Asbestos insulation board is one of the most common asbestos materials found across the UK. It comes in many forms and can be found in lots of locations within a building.
What is asbestos insulation board?
Asbestos insulation board (referred to as AIB), is a material that was created for its excellent fireproofing qualities and used throughout the building trade. Asbestos fibres were packed into a thin board that was used for heat and fire resistance in the time period of 1930-1980.
Due to its excellent fire resistance, it was a highly popular material and used extensively throughout homes, factories, schools, hospitals, and various other public buildings.
What does asbestos insulation board look like?
To the common eye, it looks similar to our modern fireproofing building sheets.
Please see the image below, taken from the HSE website, to show what asbestos insulation board looks like.
Common places asbestos insulation board is found
AIB is found in many places across buildings in the UK, but here is a list of the most common -
- fireproof panels for fire doors
- partition walls
- ceiling tiles
- soffits
- window panels
- dry-lining purposes
- service ducts
Removal of asbestos insulation board
In order to remove AIB, you must have a license to remove asbestos issued from the HSE. AIB can be a mixture of different asbestos types (more on asbestos types here and can be incredibly friable, meaning if it were to be damaged the risk to exposure is high.
Many of our asbestos removal projects contain AIB that has been safely removed. Due to the nature of the material, it is often found fixed to other areas of the building and located behind other building materials. This means that the removal process for a small section of AIB can be much more difficult than you would think.
Do not ever try to remove AIB yourself!
Make sure if you have a company quote for removals that they have the HSE License to remove asbestos (ours is here HSE LICENSE 04.09.22) with company insurances. If you are unsure of the requirements, read the HSE Asbestos guidance.
An example of where AIB has been located to the internal beams and has now been removed.
How much does removal of AIB cost?
The cost, as with all asbestos removal projects, depends on many factors.
- the location, condition, and quantity of asbestos insulation board
- how the AIB is fixed to the walls/ceilings etc.
- access requirements - is it at a high level or in an awkward space?
- on-site services - is there access to power outlets, welfare facilities, running water?
When we quote for a project, we take all of these things into consideration, including how long the job will take and the specific equipment needed. There is also a cost associated with the safe disposal of asbestos waste.
It also includes our admin planning time, as each asbestos removal job involving AIB needs to be notified to the HSE and a site-specific plan of works and risk assessment done.
Projects need an independent analyst in many cases read about working with analysts here, which is an added cost to the works.
Due to the high level of restrictions and policies in place to ensure safety, it’s an extensive job to plan the removal of AIB.
In short, there’s no easy way to provide an estimate until we see the specific project.
We always provide free, no-obligation quotes.
Get in touch with us today if you have AIB in your house, commercial property, or public building.
