Asbestos

 
 

What the Law Says

What does the Law say?

Regulation 4 of the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2002 requires that if you own, occupy, manage or have responsibilities for non-domestic premises that may contain asbestos, you will either have:

  • a legal duty to manage the risk from this material; or
  • a duty to co-operate with whoever manages that risk.

If you have information on the whereabouts of asbestos within non-domestic premises you will be required to make this information available to those responsible for managing that risk.

(Note: the term non-domestic premises includes the common parts of residential accommodation comprising self-contained flats.)

 

How is the Risk of Fibre Release Assessed?

The following factors represent some of the key considerations:

  • The condition of the asbestos containing material (ACM) – is it damaged?
  • The type of ACM Generally the softer the product the higher the asbestos content and the more easily it is damaged.
    (The list of ACM's above is in decreasing order of risk, based on these factors. For example sprayed asbestos has a high fibre content, is soft and easily damaged or disturbed)
  • Likelihood of disturbance
    This would take account of the location of the ACM in relation to human activity within the building and in particular the likelihood of it being disturbed during a maintenance activity.

 

Further information

Guidance
Detailed guidance on managing ACMs in non-domestic premises may be found on the HSE website and in the following publications:

  • The Management of Asbestos in Non-domestic Premises (Approved Code of Practice) L127
  • The Comprehensive guide to Managing Asbestos in Premises (HSG 277)

Both of these publications are available from HSE books. I want to visit HSE Books website I want to visit the HSE website