Bridgend County Borough Council, Civic Offices, Angel Street, Bridgend, CF31 4WB

Tel: 01656 643643
Text: 01656 643644
Fax: 01656 668126
Email: talktous@bridgend.gov.uk

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Asbestos Management in the Workplace

While there are obligations under the Health and Safety At Work etc Act 1974, The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006 place responsibilities on owners and occupiers of non-domestic premises to identify any asbestos present and to manage the risk it poses.

The definition of non-domestic premises includes all commercial, public and industrial buildings (including vacant premises/sites and contaminated land), shared parts of domestic premises including housing developments and blocks of flats in 'rented' and 'owner' 'occupied' sectors. Common parts will include roof spaces, stairwells, corridors, yards, outhouses etc.

Gallery of asbestos containing materials

Who has the duty to manage?

Usually the duty to manage will fall to anyone who has the contractual responsibility for maintenance or repair of a non-domestic property. However if there is no responsibility then it will be the person in control of a premises.

What responsibilities does the duty to manage create?

The dutyholder must:

 

  Take reasonable steps to find out if there are materials containing asbestos in non-domestic premises, the amount, where it is and what condition it is in should be determined

  Presume materials contain asbestos unless there is strong evidence that they do not

  Produce a record of the location and condition of the asbestos containing materials – or materials which are presumed to contain asbestos

  Assess the risk of anyone being exposed to fibres from any materials identified

  Prepare a plan that sets out how the risks from these materials will be managed

  Take the necessary steps to implement the plan

  Periodically review and monitor the plan and the arrangements to act on it so that the plan remains relevant and up-to-date; and

  Provide information on the location and condition of the materials to anyone who is liable to work on them or disturb them

There is also a requirement on anyone to co-operate as far as is necessary to allow the dutyholder to comply with the above requirements.

How can Dutyholders comply?

There are three main steps:

 

  Find out whether the premise contains asbestos, and, if so, where it is and what condition it is in. If in any doubt, materials must be presumed to contain asbestos

  Assess the risk

  Make a plan to manage that risk and act on it

There are some basic principles to remember:

 

  Asbestos is only dangerous when disturbed. If it is safely managed and contained, it does not present a health hazard

  Don’t remove asbestos unnecessarily – removing it can be more dangerous than leaving it in place and simply 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 an initial survey

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 practical steps to protect maintenance workers and others from the possible risk of being exposed to asbestos fibres. It is not about removing all asbestos.

For further information on managing asbestos a .pdf version is available here of ‘A short guide to managing asbestos’.

Information about the types of asbestos surveys and asbestos removal

You can obtain general advice and guidance from:

Public Protection Department
Environmental and Planning Services Directorate
Bridgend County Borough Council
Civic Offices
Angel Street
Bridgend
CF31 4WB
Tel: (01656) 643260
Fax: (01656) 643285

publicprotection@bridgend.gov.uk

Or

The Health and Safety Executive
Phase 1
Government Buildings
Ty Glas
Llanishen
Cardiff
CF14 5SH
Tel: 029 20 263000