November 15, 2002—New asbestos regulations have been laid in the House of Commons requiring anyone with maintenance and repair responsibilities of workplaces to assess whether they contain asbestos and if so, whether it presents a risk.
There will be an 18-month lead in period before The Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations duty comes into force, but the government is advising those responsible to start planning how to comply as soon as possible.
Those with maintenance and repair responsibilities must assess and then deal with the risk, either by warning anyone liable to disturb the asbestos or by removing it, if it is in poor condition.
More than 3,000 people currently die each year in the UK from asbestos related disease—they were exposed to asbestos fibers some 30 40 years ago: the diseases have a lengthy latency period.
Around 500,000 premises are believed to still contain asbestos. In 1995 research carried out by Professor Peto and HSE indicated at least a quarter of those people dying from asbestos have worked in construction and building operations. While employers have an obligation to ensure the health and safety of their own workers, this cannot always be done as they are often completely unaware that the material they are working on contains asbestos.
The cost of implementing the regulations is estimated at 1.5 billion over a fifty-year period, during which time an estimated 4,700 lives will be saved.
Nick Brown, minister for Health and Safety, said: “The Government is committed to protecting people from the deadly effects of asbestos. Asbestos is the most serious occupational health problem, in terms of fatal disease, that the country faces and results in much human suffering and misery. These regulations will do much to prevent exposure today and prolonged illness and death in the future.”
Timothy Walker, director general of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said: “HSE estimates that some 4,700 people will die from asbestos related disease, unless the exposure to asbestos in commercial buildings is properly controlled. We are determined to get the message across; the risk from asbestos in buildings must be managed now, if we are to prevent the needless suffering from asbestos disease in the years to come.”
—Fionna Perrin
Reprinted with permission; copyright 2002 i-FM
