The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) divides asbestos into two subgroups: serpentine and amphiboles. Serpentine asbestos, also known as white asbestos, is more common than amphiboles, which include blue and brown asbestos. Asbestos can be found in any building or construction built before 2000, and can pose significant health risks when its fibres become airborne, with inhalation possibly leading to serious conditions such as lung cancer, asbestosis, or mesothelioma. Order Your Kit Today What’s Included: Our Asbestos testing and analysis kit comes with all the personal protective equipment (PPE) needed to safely take a sample of suspected asbestos-containing material. Once received, the sample will then be analysed in our own in-house UKAS 17025 accredited laboratory, and a certificate of analysis will be issued to you within 3-4 working days. Included in our kit you’ll find the following: Disposable FFP3 flat fold face mask, coveralls and gloves Cleaning wipes to ensure sample tools are kept clean Labelled grip lock polythene sample bags Pre-addressed return envelope for lab analysis Sample submission form Detailed and easy-to-follow instructions Collecting Samples: When self-sampling it is crucial that you wear the provided PPE and avoid disturbing any materials unnecessarily. Only take samples from materials that appear in good condition, and if you suspect crumbling or damaged materials, it’s best to seek professional assistance immediately. Please note: Work with asbestos that is higher risk in nature requires a licence from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Typically this includes work of a medium to large scale, and involves asbestos insulation, asbestos insulation boards and asbestos spray coatings which can't be removed without being broken. For cases of this nature, we would not advise attempting to self-sample and would always recommend seeking professional services. For further advice and guidance on licensable work and non-licensable work, refer to the HSE website.
