Asbestos Removal)”. It gives all the background knowledge needed to manage asbestos in buildings and also ensures that all the management processes are both documented and followed.
Global Environmental
Hertfordshire company Global Environmental specialises in asbestos surveys in Hertfordshire. Their head office is in Sawbridgeworth on the Herts/Essex border. They conduct surveys throughout the country, including in neighbouring Essex. They offer:
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Management Surveys: This survey aims to locate and assess the condition of any asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) that could be disturbed during normal occupancy or routine maintenance. It involves minor intrusive work and sampling.
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Refurbishment and Demolition Surveys: Required before any refurbishment or demolition work, which increases the risk of asbestos fibres being released into the atmosphere. This survey is more intrusive and comprehensive. It ensures that all ACMs are identified and can be safely managed or removed prior to the commencement of work.
All their surveyors have years of experience of surveying all types of Hertfordshire buildings that could be at risk: our schools, offices, hospitals, factories and even bike sheds and garages. They all hold the appropriate accreditations.
They are experts at everything that is needed to manage the risks of asbestos in the built environment including:
- surveys
- sample analysis
- consultancy
- training
- asbestos management plans
- project management
Help in Hertfordshire
If you are based in Hertfordshire, then help and advice on managing asbestos is available. North Hertfordshire Council provides advice on asbestos management here. Amongst other useful information they remind us that works involving the removal of asbestos insulation, coating or insulation boards must only be done by licensed specialist contractors, who will make sure it is done safely. Also, the contractor must notify the appropriate enforcing authority at least 14 days prior to commencement of works.
Hertfordshire County Council manages waste disposal in the county, and will allow homeowners to dispose of small quantities of asbestos at their Recycling Centres in Ware and Welwyn. (Of course, it is not recycled.) You can dispose of a maximum of 20kg, and do that a maximum of once per year. It must be packaged according to regulations, or it will be rejected. The full details are here. Given those restrictions it may be easier to find a private contractor to do the job. Luckily, they are listed here.
Local authorities are also the Enforcing Authority for many aspects of asbestos management. That includes informing the authority before work is done on asbestos on a wide range of buildings, including churches, hotels and laundrettes. Unfortunately, none of the Hertfordshire local government bodies makes it clear that the responsibility lies with them.