September 6, 2002—The Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2002 will become law in October 2002, with new requirements for managing asbestos in premises. Although this duty to manage does not come into effect until 2004, building managers are being warned by the UKs Health & Safety Executive (HSE) to start preparing now.
The duty to manage will require those in control of premises to:
- take reasonable steps to determine the location and condition of materials likely to contain asbestos;
- presume materials contain asbestos unless there is strong evidence that they do not;
- make and keep an up to date record of the location and condition of the ACMs or presumed ACMs in the premises;
- assess the risk of the likelihood of anyone being exposed to fibres from these materials;
- prepare a plan setting out how the risks from the materials are to be managed;
- take the necessary steps to put the plan into action;
- review and monitor the plan periodically; and
- provide information on the location and condition of the materials to anyone who is liable to work on or disturb them.
The HSEs free leaflet “Managing Asbestos in Premises” provides additional details of the proposed new duty. For more information, contact the HSE.
Based on a report from WorkplaceLaw.net
