Asbestos awareness training online in the UK

What employers look for in an online asbestos awareness certificate

Every employer must make sure people liable to disturb asbestos, and the people who supervise them, get the right level of information, instruction and training. Your employer decides what training you need, based on its own risk assessment of the work. When you show a certificate, employers look for:

1. A clear record. The certificate names the course, the hours of learning, the completion date and a recommended refresh date.
2. A way to check it. A unique certificate number and a verification link let a site manager or contractor confirm it in seconds.
3. Content that follows current UK law and HSE guidance. For asbestos awareness, that means the topics in regulation 10 of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012: the properties and health effects of asbestos, where it occurs, how to avoid exposure and emergency procedures.
4. Regular refreshing. Regulation 10 says training is given at regular intervals, so a recommended refresh date matters.

Lift College's certificate does each of these. It is a PDF issued the same day you pass. It records that you completed Asbestos Awareness Training with Lift College, shows 2 hours of learning, your completion date and a recommended refresh date 12 months on, and carries a unique certificate number and a verification link.

What the Lift College course covers

HSE says asbestos can be present in any building built or refurbished before 2000, and causes around 5000 deaths every year. The course covers what regulation 10 expects at awareness level, with 6 short modules, each followed by a knowledge check:

1. What asbestos is. Its properties, why it was used so widely and why it is still in many buildings today.
2. Asbestos and your health. Mesothelioma, asbestosis and asbestos-related lung cancer, the long delay before symptoms and the extra risk for smokers.
3. Where asbestos is found. Typical materials and locations, from pipe lagging and insulation panels to cement roofing and sprayed coatings.
4. Before you start work. Asking about the asbestos register or survey, planning work to avoid disturbing asbestos and knowing it can be hidden.
5. If you suspect or disturb it. Stopping work, keeping others away, reporting to your employer and following emergency procedures.
6. The law and your duties. Regulation 10 and your employer's duties, the three levels of asbestos training and which work needs specialists.

By the end you can recognise where asbestos may be found, check the asbestos register or survey before starting work, and stop work and report if you suspect it. The final test is multiple choice, 80% to pass, with unlimited free retakes.

The law and guidance it is written around

• Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012, regulation 10. "Every employer must ensure that any employee employed by that employer is given adequate information, instruction and training" where that employee is, or may be, exposed to asbestos, and for their supervisors. The training covers the properties and health effects of asbestos, where it occurs, how to avoid exposure and emergency procedures, and is "given at regular intervals".
• Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, section 7. Employees must take reasonable care of themselves and others affected by their work, and co-operate with their employer.
• HSE guidance on asbestos training. HSE describes three main levels of training: asbestos awareness, non-licensable work with asbestos, and licensable work with asbestos. On refreshing, HSE says "There is no legal requirement to repeat an entire formal awareness refresher training course every 12 months", and that some form of refresher should be given as necessary. Lift College recommends refreshing every 12 months, and the refresher is free.

How Lift College compares

Competitor details come from each provider's own course page, checked 11 October 2026. "Check provider" means the page did not state it.

Who it suits

Asbestos Awareness Training suits anyone whose work could disturb the fabric of a building. It is a good fit if:

• you are an electrician, plumber, joiner, plasterer or decorator
• you work in general maintenance, caretaking or facilities
• you are a heating, ventilation or gas engineer
• you install alarms, data cabling or telecoms equipment
• you supervise people whose work could disturb asbestos
• you are a surveyor or architect who visits older buildings

It sits in Lift College's health and safety courses. See also our guides to health and safety training and slips, trips and falls training.

What you get for £19.99

• One payment for one learner, no subscription, nothing added at checkout.
• Access for as long as Lift College offers the course, and never less than 3 years from purchase.
• A free refresher when your recommended refresh date arrives. Lift College emails you 30 days before.
• 14-day money back: ask within 14 days of paying for a full refund.
• Age 16 or over. Buying for a team? Ask about team enrolment.

Start Asbestos Awareness Training for £19.99, or see all CPD courses.