The need for the control of asbestos

The Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations place specific duties on employers, owners and those in control of buildings to manage the risks from asbestos fibres that may be released when building or maintenance work takes place.

The regulations require the following steps to be taken to manage the risk:

• find out if there is asbestos on the premises, its amount and what condition it is in
• presume materials contain asbestos, unless there is evidence that they do not
• make and keep up to date a record of the location and condition of the materials containing asbestos or which are presumed to contain asbestos
• carry out a risk assessment on materials containing asbestos
• prepare and implement a plan that sets out in detail how the risk from this material is going to be managed
• review and monitor the plan and the arrangements
• provide information on the location and condition of the material to anyone who is liable to work on or disturb it (including staff).

Specialist help is generally required to determine the presence of materials containing asbestos and to remove asbestos. This is for sure a health and safety risk and a danger hazard to look out for in the workplace in terms of the harm this can pose to workers should they breathe in the substance. The right measures and precautions all need to be addressed and considered and it is even more key to ensure members of staff are well drilled in how to handle this as a material.