Asbestos was used heavily in buildings from the 1930s to 1980 and banned in 1999. Each product stopped at a different year, so the build date, or the year of the last refurbishment, tells the inspector what to look for.
The last year each product was used
- Sprayed coatings, 1974. Fire protection on steel beams, plant-room ceilings.
- Insulating board, 1980. Ceiling tiles, partitions, fire doors, soffits, pipe boxing.
- Textured coatings, 1984. Artex-type ceilings and walls; old stock was used later.
- Floor tiles and bitumen, 1992. Vinyl and thermoplastic tiles, adhesives, roofing felt.
- Asbestos cement, 1999. Garage roofs, gutters, flues, water tanks, cladding.
These dates come from HSE’s survey guide HSG264, Appendix 1.
Built after 1999?
HSE’s guide treats a building finished after 1999 as strong evidence that asbestos isn’t present (paragraph 38). Keep the evidence of the build date. If an older building was extended or refitted after 2000, the older parts still need checking, and later work can reuse older materials.
Not sure which inspection fits your building? Call 020 3386 1854 and you’ll get a fixed quote in writing before anyone visits.
