DaveTidy avail yourself of the facts before you accuse others of
"even though people still do as they confuse damping down with being qualified and leaving a clean air certificate."
http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/guidance/a25.pdf
Just to clarify the points you raised - nothing punchy meant on my part, just don't agree with the HSE sheets!
Unlicensed and licensed was referring to a licensed asbestos removal contractor e.g. them carrying out any removal work compared to us.
In your second post, the qualified I mentioned was also referring to being licensed.
If you have an 'H' type vac and feel confident to follow the latest asbestos sheets (which opinions change over the years) and remove a substance that can fit 2 million fibres on a pin head without any of them having the potential to be breathed in as per the guidance sheets then thats up to you.
Looking at the quantity of asbestos rope in the pictures multiplied by 2 million fibres / pin head then thats a fair few fibres present when 1 individual one can start the process, thats confidence for you.
Without tryng to be sarcastic (which I'm sure it sounds like), I have been part of many Health and Safety representations over the years (with British Gas and the HSE) as to correct protocol and still disagree with the latest advice, you don't have to, it's a choice.
The last 3 companies I have consulted to, all agreed and used licensed contractors to remove appliances such as the netaheat range; all Health and Safety Officers were all in agreement not to follow the HSE guidance sheets and factored in the additional costs. I have been party to the asbestos removal discussion on countless contract agendas since the 80's.
Damping down asbestos with millions of particles on a pin head sometimes using a water spray in our opinion creates an inerture which must move some of them into the airspace without being damp.
Secondly wearing respirators to stop this with a metal pinch on the nose (which isn't 100% air tight) has more than enough potential to enable the passing of particles. Try putting a match out and breathing next to the match, it will still inhale in the gap of the respirator, why wouldn't it there's no resistance compared to the filter.
A lot of technical officers do not agree with the sheets but understand where the HSE are coming from as it's a calculated risk; lots of us don't agree and just because it's in print does not mean it's 100% foolproof, if it was then asbestos protocol would not have changed over the years but who's to say it won't change again.
Anyway, I don't want to say the HSE is wrong, I'm just saying that I and many others with a technical background disagree with unlicensed people (including myself) removing it. Having had friends die from the disease and respresented many parties (some at the HSE) over the years we don't feel even the slightest risk is worth it; if it was really cheap to remove we'd all get lecensed contractors to remove it so the real debate is cost.
I apologise if the you feel there are HSE sheets so that's it, it must be right but having been around a while that's not always the case.
Make your own opinion as we all will and nothing in the response is meant to have a pop back, that is far from my intention. There is still potential to learn the HSE might change their stance.
Just remember, it wasn't that long ago the specification was ok to service these boilers brushing those asbestos gaskets vigorously without H Type vacs and a paint brush, hoover it up (and not the particles left in the airspace) and throw the hoover bag in the normal waste, we were all there following the current guidelines doing it!
Apologies for the length of the post, we all have an opinion, no offense meant.
