Choosing an Asbestos Contractor: What to Look For

Hiring the wrong asbestos contractor can put your health at risk, leave you liable for regulatory breaches, and cost you more in the long run. This guide explains how to find a competent, properly licensed contractor in the UK — and the warning signs that should make you walk away.

HSE asbestos licence types explained

In the UK, any contractor carrying out licensable asbestos work must hold a licence issued by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Licensable work includes the removal or disturbance of sprayed asbestos coatings, asbestos lagging, and asbestos insulation board (AIB) — the highest-risk materials.

The HSE issues asbestos licences in several categories. The two you are most likely to encounter are:

Full asbestos removal licence

This is the standard licence that permits a contractor to carry out all types of licensable asbestos work, including the removal of sprayed coatings, lagging, and AIB. The licence is valid for a period set by the HSE (typically three years) and is subject to periodic assessment and audit. Contractors must demonstrate adequate training, equipment, procedures, and insurance to obtain and retain their licence.

Ancillary licence

An ancillary licence permits a contractor to carry out specific types of asbestos work as part of their primary trade — for example, a heating engineer who needs to remove small amounts of asbestos lagging to access pipework. Ancillary licences are more limited in scope than full removal licences and are typically held by contractors whose main business is not asbestos removal.

For most asbestos removal jobs, you need a contractor with a full asbestos removal licence. You can verify any contractor's licence status on the HSE's public register of licensed contractors, or use our contractor search tool where every listing is verified against the official HSE register.

Important: Not all asbestos work requires a licence. Work with lower-risk materials such as asbestos cement, textured coatings, and some floor tiles may be classified as notifiable non-licensed work (NNLW) or non-licensed work. However, even non-licensed work must be carried out by a competent person with appropriate training and controls. For more detail on survey requirements, see our guide to asbestos survey types.

What ARCA and UKATA membership means

ARCA (Asbestos Removal Contractors Association)

ARCA is the UK trade association for licensed asbestos removal contractors. Membership is open only to contractors holding a current HSE asbestos licence. ARCA members are subject to additional audits, inspections, and standards above the regulatory minimum. If a contractor is an ARCA member, it is a strong signal that they are committed to best practice and are regularly assessed by an independent body.

UKATA (UK Asbestos Training Association)

UKATA is the leading asbestos training standards body in the UK. While UKATA itself does not licence removal contractors, it accredits training providers who deliver asbestos awareness, non-licensed work, and licensed work training courses. When a contractor says their operatives hold UKATA certificates, it means their training was delivered by a UKATA-accredited provider and meets an industry-recognised standard.

Neither ARCA membership nor UKATA training certificates are a legal requirement. However, they provide useful independent verification that a contractor meets or exceeds the minimum standards. When comparing contractors, ARCA membership and UKATA-certified training are strong positive indicators.

Other accreditations to look for

  • UKAS accreditation — for asbestos survey firms, UKAS accreditation to ISO 17020 is the benchmark standard recommended by the HSE. Always use a UKAS-accredited surveyor where possible.
  • ISO 9001 / ISO 14001 / ISO 45001 — these management system certifications demonstrate that the contractor has formal quality, environmental, and occupational health and safety management systems in place.
  • SafeContractor / CHAS / Constructionline — pre-qualification schemes that verify a contractor's health and safety, insurance, and competence documentation. Useful but not specific to asbestos.

Red flags to avoid

Unfortunately, the asbestos industry is not immune to rogue operators. Here are the warning signs that should make you think twice before hiring a contractor:

No HSE licence (for licensable work)

If a contractor offers to remove sprayed coatings, lagging, or AIB without an HSE licence, they are breaking the law. Do not hire them. Always ask for the licence number and verify it on the HSE register before instructing any work.

Unusually low quotes

Licensed asbestos removal involves significant costs: enclosures, negative pressure units, air monitoring, PPE, decontamination, waste disposal, and four-stage clearance. If a quote seems too good to be true, the contractor may be cutting corners on safety — skipping air tests, using inadequate enclosures, or disposing of waste illegally. Always get at least three quotes and question any that are significantly below the others.

No mention of air monitoring

Licensed removal work requires independent air monitoring by a UKAS-accredited analyst. If the contractor's quote does not include air monitoring, or if they propose to do it themselves rather than using an independent analyst, this is a serious red flag.

Reluctance to provide documentation

A reputable contractor should be happy to provide their HSE licence number, insurance certificates, waste carrier registration, recent air monitoring results, and references from previous clients. If they are evasive or refuse to provide documentation, look elsewhere.

No written plan of work

Under Regulation 7 of CAR 2012, a written plan of work must be prepared before any asbestos removal work begins. This document should detail the scope of work, control measures, PPE requirements, waste disposal arrangements, and emergency procedures. If the contractor cannot produce a plan of work, they are not complying with the regulations.

Pressure to skip the survey

Some contractors may suggest that a survey is unnecessary, particularly for smaller jobs. This is wrong. Under Regulation 7, no refurbishment or demolition work can begin until asbestos has been identified. A contractor who encourages you to skip this step is either incompetent or willing to cut corners on safety.

Questions to ask before hiring

Before instructing any asbestos contractor, ask these questions. A competent contractor will answer them readily and without hesitation:

  • What is your HSE asbestos licence number, and when does it expire?
  • Are you a member of ARCA or any other trade association?
  • Who will carry out the independent air monitoring — and are they UKAS-accredited?
  • Can you provide your public liability and employer's liability insurance certificates?
  • What is your waste carrier registration number, and which licensed disposal site will you use?
  • Will you provide a written plan of work before starting?
  • Will I receive consignment notes as proof of legal waste disposal?
  • Is your quote fully inclusive of air monitoring, waste disposal, and four-stage clearance?
  • Can you provide references from similar recent jobs?
  • What is the estimated timeline, and will you need to notify the HSE (14-day notification)?

Surveys and removal: same contractor or separate?

It is generally best practice to use separate contractors for the asbestos survey and the removal work. The survey should be independent and impartial — the surveyor's role is to identify what is present and recommend appropriate management actions, not to generate removal work for their own business.

If the same company offers both survey and removal services, there is an inherent conflict of interest: they may be incentivised to recommend removal where management in place or encapsulation would be more appropriate. This is not to say that all dual-service providers are unethical, but separating the survey from the removal creates a natural check and balance.

For asbestos surveys, always use a UKAS-accredited surveyor where possible. For removal, use an HSE-licensed contractor. For a detailed comparison of survey types, see our guide to asbestos survey types.

How to compare quotes

When comparing quotes from different contractors, make sure you are comparing like for like. Check that each quote includes the same scope of work and all the necessary elements: site setup, enclosure, removal, air monitoring, waste disposal, four-stage clearance, and a clearance certificate.

Be wary of quotes that exclude key items or present them as optional extras. The cheapest quote is not necessarily the best value — and an incomplete removal can end up costing significantly more to rectify than doing it properly in the first place.

We recommend obtaining at least three quotes from HSE-licensed contractors. This gives you a reasonable basis for comparison and helps you identify outliers — both high and low.

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