Asbestos – know your responsibilities

Asbestos – know your responsibilities

The Low-Down on Key Issues You Should Be Aware Of

Are you aware that there are specific regulations for managing the asbestos in the buildings and properties you are responsible for?

The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012  updates previous asbestos regulations. The bulk of the changes mean that some types of non-licensed work with asbestos now have additional requirements, i.e. notification of work, medical surveillance and record keeping.

What has changed? Key items include:

  • Since 6 April 2012, some non-licensed work needs to be notified to the relevant enforcing authority.
  • Since the same date, brief written records have to be kept of non-licensed work, which have to be notified e.g. copy of the notification with a list of workers on the job, plus the level of likely exposure of those workers to asbestos.
  • By April 2015, all workers / self-employed doing notifiable non-licensed work with asbestos must be under health surveillance by a Doctor.

Full details on these changes can be found on the HSE website.

What requirements stayed the same? Items covered include:

  • If existing asbestos-containing materials are in good condition and are not likely to be damaged, they may be left in place; their condition monitored and managed to ensure they are not disturbed.
  • If you want to do any building or maintenance work in premises, or on plant or equipment that might contain asbestos, you need to identify where it is and its type and condition; assess the risks, and manage and control these risks.
  • If you are carrying out non-licensed asbestos work, this still requires effective controls.
  • Asbestos Training is mandatory for anyone liable to be exposed to asbestos fibres at work. This includes maintenance workers and others who may come into contact with or disturb asbestos (e.g. cable installers).

As a nationwide asbestos specialist, Core Surveys can manage the asbestos across your buildings, whether it be for surveying in existing premises, or for refurbishment and demolition work.

We can help you keep up to date with your responsibilities surrounding asbestos management, and can assist with asbestos management plans to help relieve the strain and workload in this important area.

If you’d like to discuss in more detail, please call us free on 0800 2100 510 or don’t hesitate to email us.