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European Week of Safety and Health 2003

Safety Reps’ checklist on the duty to manage asbestos

Drawn up jointly by the HSE and TUC

five questions to ask duty holders about asbestos (and the type of answers to expect)

New legal duties come into force in January 2004 requiring duty holders (mostly employers, but sometimes building owners etc) to manage the risks of asbestos in the built working environment. This checklist has been drawn up by the TUC and the Health and Safety Executive as a guide to the key issues workplace union safety representatives should be asking, and the responses that they should get.

1. Have you checked whether asbestos is present in your buildings?

• a survey/inspection has been planned for ……(date);

• a survey/inspection has been done to find materials that might have asbestos in them;

• an expert has checked and confirmed whether or not the materials have asbestos in them; or

• it has been assumed that unknown materials contain asbestos.

2. Have you got a record or drawing which clearly shows where in your buildings the asbestos is and what condition it is in?

• a record or drawing showing where it is and what it looks like has been done;

• a register has been drawn up listing all the asbestos materials and their condition; or

• this will be done when the survey/inspection is finished.

3. How are you managing the asbestos in your buildings?

• the badly damaged asbestos has been removed, or sealed to stop fibres being released;

• the undamaged asbestos has been labelled/colour coded;

• a nominated person controls maintenance work;

• building and maintenance workers are told where the asbestos is before they start any work; or

• the asbestos is regularly checked every year to make sure it has not deteriorated or been damaged.

4. How are you warning people who might work on or damage the asbestos in your buildings?

• workers are told where the asbestos is and whether the asbestos is damaged or undamaged;

• workers are given a plan with this information on;

• workers are told the building may contain asbestos and they should treat the material as if it does; or

• workers have been/will be given awareness training so that they do not disturb/damage the asbestos and know what to do if they find damaged material.

5. How are you checking that your management systems that are meant to prevent exposure to asbestos actually work and continue to do so?

• the arrangements to control the risk are periodically reviewed as a matter of course;

• spot checks are done to make sure the building/maintenance worker is getting the right information and working safely; or

• any changes in the use of the building or the condition of the asbestos are dealt with.

IF THE DUTYHOLDER CANNOT ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS, OR GIVES YOU ANOTHER ANSWER, THEN 'WARNING BELLS' SHOULD SOUND

REMEMBER - AS A SAFETY REP YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO THIS INFORMATION AND TO BE CONSULTED ABOUT WHAT YOUR EMPLOYER IS DOING TO MANAGE THE RISKS OF ASBESTOS EXPOSURE

Further details on the new duty to control asbestos is on the HSE website at http://www.hse.gov.uk/campaigns/asbestos/index.htm#2

Briefing document (600 words) issued 15 Oct 2003