What is asbestos - why is it problem?
Asbestos is a naturally occurring fibrous material and has been
used for about 150 years on a large scale. It is versatile,
plentiful and ideal as a fire-proofing and insulation material and
the three main types of asbestos that have been used commercially
are:
- Crocidolite - blue
- Amosite - brown
- Chrysotile - white
If a person inhales asbestos fibres (which are long and thin)
they can become lodged in the tissue of the chest and the body’s
natural defences may not be able to easily break them down. This
can lead to lung diseases (mainly cancers), particularly if the
person is repeatedly exposed to fibres over a number of years.
Why is it now a problem?
Asbestos was used extensively as a building material in the UK
from the 1950s through to the mid-1980s. It is a multi-purpose
building material and is ideal as a fireproofing and insulation
material. However any type of building built or refurbished up to
2000 including houses, factories, offices, schools, hospitals
etc, could still contain asbestos.
Generally, asbestos is only a risk if it is disturbed or damaged
causing the fibres to be released into the air. If asbestos
containing materials are in good condition and in a position where
they are not going to be disturbed or damaged then it is safer to
leave them where they are and ensure that the risks are
managed.
Airborne asbestos fibres can be deadly if they are inhaled over
a long period of time and can cause serious diseases which are
currently responsible for up to 3,500 deaths a year. There are
three main diseases caused by asbestos are:
- Lung Cancer;
- Asbestosis (which are almost always fatal); and
- Mesothelioma (which is always fatal).
What is of the most concern is that these diseases do not affect
people immediately but often much later on in life, so there is a
need for you to protect yourself now to prevent you contracting an
asbestos related disease in the future.
It is also important to remember that people who smoke and are
also exposed to asbestos fibres are at a much greater risk of
developing lung cancer.
See asbestos at work and
the
asbestos at home pages for more information. However, do
seek advice from us if you think you've got a problem with asbestos
at work or in your home.
Email us
or contact us on:
Tel 020 7332 3630
Fax 020 7332 1623
Asbestos at work
In the workplace, further
advice and information can be found on the
Asbestos
pages of the Health & Safety Executive website.
License
Under the Asbestos (Licensing) Regs 1983 (ASLIC), any work with
asbestos will require a contractor issued with a valid HSE asbestos
licence. This licence will firstly have been approved by ALU which
has been delegated by HSE to grant and review licences for asbestos
work as set out in ASLIC. This includes work with asbestos
insulation, asbestos coating or asbestos insulating board. All
applicants for a licence must intend to work with asbestos.
They also must satisfy HSE that they have adequate knowledge,
organisation and arrangements to carry out the work safely without
detriment to the health of their employees or others who could be
affected by their operation. The performance of these applicants
will be monitored by ALU via field operation reports which will
constantly review licensee’s suitability.
What if asbestos is in our offices or workplace?
Duty to manage
Under the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2002 employer,
the self-employed and those in control of premises all have a duty
to prevent exposure to asbestos. Where this is not reasonably
practicable, then they must make sure this it is kept as low as
reasonably practicable, and in any case below the specific control
limit.
Persons who own or who are respinsible for premsies must have
identified where if any, the asbestos is located in the premises
they are responsible for and must have recorded its locations and
drawn up a strategy or Action Plan for dealing with it. In many
cases, the “dutyholder” is the person or organisation that has
clear responsibility for the maintenance or repair of
non-domestic premises through an explicit
agreement such as a tenancy agreement or contract.
The extent of the duty will depend on the nature of that
agreement. In a building occupied by one leaseholder, the agreement
might be for either the owner or leaseholder to take on the full
duty for the whole building; or it might be to share the duty. In a
multi-occupied building, the agreement might be that the owner
takes on the full duty for the whole building. Or it might be that
the duty is shared – for example, the owner takes responsibility
for the common parts while the leaseholders take responsibility for
the parts they occupy. Sometimes, there might be an agreement to
pass the responsibilities onto a managing agent.
In some cases, there may be no tenancy agreement or contract.
Or, if there is, it may not specify who has responsibility for the
maintenance or repair of
non-domestic premises. In these cases, or
where the premises are unoccupied, the duty is placed on whoever
has control of the premises, or part of the premises. Often this
will be the owner.
What premises are affected?
The duty to manage covers all non-domestic premises. Such
premises include all industrial, commercial or public buildings
such as factories, warehouses, offices, shops, hospitals and
schools.
Non-domestic premises also include those ‘common’ areas of
certain domestic premises: purpose-built flats or houses converted
into flats. The common areas of such domestic premises might
include foyers, corridors, lifts and lift-shafts, staircases, roof
spaces, gardens, yards, outhouses and garages – but would not
include the flat itself. Such common areas would not include rooms
within a private residence that are shared by more than one
household such as bathrooms, kitchens etc in shared houses and
communal dining rooms and lounges in sheltered accommodation.
Further detail is set out in a
chart of premises on the HSE website and
includes which are likely to be classified as domestic or
non-domestic for the purposes of the duty to manage.
There are three essential steps dutyholders need take:
- Find out whether the premises contains
asbestos, and, if so, where it is and what condition it is in. If
in doubt, materials must be presumed to contain
asbestos;
- Assess the risk ; and
- Make a plan to manage that riskand act
on it.
Basic principles to remember:
- Asbestos is only dangerous when disturbed. If it is safely
managed and contained, it doesn’t present a health
hazard;
- Don’t remove asbestos unnecessarily – removing it can be more
dangerous than leaving it in place and managing it;
- Not all asbestos materials present the same risk. The measures
that need to be taken for controlling the risks from materials such
as pipe insulation are different from those needed in relation to
asbestos cement;
- Don’t assume you need to bring in a specialist in every case
(for example, you can inspect your own building rather than employ
a surveyor). But, if you do, make sure they are competent for
further details see the section on
surveys/surveyors.
- If you are unsure about whether certain materials contain
asbestos you can presume they do and treat them as such;
- Remember that the duty to manage is all about putting in place
the practical steps necessary to protect maintenance workers and
others from the risk of exposure to asbestos fibres. It is not
about removing all asbestos.
Further details of these steps can be found on pages 7-13 of
this downloadable pdf file from the HSE
‘A Short Guide to Managing Asbestos’(PDF file).
For details of more comprehensive publications see the HSE’s
further information page.
Control of Asbestos at Work (CAW) regulations 2002 (as amended)
These regulations require employers/the self-employed to prevent
exposure to asbestos, or, where this is not reasonably practicable,
to make sure this it is kept as low as reasonably practicable, and
in any case below the specific control limit. Our Environmental
Health Officers will be able to proviode you with more specific
information. The Health & Safety Executive also has
information of particular interest to employers, asbestos
contractors and others with duties under asbestos regulations,
together with those workers currently at greatest risk from
exposure to asbestos.
Contact us by
email or
by:
Tel 020 7332 3630
Fax 020 7332 1623