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FAQS · NON-LICENSED MATERIALS
What is notifiable non-licensed work (NNLW)?.
UK asbestos work is split into three tiers: non-licensed, notifiable non-licensed (NNLW) and licensed. NNLW is the middle category — jobs that do not need an HSE licence but still carry enough risk that the regulator must be told before work starts.
The classification depends on the material, its condition and the work method, which is why the same product can sit in different tiers on different jobs.
Written by the Innov8 UK Group asbestos team · Technically reviewed by our Contracts Director · Last reviewed July 2026
NNLW
What pushes a job into NNLW
Work becomes notifiable when the material is more degraded or the method more aggressive. Typical NNLW examples include removing badly weathered or broken asbestos cement, large-scale removal of textured coatings where the material does not come away cleanly, work on asbestos paper and cardboard products, and short-duration minor work with higher-risk materials that stays within the licensing exemptions.
Sound asbestos cement removed whole, in good condition, generally remains plain non-licensed work.
What NNLW requires
The contractor must notify the HSE online before work starts, keep a register of exposed workers with health records for 40 years, and arrange medical examinations for those workers every three years. All the usual non-licensed controls still apply: training, RAMS, wet working, RPE and consigned disposal. There is no 14-day waiting period as with licensed work — notification is immediate.
Why it matters to clients
If a contractor shrugs at the term NNLW, be careful: it suggests they may not be classifying work correctly, which puts you at risk as the client or dutyholder. Ask how the job has been categorised and for a copy of the notification where one is required. We assess and document the classification on every project as standard.
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