Asbestos Licensing is a “permissioning regime”. The Health and Safety Commission (HSC) have issued a policy statement “Our approach to permissioning regimes” (PDF) . This states that permissioning regimes such as asbestos licensing are only considered where the work activities involve significant hazard, risk or public concern. Asbestos is classified as a category 1 carcinogen, with asbestos related disease causing around 5000 deaths every year in the UK. Work with asbestos requires a high degree of regulatory control and the purpose of licensing is to achieve this.

Licensing is an addition to the general framework of health and safety law. It builds on the fact that the legal duty to manage risk lies with the organisations that create them.

Are you a…licensed contractor?

What you need to know

An employer must obtain a licence from HSE before carrying out anylicensable workwith asbestos.

The Asbestos Licensing Unit (ALU)

The Asbestos Licensing Unit’s role is to set national standards for assessment and to encourage those involved in the assessment process to adopt a consistent line, to ensure standards are applied fairly and without prejudice.

The licensing system

The licensing system is a strict process put in place to ensure that those employers carrying out higher risk work on asbestos, can demonstrate that they are competent to carry out the work, and have the necessary knowledge, experience and expertise to protect the health and safety of their employees and themselves.

How does the licensing system operate?

How to apply for/renew a licence

If you are looking to renew your licence or apply for your first licence, you will find all the information you need in the licence application pages.

Notification of licensed work 

Any licensed work with asbestos must be notified to the relevant enforcing authority in writing 14 days before work begins.  This can be done using the FOD ASB5 form.

Asbestos Licence Assessment And Revocation Guide (ALAARG)

The ALAARG (PDF) provides guidance on the asbestos licensing system and should be of interest to anyone involved in licensed work.

The Licensed Contractors Guide

The licensed contractors guide is guidance for businesses holding a licence to work with asbestos. It covers various aspects of licensed work with asbestos-containing materials.  It also provides an overview of asbestos and its health effects, the law, and how to work safely with asbestos.

Asbestos Licensing Information Web Community

This is an online community for licensed contractors to keep up-to-date on licensing issues and to share and exchange views.