About Cement Products
Cement products have been widely used in the UK throughout the mid 1900’s and can be found throughout commercial properties and within the home.
Cementitious materials come in a variety of forms including:-
Cement roofs (farm buildings, garages and sheds)
Wall cladding
Downpipes and gutters
Cement flues
Facias and soffits
The use of asbestos in cement was eventually phased out prior to 1999, any cementitious products installed prior to this should be assumed to contain asbestos until proven otherwise.
Cement products can also be known by the following brand names:- Trafford tile, ‘Bigsix’, ‘Doublesix’, ‘Supersix’, ‘Twin twelve’, ‘Combined sheet’, ‘Glen six’, ‘3’ and 6’ corrugated’, ‘Fort’, ‘Monad’, ‘Troughsec’, ‘Major tile and Canada tile’, ‘Panel sheet’, ‘Cavity decking’.
Asbestos In Cement
Asbestos cements will generally contain anywhere between 10-50% of chrysotile asbestos. Sheets produced between 1945 and 1980 may also contain a low amount of crocidolite and amosite asbestos.
Like many asbestos containing materials cement can be left in situ and is not considered to pose a threat to health if in good condition and left undisturbed. However due to their uses many cement products may find themselves damaged over time and fall into disrepair.
Cement products are considered to be a non-licensed product by the HSE. You do not need to employ a licensed contractor to carry out any removal, encapsulation or repair works on cement products and these works do not require a 14 day notification from the Health & Safety Executive.
If there is uncertainty to whether a material is asbestos cement then a water absorption test will be required to determine if the material is a non-licensed material or if it is another asbestos material that may require a licensed contractor to carry out the work.
Air monitoring is not required for non-licensed works however it is advisable once the works have been completed.
If you have this material in your residential or commercial property and are worried it might contain asbestos our sampling kits are a perfect way to safely sample and test any cement products.
