ASBESTOS LAWS KEEPING YOU INFORMED ON THE LATEST ASBESTOS RULES AND REGULATIONS

Home | Laws on Asbestos | Asbestos Poisoning | Asbestos Removal | Asbestos Related Illnesses

Laws on Asbestos

The Regulations for the Control of Asbestos were introduced in November 2006 (Asbestos Regulations - SI 2006/2739)

Previously there existed three seperate sats of regulations that have now been combined under the new act. The previous asbestos control regulations were as follows:
1) Prohibition of asbestos.
2) Control of asbestos in the workplace.
3) Asbestos licensing.

The new regulations prohibit the importation, supply and use of all forms of asbestos. They continue the original ban introduced for blue and brown asbestos in 1985 and for white asbestos in 1999, they also continue to ban the second-hand use of asbestos products such as asbestos cement sheets and asbestos boards and tiles; including panels which have been covered with paint or textured plaster containing asbestos.

Remember

The ban applies to new use of asbestos. If existing asbestos containing materials are in good condition, they may be left in place, their condition monitored and managed to ensure they are not disturbed.

Duty to manage asbestos

The Asbestos Regulations also include the 'duty to manage asbestos' in non-domestic premises. Guidance on the duty to manage asbestos can be found in the Approved Code of Practice The Management of Asbestos in Non-Domestic Premises, L127, ISBN 9780 7176 6209 8 and on the duty to manage area of this website.
Training

The Regulations require mandatory training for anyone liable to be exposed to asbestos fibres at work (see regulation 10). This includes maintenance workers and others who may come into contact with or who may disturb asbestos (eg cable installers) as well as those involved in asbestos removal work.

Working with asbestos

When work with asbestos or work which may disturb asbestos is being carried out, the Asbestos Regulations require employers and the self-employed to prevent exposure to asbestos fibres. Where this is not reasonably practicable, they must make sure that exposure is kept as low as reasonably practicable by measures other than the use of respiratory protective equipment. The spread of asbestos must be prevented. The Regulations specify the work methods and controls that should be used to prevent exposure and spread.

Worker exposure must be below the airborne exposure limit (Control Limit). The Asbestos Regulations have a single Control Limit for all types of asbestos of 0.1 fibres per cm3. A Control Limit is a maximum concentration of asbestos fibres in the air (averaged over any continuous 4 hour period) that must not be exceeded.

In addition, short term exposures must be strictly controlled and worker exposure should not exceed 0.6 fibres per cm3 of air averaged over any continuous 10 minute period using respiratory protective equipment if exposure cannot be reduced sufficiently using other means.

Respiratory protective equipment is an important part of the control regime but it must not be the sole measure used to reduce exposure and should only be used to supplement other measures. Work methods that control the release of fibres such as those detailed in the Asbestos Essentials task sheets for non-licensed work should be used. Respiratory protective equipment must be suitable, must fit properly and must ensure that worker exposure is reduced as low as is reasonably practicable.