Asbestos Control at Work Regulations

Are you as safe with the asbestos removal companies as you think?

2006-06-21T12:07:00.000Z

The Asbestos Liaison Unit (ALU) run by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) have published their 2005/06 Statistical Update reporting the outcomes of 868 site visits to licensed asbestos experts across the country.

The report found that the most frequent problems identified during asbestos work continued to be standards of enclosure, decontamination units, supervision and work methods. Although the percentages of the different types of errors discovered were marginally down from figures in previous years, the sheer volume of asbestos work being carried out still leaves these occurring at a rate far greater than is acceptable.

According to the ALU report, the amount of asbestos abatement work carried out in the UK has increased for the 6th year running with well over 51 000 notifications of asbestos work recorded, an increase of 17% from last year’s figures.

Since asbestos first made headline news with its potential health risks, the asbestos abatement industry has gone from strength to strength, but now the UK is suffering from the associated increase in asbestos abatement problems.

Anyone who has asbestos identified in their property, whether in domestic or commercial premises, opens themselves up for potential exploitation by unscrupulous, or unwittingly substandard, asbestos removal contractors.

If anyone is concerned about the standards of asbestos abatement, the costs involved or is experiencing problems with asbestos in general, please contact Asbestos Watchdog on their free enquiry service or mail@asbestoswatchdog.co.uk for further information and advice.

Householders could be saved £20 billion

2006-03-28T11:05:00.000Z

Asbestos-containing textured coatings such as Artex have been used in households across the country, often in decorative plasters or paints on walls and ceilings. Current asbestos regulations state that only specially licensed contractors can handle these textured coatings.

On March 13th, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) published new research showing that potential risks from these asbestos-containing textured coatings are much lower than previously thought. This new research is being used to support the proposal that working with such coatings should no longer require a special license. This is the breakthrough Asbestos Watchdog (http://www.asbestoswatchdog.co.uk) has been campaigning for since starting in November 2003.

After receiving advice from Asbestos Watchdog on asbestos-containing textured coatings, the HSE commissioned the Health and Safety Laboratories (HSL) to explore the matter further. Coatings were found to contain only small amounts of asbestos, bound so tightly in a matrix that the fibres could not readily be released; any risk from these was comparable to asbestos cement products, which currently do not require a license to remove.

The HSE will make a final recommendation to the Health and Safety Commission (HSC) in May with a view to de-licensing asbestos-containing textured coatings later in the year. This does not mean textured coatings have been judged ‘no-risk’; they would still be handled within controlled limits and concern for the worker would remain paramount. Instead this would illustrate that regulations are capable of reflecting changing knowledge about risks and appropriating the correct procedures.

The aim of Asbestos Watchdog is to prevent householders paying for unnecessarily expensive work such as licensed removal of textured coatings when the health risks associated prove to be of no measurable level. Should de-licensing occur, savings to householders could be in the region of £20 billion.

If anyone has any questions about asbestos-containing textured coatings, needs advice on complying with regulations, or is just worried about asbestos in general, please contact Asbestos Watchdog on mail@asbestoswatchdog.co.uk.

Who is the dutyholder, and what do they have to do?

2006-03-13T23:30:00.000Z

A common question of non-domestic property owners is simply, 'am I the dutyholder'?

Although the duty holder will differ dependent on individual contracts with tenants, building managers, etc, the dutyholder is essentially the person who has the overall responsibility to maintain or repair the property. All those who have the responsibility to maintain or repair non-domestic properties therefore have duties under this regulation. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) state that this ‘duty to manage’ requires those in control of premises to:

a) take reasonable steps to determine the location and condition of materials likely to contain asbestos
b) presume materials contain asbestos unless there is strong evidence that they do not
c) make and keep an up to date record of the location and condition of the asbestos containing materials (ACMs) or presumed ACMs in the premises
d) assess the risk of the likelihood of anyone being exposed to fibres from these materials and prepare a plan setting out how the risks from the materials are to be managed
e) take the necessary steps to put the plan into action
f) review and monitor the plan periodically
g) provide information on the location and condition of the materials to anyone who is liable to work on or disturb them.

For those unsure whether they are the ‘duty holder’, please see the HSE’s Asbestos Campaign website: http:www.hse.gov.uk/campaigns/asbestos/duty.htm for further help, or contact Asbestos Watchdog (http://www.asbestoswatchdog.co.uk) for advice.

Press Release

2006-03-13T22:58:00.000Z

The Control At Work (2002) Regulations, which came into force in May 2004, compel all non-domestic property owners to investigate buildings for asbestos and manage any associated risks. Those who fail to comply will risk crippling fines and even imprisonment.

All those who have the responsibility to maintain or repair non-domestic properties have duties under this regulation. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) state that this ‘duty to manage’ requires reasonable steps to be taken to locate, and catalogue, the condition of any asbestos containing materials (ACMs) in a property and prepare a plan on how to manage them.

Implementing a plan of asbestos management may seem fairly straightforward but the confusing details of the regulations and the fact that there are literally thousands of different ACMs are leaving countless property owners vulnerable to unscrupulous surveyors who work hand in glove with licensed asbestos removal contractors.

Asbestos Watchdog UK (http://www.asbestoswatchdog.co.uk) can advise property owners on how to manage asbestos in the most economical way whilst still complying with all the requirements of the law. Since starting in 2003, Asbestos Watchdog has already saved thousands of UK property owners and prevented over £20 million worth of unnecessary work.

If anyone is unsure whether there may be asbestos on a property, needs advice on complying with the CAW 2002 regulations, or is worried about asbestos in general, please contact Asbestos Watchdog on mail@asbestoswatchdog.co.uk.