December 20, 2002—With new regulations now in place, the UKs Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has published fresh guidance on handling the deadly material in existing buildings.
The new regulations came into force on November 21. Now, a part of the Control of Asbestos At Work Regulations 2002 (CAWR) requires those with responsibilities for the repair and maintenance of non-domestic premises to find out if there are, or may be, asbestos-containing materials within them. It also requires them to record the location and condition of such materials, and then assess and manage any risk from them, including passing on information about their location and condition to anyone liable to disturb them.
There could be as many as 500,000 non-domestic premises in the UK that contain asbestos materials, says the HSE. It acknowledges that assessing the risks and putting in place systems to manage the problem will take time. Consequently, there is an eighteen-month lead-in period for the duties. But, the HSE wants the task started now.
Nick Brown, Minister with responsibility for health and safety, said: “Asbestos is the most serious occupational health problem, in terms of fatal disease, that the country faces. In the 30 years between 1968 and 1998, 50,000 people died in the UK from asbestos related diseases. There is no medical intervention for those already exposed. But we can certainly do much to prevent exposures today and prevent painful and prolonged illness and death in the future.”
The HSE has published the following guidance material to help in the safe management of asbestos:
- A new Approved Code of Practice has been produced. ‘The management of asbestos in non-domestic premises’ gives advice on how to comply with the new legal requirements and explains the duties of building owners, tenants and anyone else with legal responsibilities for non-domestic premises.
- The free leaflet ‘Managing asbestos in premises’ has been updated and retitled ‘A short guide to managing asbestos in premises’. Aimed at those with smaller, less complex premises, it provides background information on why asbestos can be a risk to health and gives basic practical advice.
- The new guidance booklet ‘A comprehensive guide to managing asbestos’ is aimed at duty-holders in more complex organizations and gives guidance on what immediate steps they need to take to manage asbestos on their premises, as well as giving advice on developing a management strategy to ensure full compliance with the new duty. More information is available on the HSE Web site.
—Elliott Chase
Reprinted with permission; copyright 2002 i-FM
