Asbestos in Belgium: rules & approval
Pre-work surveys, removal methods, regional procedures and Demotek’s approval: official reference points for preparing asbestos work in Belgium.
Describe my project
The materials, work and region determine your site’s obligations; the official texts take precedence.
Regulation topics
Start with the work you have planned.
Tell us what needs removing and where the site is. Your existing plans and reports help us identify the checks still needed.
- Rooms and materials affected by the work
- Site municipality, access and use of the building
- Available surveys and any areas they do not cover
A survey suited to the planned work
For worker protection, the asbestos inventory must be extended before work that could cause exposure, including to difficult-to-access areas. Preparing and extending it is the responsibility of an asbestos inventory expert.
For workplaces, the federal framework does not automatically exclude newer buildings. FPS Employment says a correctly recorded construction year after 2001 generally suffices if no equipment or objects are suspected of containing asbestos. This differs from the Flemish asbestattest building-age threshold.
Inventories predating the reform effective on 22 December 2025 remain valid. They still need updating and extending to the affected areas before work. Prepare existing plans and reports. FPS Employment provides a temporary, conditional arrangement for certain surveyors already active in Brussels or Wallonia: check the basis of their competence for your assignment.
At workplaces covered by this federal obligation, the inventory is updated annually and after a change in material condition, removal, encapsulation or discovery of unrecorded asbestos. This is separate from renewing a Flemish asbestattest. Keep removal reports to identify what has changed and which materials remain.
Three removal methods, different conditions
The federal framework distinguishes simple treatments, glove-bag removal and hermetically sealed enclosures. Simple treatments require a company listed for that purpose or an approved company. The other two methods require the corresponding approval.
The method follows the assessment of the material and risks. Training alone does not establish a company’s authorisation. Ask for a quote that identifies the method and the contractor carrying it out.
Air measurements: deadlines to plan for
The federal reform lowers the occupational exposure limit to 0.01 fibre/cm³, averaged over eight hours, until 20 December 2029. It falls to 0.002 fibre/cm³ the following day. This limit concerns workers’ exposure; it does not certify that a building is asbestos-free.
The exception allowing phase-contrast optical microscopy ends on 20 December 2027. The Code then requires NBN ISO 14966:2021 or an equivalent or more accurate method. The laboratory must also be accredited for its method by 20 December 2029. Identify the planned checks and laboratory when preparing the work.
FPS Employment · Reform and measurement timetable (French)
FPS Employment · Code, Articles VI.3-18 to VI.3-20 (PDF, French)
Documents and notice before work starts
The inventory locates materials; the work plan sets out the intervention. For asbestos demolition or removal, the employer carrying out the work prepares this plan: method, protection, expected duration and checks before work resumes. The quote should explain the agreed services, but does not replace these documents. Ask who prepares each document and which conditions must be met before the teams arrive.
The employer carrying out the work notifies both the local directorate of the labour inspectorate responsible for well-being at work and their occupational physician. This federal procedure is additional to regional authorisations. For demolition or removal of asbestos-containing materials, notification is in principle required at least fifteen calendar days before work starts. Urgent work requires the local directorate’s written agreement. Have the schedule confirmed after checking the formalities and allow for checks before the roofer or renovation contractor continues.
Use the official FPS templates for the inventory and notification. Its FAQ allows a company’s own template if the company ensures full conformity. When the commissioning employer supplies the inventory to an external contractor, retain the acknowledgement of receipt. The inventory, work plan and notification records must match the actual site.
FPS Employment · Code, Articles VI.3-27, VI.3-43 and VI.3-51 (PDF, French)
The material changes the preparation
Roof sheets, pipe insulation and interior finishes do not automatically use the same method. A photograph cannot confirm asbestos. For asbestos cement, eligibility for simple treatment depends on the regulations and material condition; a small area is not an automatic exemption.
OVAM identifies pipe insulation, plaster and certain asbestos-adhesive interventions as requiring approved contractors. Describe the layers affected by the work, rather than only naming the room.
Procedures in your region
Company approval does not replace the site’s own formalities. In Flanders, OVAM distinguishes non-destructive surveys from destructive surveys before renovation or demolition. A standard asbestos certificate does not automatically cover every layer affected by work.
In Brussels, a class 1C declaration or temporary class 1B permit may be required depending on the work. The site survey must be independent of the removal company; a visual management survey does not replace it. Small unclassified works remain subject to the general conditions that apply.
In Wallonia, check the classification and applicable declaration or permit. SPW brings together site rules and asbestos-waste channels. Specify waste removal and the supporting documents expected in your project file.
OVAM · asbestos surveys (Dutch)
Demotek on the official list
The FPS Employment list names Demotek SRL, enterprise number 0783.397.239. It records a ministerial order dated 19 June 2026, publication in the Belgian Official Gazette on 26 June 2026 and an expiry date of 14 June 2028.
The list covers glove-bag and hermetically sealed enclosure methods unless stated otherwise. Check the current entry before commissioning work: its position in the list and status can change.
