Regulations

Asbestos in the workplace

Regulation 4 “Duty to Manage”

• The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006, requires the following:

“all non-domestic property owners, those who lease and are responsible for maintenance, to manage Asbestos in properties.”

• This means that whoever has control of a building has a Legal duty to manage the Asbestos in their building(s). The duty holder has to take reasonable steps to find out if there are materials containing Asbestos in their premises and if so, how much, where they are and in what condition they are in. An Asbestos survey is the best way to ascertain this information.

Did you know asbestos can be found here?

Asbestos Pipe Insulation	Asbestos Wall and Ceiling Cladding as well as textured coatings	Asbestos Soffits, Under-cloaks and Fascia boards

An extract from Home Information Pack Regulations 2006

Objective

"The aim of the Home Information Pack programme is to make buying and selling a home simpler, quicker and less stressful for consumers. By ensuring that the key information is provided at the outset, the process should be more transparent, fewer transactions should fail and wasted cost should be reduced"

Proposed Solution

"The government proposes to meet this objective by requiring sellers of residential properties in England and Wales to produce a standard pack of information, referred to as a 'HOME INFORMATION PACK' . The pack must be produced for a property marketed for sale and must be made available to prospective buyers, The relevant legislation will come into force on 1st August 2007."

Although an Asbestos Survey is not a compulsory part of the Home Information pack, we would recommend any buyer or seller to consider it as an important aspect of any sale or purchase. Asbestos should be managed correctly and can impose financial as well as health risks if not properly identified.

Properties built pre-1990’s could very well contain Asbestos due to its high use in the construction and building industries. Properties built since the mid-1990’s are unlikely to contain Asbestos, although it is not unheard of. However properties constructed after 1990’s are very unlikely to contain Asbestos anywhere in the building.

REMEMBER: It is important to identify all accessible Asbestos containing materials as required within the “Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2006”. Although these Regulations do not at present apply to domestic properties, the risks are identical. Avoid disturbing or damaging Asbestos materials in a good condition. Avoid creating Asbestos dust. Avoid breathing in Asbestos dust. If you have damaged or deteriorating Asbestos materials in your home or work place then SEEK ADVICE. IF IN ANY DOUBT - SEEK ADVICE!