Advance notification of asbestos removal

Submit the advance notification of the asbestos removal to the occupational safety and health authority at least seven days before the start of the construction work. You can use a PDF or an online form to submit the notification.

If damage to material containing asbestos or a pipe failure requires immediate measures to minimise the damage or hazard, you can start the removal immediately. In these cases, make a verbal notification to AVI’s Occupational Safety and Health Division. Remember that the notification must also be made in writing as soon as possible. Enter the name of the person that received verbal authorisation in the written notification. A written safety plan must be drawn up for the removal before the work is started.

Make sure that your notification contains the necessary information on:

• the nature, start time and probable duration of work

• the work site

• the customer and their contact details

• the names of the removal workers

• the suitability of the workers’ health for asbestos work and the date of the last health examination performed as well as information on its validity

• the key observations of the asbestos examination, as well as its date and performer

• the methods used for the removal of asbestos or material containing asbestos

• the protective and cleaning equipment for workers, as well as their features

• the devices used to prevent the spread of asbestos dust into the working environment and their features

• the name of the waste treatment plant to which the waste is delivered

• the notifier’s name and contact details.

Submit the PDF advance notification to the Occupational Safety and Health Division of the AVI in whose area the removal site is located. If you submit the notification with the online form, it is automatically directed to the competent authority. You can find more information on the licences and notifications required for asbestos work from the Tyosuojelu.fi website.

Place the advance notification in sight at the removal site, outside the exposure area. You do not have to include all of the information in the advance notification submitted to AVI’s Occupational Safety and Health Division in the notification that is placed outside the exposure area. Ensure that it indicates the place where the work is to be carried out, the nature of the work, the start time and the likely duration of the work, and the name and contact details of the notifier.

A valid asbestos removal licence is required before the work can be started. The licence holder can be a legal person, such as a limited liability company, a cooperative or a public entity, or a natural person, such as a private person or an entrepreneur.

Asbestos removal can only be performed by employees who have acceptable qualifications in asbestos removal. The qualification requirement for asbestos removal workers and managers is a suitable vocational qualification or its part.

The suitability of the person performing asbestos removal must be verified by means of a health examination. The examination must comply with the Government Decree on medical examinations in work that presents a special risk of illness. The medical report must include a mention of suitability for asbestos work.