New asbestos safety and management resources now available from HSE

In case you missed it, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has published new asbestos content online.

The Executive recently removed its outdated web pages and replaced them with updated guidance on matters relating to asbestos management and asbestos safety.

This revised content is something of a Christmas present for our sector. It’s an excellent resource for both licenced asbestos contractors and employers/employees who are looking for approved advice from a reliable central source.

What’s new?

HSE’s simplified navigation makes it much easier to find information on all the available topics relating to asbestos. Specific improvements include:

• A step guide: Introduction to asbestos safety. As well as providing a brief but important overview of asbestos and its dangers, this also summarises how to decide if a licensed asbestos contractor must do any work.
  
• An updated Duty to Manage Asbestos in Buildings guidance, including a step guide and new templates and examples of an asbestos register, a site plan, and an asbestos management plan. This is a very comprehensive resource designed for anyone who has a legal duty to manage asbestos in a property (otherwise known as the ‘dutyholder’).
  
• A new workers’ guide to asbestos safety that explains what workers and their employers must do to protect themselves and others from asbestos. In our view, it’s vital that both business owners and their staff have a solid understanding of the risks of asbestos in the workplace and the procedures that must be followed if asbestos is suspected to be present in, or found within, a building.
  
• An updated image gallery that can help users identify asbestos in typical locations and decide upon the action they need to take to minimise exposure. This page reiterates that any high-risk work must be undertaken by a contractor that has been licensed by the HSE.

You can view the guidance overview page here.