Asbestos Risk Management

Asbestos

Asbestos is a fibrous material which can cause serious disease. If your premises contain buildings constructed in the 20th century, asbestos may be present.

Follow our risk management guide to limit the potential harm that might result due to asbestos exposure.

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Legal obligations

According to the Control of Asbestos Regulations, anyone responsible for the maintenance or repair of non-domestic premises has a statutory duty to manage the risk from asbestos that might be present in those premises. You must comply if you:

Own a building
Are responsible for the building through a contract or agreement
Have control of the building but have no formal contract or agreement in place
Are the owner and have taken responsibility in a multi-occupancy building for maintenance and repairs for the whole building

To meet your duty, you must:

Discover if asbestos is present and assess the risk of anyone being exposed. Make and keep suitable records of this
Create a plan setting out how you will manage the risks of exposure, put the plan into action and review it periodically
Provide information on the location and condition of affected materials to anyone liable to work on them or disturb them

When you are conducting work around Asbestos Containing Materials (ACMs) you need to comply with a more extensive list of requirements. See www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/index.htm. You may also have responsibilities where construction work is conducted on your premises, as a ‘client’ under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations.

Example hazards

Loose asbestos used as loft insulation
Sprayed asbestos for fire protection in ducts and to structural steel work, fire breaks in ceiling voids etc.
Lagging as thermal insulation for pipes and boilers
Asbestos insulating boards (AIBs) user for fire protection, as thermal insulation or as wall partitions and in ducts, soffits, ceiling, and wall panels
Asbestos cement products (including flat or corrugated sheets) used as roofing and wall cladding, gutters, rainwater pipes, water tanks etc.
Certain textured coatings such as decorative plasters and paints
Bitumen or vinyl materials used as roofing felt, floor and ceiling tiles etc.

Example precautions you can take

Removing ACMs
Repairing or encapsulating damaged ACMs
Monitoring the condition of ACMs periodically
Providing adequate information to any relevant parties
Labelling ACMs where practical

Risk management overview

Identify what ACMs are present at your premises, their location, and their condition. Record all this information
Assess the risk from any ACMs that are present and record this
Prepare a written plan which illustrates how you will manage the risks from ACMs the implement the plan
Make sure all employees and volunteers are aware of the actions you are taking and what they should do if they disturb or come across asbestos

Keep records of everything you have done and update them periodically
Provide relevant information to all parties if you are considering construction work
Document all your arrangements and responsibilities for managing asbestos and review these periodically

Asbestos risk management

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