Abestos Location
and the law
Asbestos Location Examples
| Example products & locations | Product Form | Approx % Asbestos |
|---|---|---|
| Old decorative textured coatings on ceilings | Artex | 3-5 |
| Old vinyl floors, adhesives & roof felts | Plastic vinyl tiles/felts | 2-7 |
| Old roof sheets, drainage systems, electrical etc | Asbestos cement | 10 - 15 |
| Old ceiling tiles, wall panels and doors for fire protection and acoustic attenuation | Asbestos Insulating Board | 15 - 40 |
| Old sprayed on fire protection coating to steel frame buildings etc | Limpet spray applied | Up to 90 |
| Old pipes, equipment and or boiler insulation or missed residues | Lagging insulation | 50 - 100 |
The Law
Asbestos use & reuse was banned in the UK on the 24 November 1999 and extended to all EC European countries in 2005.
Working with asbestos is one of the most regulated activities in the UK; work with asbestos insulation, coatings and insulating board mostly requiring an asbestos license issued by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) Asbestos Licensing Unit (ALU) for work on these products.
The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 (CAR 2012) came into force on 6/4/12 replacing the old CAR 2006; these regulations were first introduced in 1987 with regular amendments and tightening of the limits and controls, the latest regulations introduce a NEW 3rd catagory of work i.e. Notififiable non licensed work (NNLW) or lower risk non licensed work subject to the condition and treatment. This NNLW requires an "on-line only notification" to be sent to the enforcing authority prior to work starting (no defined notice period), employees to be under medical surveillance every 3 years (since 2015) requiring appropriate plans of work plus medical records to be retained etc. Reg 4. "Duty to Manage Asbestos" first introduced in 2004 continues to require Dutyholders (persons that have responsibility for maintenance & repairs as well as access/egress to the property) for all non- domestic premises to manage their asbestos i.e. carry out an asbestos assessment / survey, record the findings, manage and pass this information onto anyone who is liable to disturb asbestos.
The HSE has had several initiatives for asbestos particularly targeting tradesman to be more aware of the risks associated when disturbing or working with asbestos; the main thrust is to ensure these trades (electricians, plumbers, joiners etc.) have asbestos awareness training as a minimum and always check by asking to see asbestos information to avoid disturbing any potential ACMs (Asbestos Containing Materials) unless this is properly planned and managed safely. These trades now make up approximately 25% of all the UK deaths attributable to asbestos exposure; currently the total UK annual death toll for asbestos related diseases is approximately 5,500 persons per year with a recent (2022) trend of levelling off.
Reg 10 (CAR 2012) requires anyone who is liable to disturb asbestos or who supervise such persons must receive adequate information, instructions and training i.e. regular asbestos training to a recognised standard, i.e. UKATA (UK Asbestos Trainers Association).
HSE are continuing their asbestos campaign advising anyone likely to come into contact with or disturb asbestos to undergo UKATA minimum "asbestos awareness training"; we are a UKATA registered member with courses run on Wed & Thur every month, see our latest training dates with a downloadable PDF alternatively we can deliver in-house min 1/2 day courses from as little as £30.00 + VAT per person, please call for details.
The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 to comply with the (EC) Asbestos Worker Protection Directive, the principles of preventing exposure (Reg 11.) and spread (Reg 16.) remain unchanged, in addition the HSE have now issued a NEW L143 ACOP (Approved Code of Practice) 2nd edition 2013 and suggest you visit https://www.hse.gov.uk/
Options
The government is encouraging a culture of informed decisions and effective management to avoid asbestos exposure. This starts with identifying if and where asbestos is present, recording its condition and carrying out a risk assessment to decide on the best option in the circumstances detailed in HSE guidance "HSG 264 Asbestos: The survey guide" replaced MDHS 100 and was published 29 January 2010 and updated in 2013 to reflect the CAR 2012 Regs eg:
- Ensure understanding of your needs by seeking professional advice; we can help you with this through training & face to face meetingsconsultancy.
- Review your sites history, existing asbestos information and identify any immediate remedial actions.
- Determine the appropriate asbestos survey to identify where asbestos is in the building(s) or structures to meet your requirements e.g.
- Management Survey (old MDHS 100 Type 1 = Visual, or a Type 2 = Sampling Survey)
- Refurbishment / Demolition Survey (old MDHS 100 Type 3 = Demolition Invasive Survey)
- Ensure competetent appointments are made for surveying companies and surveyors; this is a similar process to CDM 2015
- Clearly state your expectations for the report(s) format following HSG 264 recommendations
- You must keep a record of its location and condition, if practicable (in good condition & unlikely to be disturbed) leave it where it is and manage this.
- Segregate, protect, encapsulate, and carry out regular inspections
- If the asbestos has to be removed ensure you use competent contractors; high risk asbestos invariably needs a licenced asbestos removal contractor (LARC)
- We can we help you to make the right choices with training, scoping documents, contractor selection and management of the works.
