You’ve Just Received an Asbestos Report — Here’s What to Do Next
An asbestos report landing in your inbox can feel like a problem without an obvious solution. One document, and suddenly you’re weighing up safety decisions, legal obligations, contractor briefings, and whether work on site can continue. The key is straightforward: don’t panic, and don’t ignore it.
A well-prepared asbestos report is a practical tool. It tells you what was found, where it is, how it was assessed, and what needs to happen next to keep people safe and your property compliant. Whether you manage a commercial building, a rental portfolio, a school, or an industrial unit, your next steps matter — and getting them right protects both people and your legal position.
Under the Control of Asbestos Regulations, duty holders must identify asbestos risks, assess them properly, and manage asbestos-containing materials so that no one is exposed to avoidable fibre release. Here is the order to follow after receiving your report, along with the common mistakes that create problems further down the line.
Read the Asbestos Report Properly Before Doing Anything Else
Most people go straight to the summary page looking for one answer: was asbestos found or not? That is understandable, but it is not enough. An asbestos report should be read in full — material assessments, survey scope, limitations, floor plans, photographs, and recommendations all shape what you are legally required to do next.
What to Look for in the Findings
Your asbestos report will identify each suspected or confirmed asbestos-containing material (ACM) and record key information about it. Look carefully at each of the following:
- Material type — for example, asbestos insulating board, cement, textured coating, floor tiles, lagging, or pipe insulation
- Asbestos type if sampled — such as chrysotile, amosite, or crocidolite
- Location — the exact room, area, elevation, or service zone
- Extent — how much material is present
- Condition — whether it is sealed, worn, damaged, or deteriorating
- Surface treatment — painted, encapsulated, or exposed
- Risk or material score — based on the survey methodology
- Recommendations — monitor, label, repair, encapsulate, or remove
Do not assume that every positive finding means immediate removal. Equally, do not assume that a low-risk score means you can forget about it. The condition of the material and the likelihood of disturbance are what drive action.
Check the Survey Type Before Making Any Decisions
The meaning of an asbestos report depends heavily on the type of survey carried out. This is where many duty holders get caught out.
If the building is occupied and you need to manage asbestos during normal use, the starting point is usually a management survey. This survey is designed to locate ACMs that could be disturbed during everyday occupation, maintenance, or routine installation work.
If refurbishment is planned, a management survey is not sufficient for the affected area. You will need a refurbishment survey, which is more intrusive and specifically intended to identify ACMs before building work begins.
If the property or part of it is going to be demolished, a demolition survey is essential. Hidden asbestos can sit behind walls, in risers, within ceiling voids, and inside plant or service runs — none of which a standard management survey is designed to locate.
Always compare the survey type against what is actually happening at the property. If the wrong survey was commissioned for the task ahead, arrange the correct one before any contractor starts work.
Understand What the Asbestos Report Means in Practice
An asbestos report is not just a list of materials. It is a decision-making document. You need to separate three very different situations: asbestos that can be managed in place, asbestos that needs remedial work, and asbestos that must be removed before planned works proceed.
When Asbestos Can Stay Where It Is
Many ACMs are safer left undisturbed than removed in a rush. If a material is in good condition, sealed, and unlikely to be damaged, in-place management may be the correct route. Typical examples include asbestos cement sheets in sound condition, intact floor tiles, or textured coatings in areas where no work is planned.
When Action Is Needed Quickly
Move faster where the asbestos report identifies damaged, friable, or exposed ACMs — especially in areas accessed by maintenance staff, contractors, or the public. Higher-concern materials often include:
- Damaged asbestos insulating board
- Deteriorating pipe lagging
- Loose insulation debris
- Broken ceiling tiles or panels containing asbestos
- ACMs in plant rooms, service ducts, or circulation routes where works are likely
If there is any sign that material has already been disturbed, isolate the area and get specialist advice before allowing access.
When the Report Includes Presumed Asbestos
Some surveys record materials as presumed to contain asbestos where sampling was not possible or was outside the survey scope. That does not mean the issue can be ignored. You either manage those materials as though asbestos is present, or arrange asbestos testing to confirm what the material actually contains. Presumed ACMs still need to be reflected in your management arrangements.
Carry Out a Risk Assessment After Receiving the Asbestos Report
The survey gives you the raw information. The next job is to assess the real-world risk in your building. A sealed panel in a locked riser presents a very different management challenge from the same panel in a busy corridor or a room about to be refurbished.
Focus on Likelihood of Disturbance
Risk depends on more than the asbestos type or condition score. Ask practical questions about each identified ACM:
- Who uses the area every day?
- Is the material exposed or protected?
- Could cleaners, electricians, IT installers, plumbers, or decorators disturb it?
- Is vibration, impact, water damage, or general wear likely?
- Are works planned nearby?
- Can the area be labelled, restricted, or monitored easily?
This stage is especially important for landlords, facilities managers, managing agents, and employers with maintenance responsibilities. Your asbestos report should feed directly into your site risk controls.
Consider the Building as It Is Actually Used
A textbook reading of the asbestos report is not enough. Think about how people move through the building and what contractors actually do there. An ACM above a suspended ceiling may appear low risk on paper. If that void is accessed regularly for electrical, ventilation, or data cabling work, the practical risk is higher — and your controls need to reflect that.
Bring in Competent Help Where Needed
Simple, low-risk cases may be straightforward to manage in-house. More complex findings should be reviewed by a competent asbestos professional who understands surveying, risk assessment, and management planning in line with HSG264 and wider HSE guidance. If your asbestos report is unclear, incomplete, or raises concerns about damaged materials, get advice before making assumptions.
Create or Update Your Asbestos Management Plan
Once you understand the findings and the risk, you need a clear written plan. For non-domestic premises, this is a core part of your duty to manage asbestos under the Control of Asbestos Regulations. Your asbestos management plan should be practical, site-specific, and easy for the right people to use — not a document to file away and forget.
What a Good Management Plan Should Include
- A current asbestos register linked to the asbestos report
- The location and condition of all known or presumed ACMs
- Priority actions for each item
- Named responsibility for managing asbestos on site
- How contractors will be informed before starting work
- Emergency arrangements if accidental disturbance occurs
- Scheduled dates for review and re-inspection
- Records of remedial works, encapsulation, and removal
The best plans are simple enough to be used on a busy site. If a contractor signs in and needs to know where asbestos is, the information should be accessible, current, and easy to understand.
Keep Your Asbestos Register Live
Your asbestos register must reflect the building as it stands now, not six months ago. If materials are removed, encapsulated, damaged, retested, or newly identified, update the register promptly. An out-of-date register creates real risk because staff and contractors may rely on information that no longer matches the site.
Decide Whether to Monitor, Repair, Encapsulate, or Remove
After reviewing the asbestos report and completing your risk assessment, you need to choose the right control measure for each ACM. There is no single answer for every material.
Option 1: Monitor in Place
If the ACM is in good condition and unlikely to be disturbed, monitoring may be the most sensible option. This is common with lower-risk materials in stable locations. Monitoring should include periodic condition checks, clear records, and communication to anyone who may work near the material.
Option 2: Repair or Encapsulate
Encapsulation can be effective where a material is slightly damaged or needs added protection, but full removal is not proportionate at that stage. This might involve sealing, boarding over, coating, or otherwise protecting the ACM. Remember that encapsulation does not make the asbestos disappear — it remains in the building and must still be recorded, managed, and considered before future works.
Option 3: Remove the Asbestos
Removal is often the right choice where materials are damaged, likely to be disturbed, difficult to manage safely, or located within an area scheduled for refurbishment or demolition. Where removal is required, use competent specialists. Supernova can support you with asbestos removal in line with the relevant legal and safety requirements.
Do not ask general trades to disturb suspect materials. Depending on the product and its condition, the work may require specific controls, advance notification, licensed contractors, air monitoring, and formal clearance procedures.
Arrange Further Surveys or Testing If the Asbestos Report Leaves Gaps
Not every asbestos report answers every question. Sometimes more investigation is needed before you can move forward safely.
When a Re-Inspection Survey Is Appropriate
If ACMs are being managed in place, they need periodic review. A re-inspection survey checks whether the condition of those materials has changed and whether your management approach still makes sense. This is particularly relevant for larger estates, schools, offices, healthcare buildings, and older commercial premises where multiple ACMs remain on site.
When Sampling Is the Right Next Step
If a material was recorded as presumed to contain asbestos, or if a small suspect item has been found outside the original survey scope, targeted sampling may be appropriate. You can arrange sample analysis for individual materials where safe sampling is possible.
For homeowners, landlords, and site managers dealing with a limited suspect item, a testing kit can be a practical first step — provided samples are taken carefully and only where it is safe to do so. If you need broader support or site-based investigation, there is also dedicated information covering asbestos testing services for different property situations.
Where there is any doubt about safe access or sampling, leave the material alone and ask a surveyor to attend in person.
Control Contractors and Planned Works After Receiving an Asbestos Report
One of the biggest failures after receiving an asbestos report is poor communication with contractors. The report exists, but nobody shows it to the people drilling, cutting, stripping out, or opening up the building fabric. That is exactly how avoidable exposure incidents happen.
Before Any Maintenance or Refurbishment Work
Make asbestos checks a standard part of your permit-to-work, contractor induction, and pre-start process. Before work begins, confirm:
- The relevant areas have been checked against the asbestos register
- The survey type is suitable for the planned work
- Any ACMs in or near the work area have been assessed
- Contractors have seen the relevant sections of the asbestos report
- Any required further surveys or sampling have been completed
- Emergency procedures are in place if asbestos is unexpectedly disturbed
Contractors have a legal duty not to disturb asbestos knowingly. But they can only act on information they have been given. The duty holder’s responsibility is to make sure that information is available, current, and clearly communicated before work starts.
For Projects in London and Across the UK
If you manage a site in the capital and need professional support following an asbestos report, Supernova offers a full range of services through our dedicated asbestos survey London team, as well as nationwide coverage across England, Scotland, and Wales.
What Happens If You Ignore an Asbestos Report
Failing to act on an asbestos report is not a neutral position. It is a breach of your duty under the Control of Asbestos Regulations, and it creates serious risk for anyone who works in or visits the building.
Enforcement action from the HSE can include improvement notices, prohibition notices, and prosecution. Penalties can be significant, and the reputational damage from a health and safety incident involving asbestos exposure is considerable. More importantly, the health consequences for individuals exposed to asbestos fibres — including mesothelioma and asbestosis — are severe and irreversible.
Acting on an asbestos report is not bureaucracy. It is the practical step that keeps people safe.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does an asbestos report remain valid?
There is no fixed expiry date on an asbestos report, but its accuracy depends on the condition of the building remaining the same. If materials deteriorate, areas are refurbished, or new suspect items are identified, the report should be updated. For managed ACMs, a periodic re-inspection survey is recommended to keep records current.
Do I need to share the asbestos report with contractors?
Yes. Under the Control of Asbestos Regulations, duty holders must make relevant information about ACMs available to anyone likely to disturb them. Before any maintenance or building work, contractors should be shown the asbestos report and the current asbestos register for the areas they will be working in.
What is the difference between a presumed and a confirmed ACM in an asbestos report?
A confirmed ACM has been sampled and analysed in a UKAS-accredited laboratory, confirming the presence of asbestos fibres. A presumed ACM has been identified by the surveyor as likely to contain asbestos based on its age, appearance, and location, but has not been sampled. Both must be managed, but sampling can clarify the position where there is uncertainty.
Can I remove asbestos myself after reading the report?
In most cases involving commercial or higher-risk materials, no. Licensed asbestos removal contractors are required for work involving certain materials, including sprayed coatings, asbestos insulating board, and pipe lagging. Even for non-licensed work, strict controls apply. Always check the legal requirements before any disturbance of identified ACMs.
What should I do if my asbestos report shows the building was previously surveyed incorrectly?
If a new survey reveals materials that were missed or incorrectly assessed in a previous report, treat the new findings as your current baseline. Update your asbestos register immediately, reassess the risk for any ACMs that were not previously managed, and consider whether any contractors or staff may have been exposed. Seek specialist advice if there is any concern about past disturbance.
Get Professional Support From Supernova Asbestos Surveys
With over 50,000 surveys completed nationwide, Supernova Asbestos Surveys has the experience to help you act on your asbestos report correctly — from initial survey and testing through to management planning and removal support.
Whether you need a new survey, a re-inspection, laboratory analysis, or practical guidance on what your existing report means for your site, our team is ready to help. Call us on 020 4586 0680 or visit asbestos-surveys.org.uk to find out how we can support you.