Asbestos is the greatest cause of work-related deaths in Great Britain. Around 5,000 people die every year from asbestos-related diseases which typically take decades to develop and cannot be cured. HSE has refreshed its guidance on asbestos to help you protect yourself and your workers.
The HSE website has been updated to:
• simplify the navigation to help you easily find the information you need
• remove outdated content and replace it with up-to-date, refreshed guidance
Their updated webpages include the following improvements:
Introduction to asbestos safety
A step guide explaining:
• the dangers of asbestos, where you can find it and identifying if it is present
• how to comply with the law, depending on your job role
• how employers should carry out a risk assessment
• training and information for work involving asbestos
It also summarises how to decide if a licensed asbestos contractor must do any work.
Duty to manage asbestos in buildings
Guidance for the person who has a legal duty to manage asbestos in a building – the dutyholder. They must protect people from the risks of exposure to asbestos. This includes people who:
• work in their buildings
• use them in other ways
The step guide includes guidance on:
• what the legal duty is
• training for duty to manage
• who the dutyholder is, depending on the type of building etc
• what the dutyholder must do
• selecting a competent asbestos surveyor and checking the accuracy of the survey report
• examples of how asbestos can be managed
• new templates and examples of an asbestos register, a site plan and an asbestos management plan
A workers’ guide to asbestos safety
Guidance which explains what workers and their employers must do to protect themselves and others from asbestos. It includes:
• what workers should do if they think they have found asbestos
• workers most likely to come across asbestos
This includes videos summarising the guidance for workers.
Locations of asbestos and taking the right action
This webpage includes an image gallery that can help you identify asbestos in typical locations and take the right action to minimise exposure. For each asbestos product type, the HSE explains:
• where they are found
• what they look like
• who can work on them