Asbestos Awareness Campaign - Ten Key Facts
1 October 2002
"A Comprehensive Guide to Managing Asbestos in Premises" lists the following 10 Key Facts;
- If you don't manage asbestos in your premises, you could be putting your employees and other peoples health at risk.
- Exposure to asbestos occurs when you or others disturb it, releasing fibres into the air we breathe.
- Asbestos in good condition should be left in place and managed.
- Most work on asbestos requires a license, but some minor work on asbestos can be done without a license if the correct precautions are followed.
- Regulation 4 of the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations is a duty to manage, not a duty to survey.
- You don't always have to do a survey, but you do have to manage your asbestos-containing materials (ACMs).
- A bad survey is worse than not carrying out a survey.
- Managing asbestos means maintaining your ACMs in good condition to protect two groups of people. Those who work on the fabric of the building (electricians, plumbers etc) and those who work in the building (eg plant and office workers, cleaners etc) who may come into contact or work near damaged or deteriorated ACMs.
- Damaged or deteriorated ACMs should be repaired or removed, or isolated until remedial action can be taken.
- Your Asbestos Management Plan is your way of ensuring that your employees or others do not disturb your ACMs. It can take many forms and need not be complex, but it does need to be effective.