How to deal with potential asbestos exposure at your site

If you suspect that asbestos is present in your building, it’s your duty under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 to take the appropriate steps to manage the material in a safe and responsible manner.

Corners can’t be cut. Responsibilities cannot be ignored. If you do fail to manage or dispose of asbestos correctly, you are placing yourself and your business at risk of being prosecuted.

As this recent case from Kent proves, penalties can run into the thousands (or even tens of thousands). Anyone who is the ‘duty holder’ in a non-domestic premises can be ordered to pay significant costs if the court finds that they did not manage the asbestos appropriately. In some situations where a serious breach has taken place, they can be fined and/or imprisoned for up to two years.  

So, without doubt, it pays to investigate the most appropriate way of dealing with the presence of asbestos at your premises. Otherwise, you could be risking people’s lives and paying the hefty price for your negligence – and ruining your company’s reputation.

Here’s what to do if you think you and your team are likely to be exposed to asbestos

You need to adopt the below checklist:

• Confirm who the ‘duty holder’ is. If it’s not you, your lease or contract should outline who is responsible for asbestos.

• Find out where the asbestos is, and what kind of threat it poses. We would recommend bringing in an accredited surveying company to carry out a full asbestos survey. (You should also make sure the surveyor is UKAS accredited, as this will ensure they conform to ISO/IEC17020:2012.)

• Keep a record of the results for reference.

• Digest the findings and assess the impact of the results for your premises.

• Raise awareness of the asbestos amongst anyone who is likely to come into contact with it (including builders).

• Keep anything that contains asbestos sealed or good repair, or programme to remove it. Follow your recommendations and your own impact assessment.

• Implement an Asbestos Management Plan.

• Make sure your key people have the appropriate asbestos training for the roles within your premises/organisation.

If you think you’re dealing with asbestos materials at your site but don’t know how to handle it, Environtec can help. 

We offer a full suite of asbestos-related services, from consultancy and surveying through to air monitoring, bulk analysis, full removal project management, and training.

Get in touch for more information or to discuss our availability.