In practice, asbestos permits mean three things: the company carrying out asbestos removal must hold an asbestos removal permit, the people doing the work must have the asbestos removal qualification, and the removal work must be notified in advance to the occupational safety and health authority where possible at least seven days before it starts. The homeowner or housing company does not apply for a permit themselves. The client's job is to find out about asbestos before demolition and to hire a company authorised for asbestos removal work, which takes care of the notifications.
This article explains who needs which permit, what the advance notification contains, what the client is responsible for, how to check a removal company's permit and where laboratory analysis fits into the process. An overview of the legislation is in the article asbestos legislation in Finland, and the stages of removal work are described on the page asbestos removal work.
What are asbestos permits?
Asbestos removal is regulated by the Act on certain requirements for asbestos removal work (684/2015), the Government Decree on the safety of asbestos work (798/2015) and the Occupational Safety and Health Act. Together they lead to four practical requirements:
- Asbestos removal permit: a company that removes asbestos-containing materials must hold a permit for asbestos removal work granted by the authorities. Permits are granted by the Occupational Safety and Health Department of the Finnish Supervisory Agency (Lupa- ja valvontavirasto), which also keeps a public register of companies holding a permit.
- Asbestos removal qualification: the workers who actually do the job must have the training required for asbestos removal work.
- Work plan: before the work, the removal company draws up a plan describing the materials to be removed, the working methods and the protection measures.
- Advance notification: the removal work is notified to the occupational safety and health authority where possible at least seven days before it starts.
The permit and the qualification therefore belong to the removal company and its workers, and a notification is made separately for each removal job. The person commissioning the renovation does not apply for either.
Who does what?
The client: homeowner, housing company or developer
- Finds out before demolition whether the materials to be removed contain asbestos. This obligation applies to demolition work regardless of its scale.
- Hires a company authorised for asbestos removal work and makes sure it is qualified.
- Gives the removal company the findings, for example the laboratory analysis reports and the sample locations.
The asbestos removal company
- Is responsible for the permit and for making sure its workers are qualified.
- Draws up the work plan and makes the advance notification to the occupational safety and health authority.
- Carries out the removal in an enclosed work area under negative pressure and takes care of worker protection.
- Packs and delivers the asbestos waste for disposal and handles the final cleaning and the final air measurement that confirms the space is safe.
The laboratory
The laboratory analyses material samples before removal and air samples during and after the work. Onelab is a laboratory: we do not carry out removal work or make notifications to the authorities; we produce the information the removal is planned on. From 21 December 2026, fibres in air samples must be counted with an electron microscope; the changes are covered on the page asbestos law change 2026.
Why is the analysis result needed before the notification?
The advance notification states, among other things, the work site, the materials to be removed, the working methods and the protection measures. The removal company cannot notify the materials or plan the work until it is known which materials contain asbestos. That is why analysis is the first step in the renovation timetable. A typical sequence looks like this:
- Samples are taken from the materials to be removed and analysed in the laboratory.
- Based on the positive results, a quote is requested from a company authorised for asbestos removal work.
- The removal company draws up a work plan.
- The removal company notifies the occupational safety and health authority.
- The asbestos removal is carried out in an enclosed work area under negative pressure.
- After final cleaning and the final air measurement, the space returns to normal use and the rest of the renovation can continue.
Leave a gap in your timetable between the result and the removal. The notification period is one reason to take samples well before the renovation starts.
Is a permit needed if no asbestos is found?
No. Asbestos permits relate to removing asbestos-containing material. If no asbestos is detected in a material, removing it is not asbestos removal work, and neither an asbestos removal company nor an advance notification is needed. The result applies only to the tested material and similar material, however, so every material to be removed is tested separately. The article how many asbestos samples explains how to estimate the number of samples.
What about a small home renovation?
The obligation to find out about asbestos also applies to small renovations. If asbestos is detected, for example, in the tile adhesive on a bathroom floor or in the vinyl flooring of one room, the removal is carried out by a company authorised for asbestos removal work, even if the area is small. You can take a small material sample yourself with careful protection, as described in the article can you take an asbestos sample yourself.
How do you check a removal company's permit?
It is the client's responsibility to make sure the removal company is qualified. In practice:
- Ask the company about its asbestos removal permit and check it in the public register of authorised asbestos removal companies.
- Make sure the workers doing the job have the asbestos removal qualification.
- Ask who makes the advance notification and when, and allow for the notification period in your timetable.
- After the work, ask for copies of the documents: the work plan, confirmation of the advance notification, the final air measurement result and the waste transfer document.
Other permits and notifications in a renovation
- Asbestos waste: asbestos waste is delivered only to waste centres that accept it, often with advance notice. When the removal is done by a contractor, a waste transfer document accompanies the waste when it is handed over. Read more in the article asbestos waste disposal.
- Building control: any permits from the municipal building control authority are a separate matter from asbestos permits. Ask your municipality's building control about them. Asbestos has to be investigated before demolition in any case.
- Housing company: in blocks of flats and terraced houses, it is wise to agree on the renovation with the property manager before work starts, especially when asbestos removal is involved.
What if removal is done without an investigation or permit?
The occupational safety and health authority can halt the removal work if no asbestos investigation has been carried out. Non-compliance can also lead to fines, and in the most serious cases it can amount to an occupational safety offence. If asbestos is only suspected in the middle of the work, the work is stopped, the area is isolated and the material is tested before continuing. An action plan is in the article positive asbestos result.
This article does not replace the official legislation. Current requirements can be checked with the occupational safety and health authority or the removal company.
How much does the analysis cost?
Onelab analyses material samples with a JEOL SEM-EDS electron microscope in accordance with ISO 22262-1, and the result is sent by email, typically on the day the sample arrives. The analysis costs €39.90 + VAT per sample, and the price is the same for 1–100 samples. Orders of more than 100 samples can be priced separately. Postage is not included. You can order the analysis online and send the samples by post.