H.E.S Awarded New 3-Year Asbestos Licence from HSE — What This Means for Our Clients

We are pleased to announce that H.E.S has been granted a new three-year asbestos licence by the Health & Safety Executive. This significant achievement underlines our commitment to high standards of safety, compliance and quality in asbestos remediation and removal works across the UK. For our clients—commercial property owners, facility managers, developers and public-sector bodies—this means you can engage our services with greater confidence, knowing you’re working with a fully licensed, compliant contractor.

What is an HSE asbestos licence?

An asbestos licence issued by the HSE is the legal authorisation required for a contractor to perform “licensable work” with asbestos‐containing materials (ACMs). According to HSE guidance:

• If the work involves high-risk materials (e.g., asbestos insulation, sprayed coatings, asbestos insulating board) or where the exposure risk cannot be guaranteed to remain under legal limits, then only a licensed contractor may undertake it.

• The application process involves submitting an ASB1 form, paying the assessment fee, undergoing an HSE inspection/assessment and meeting strict competence, management systems and training standards. HSE

• A licence also brings obligations: the licence holder must notify the relevant enforcing authority (HSE or local authority) in advance of each licensable work project, provide a written plan of work, have appropriate equipment and trained personnel, and keep records.

In short: being licensed means the contractor has proven to the regulator that they are competent and properly organised to handle higher-risk asbestos projects safely.

Why this matters to clients

For clients engaging H.E.S, the new licence conveys several strong benefits:

1. Compliance assurance
   Because H.E.S holds an HSE licensed contractor status, you as the client can be reassured that any high-risk asbestos works (which might be required during demolition, refurbishment or site clearance) will be carried out by a legitimately authorised contractor.

2. Access to full service scope
   Some asbestos removal/management tasks are lower risk and non-licensed contractors may handle them—but for the more substantial, more hazardous works (which many industrial or commercial sites often involve), a licensed contractor is essential. Now H.E.S can fully support large-scale or complex asbestos removal, including works in brownfield, industrial or legacy buildings where ACMs may be present.

3. Risk reduction
   Using a licensed contractor reduces the risk of regulatory enforcement, project delays, contamination issues or unsafe practices. This protects your business reputation, your workforce and your building occupants.

4. Quality and competence indicator
   The licence demonstrates that H.E.S has met HSE’s high standards for training, equipment, documentation, safe systems of work and record-keeping. For clients this is a helpful benchmark when selecting contractors.

5. Confidence for stakeholders
   Whether you are a landlord, a facility manager, a developer or a public body, being able to say your contractor holds an HSE licence gives you confidence when reporting to boards, funders, insurers or regulators that the asbestos side of the project is handled professionally.

What the licence covers

While each licence is subject to its own conditions, in general the licence allows H.E.S to undertake high-risk asbestos works such as:

• Removal of asbestos lagging/insulation on pipework, boilers or ducts.

• Removal of sprayed asbestos coatings or insulation boards.

• Works where the asbestos may be friable (i.e., likely to release fibres) or where the exposure risk can’t be easily controlled to very low levels.

• Demolition or refurbishment projects in which ACMs may be disturbed or released.

What this means for our clients’ projects

For a commercial property owner, a facility manager of a school or hospital, or a developer dealing with a brown-field site, the implications are:

• If you are planning refurbishment, demolition or plant-replacement on a site that may contain asbestos (especially older or industrial sites), you now have the added reassurance that H.E.S can handle the full scope—from survey, management plan, removal, and disposal.

• You should ensure that when you tender works you check for the correct licence status of the contractor — using a licensed contractor is essential if the work is “licensable”.

• The presence of a licensed contractor helps with your own risk-assessment, compliance and audit-trail, which can be particularly important if your site is subject to regulatory inspection, insurance review or due-diligence (for example when disposing of or repurposing a building).

• It may reduce delay risk: if your contractor does not hold the licence but the work ends up requiring licensable removal, you could face abortive cost or having to re-tender. The licence helps avoid that scenario.

What happens next

With our renewed licence in hand, H.E.S is now positioned for the next three years to deliver licensed asbestos removal works across the UK. For clients this means:

• We will actively incorporate this capacity into proposals, project plans, contract documents and service-offerings.

• We will ensure all such works are carried out in full compliance with the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 (CAR 2012) and other relevant legislation.

• We will continue to maintain records, staff competence, health surveillance and safety systems in accordance with HSE expectations.

• We invite clients to request evidence of our licence, ask for our management plans, and expect best-practice documentation, all of which we provide transparently.

Final thought

In the world of asbestos management and removal, credibility, compliance and competence matter immensely. The fact that H.E.S has been awarded a new three-year HSE asbestos licence is not just a credential—it’s a guarantee of capability, a signal of trust, and a tangible advantage for clients who need a contractor for high-risk asbestos works.

If you have a project involving asbestos removal, major refurbishment or building demolition, or you just want to review whether your current contractor is appropriately licensed, please contact us. We’d be pleased to support you with the full lifecycle of asbestos works: survey, planning, removal, disposal and certification.

H.E.S Can Help

If you’re planning a project and have any demolition, asbestos surveying, or asbestos removal requirements, H.E.S can help.
Don’t hesitate to contact our award-winning team on 02380 011761 or email enquiries@hesgroup.org.uk. Your safety is our priority.

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