Asbestos

Asbestos was extensively used as a building material in the UK from the 1950s through to the mid-1980s. It was used for a variety of purposes and was ideal for fireproofing and insulation. Any building built before 2000 (houses, factories, offices, schools, hospitals etc) can contain asbestos. Asbestos materials in good condition are safe unless asbestos fibres become airborne, which happens when materials are damaged.

The asbestos becomes a risk when you are responsible for the maintenance and repairs at your building and;-

• You are having some alterations or repair work carried out on your building;

• Your building was built before the year 2000;

• Asbestos-containing materials were not identified before the job was started;

• You don’t know how to recognise and work safely with asbestos;

• You know how to work safely with asbestos but you choose to put yourself at risk by not following proper precautions, perhaps to save time or because no one else is following proper procedures.

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If you have a contractor come to your site to do some alterations or repair work, you may be asked for your asbestos register.

Remember, as long as the asbestos is not damaged or located somewhere where it can be easily damaged it won’t be a risk to you.

There are now only two types of survey to identify asbestos at your workplace.

Management Survey

This is the standard asbestos survey that should be carried out for the continued management of asbestos in premises.

The Refurbishment and Demolition Survey

The Control of Asbestos Regulations prohibits the importation, supply and use of all forms of asbestos. They continue the ban introduced for blue and brown asbestos in 1985 and for white asbestos in 1999.

The Asbestos Management Plan

A written ‘asbestos management plan'. This should include:

• who is responsible for managing asbestos;

• the asbestos register you have just made;

• plans for work on asbestos materials;

• the schedule for monitoring the materials' condition; and

• telling people about your decisions.

The plan must say who is responsible for what. It can be written or held as a computer-based record. Make it easy to read and easy to find when you, or anyone else, needs it. It must be easy to update.

Associated Legislation

The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012