Asbestos was commonly used within machinery, homes and commercial buildings up until 1999 when it was banned. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) states that asbestos kills approximately 5000 workers every year, more than the number of people killed on the road. It can take 15 to 60 years for any symptoms to develop after exposure and currently around 20 tradesmen die each week as a result of past exposure.
Control of Asbestos Regulations
The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 sets out the requirements that anyone working with asbestos must comply with. This includes the legal requirement for employers to ensure the safety of their employees, also covered by the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, and the duty to manage asbestos in non-domestic premises. The HSE aims to reduce work-related death, injury and ill health so it obliges employers and non-domestic building managers to manage the risk from asbestos.
The Regulations state that duty holders and employers must arrange training for anyone likely to be come into contact with asbestos or exposed to airborne asbestos fibres in their day to day work. SAMS Ltd is registered with UKATA for category A asbestos awareness training.
Compliance
The HSE works with local authority partners and the Office of Rail Regulation to inspect premises and construction sites, investigate and enforce regulations. Failure to comply with health and safety regulations can result in prosecution, which can lead to a substantial fine.
Two Northamptonshire firms fined after routine safety inspection revealed serious asbestos-related failings. During a site visit on 22 October 2013, HSE inspectors found AIB had been removed and stored on premises, and debris was found in waste skips around the site. One firm was fined £14,000 after pleading guilty to three breaches of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012, and the second firm was fined £10,000 after admitting one breach of the same regulations.
A Liverpool NHS Trust was fined £10,000 when it emerged employees may have been exposed to asbestos fibres. The organisation failed to act on survey carried out in 2006. They were fined £10,000 after pleading guilty to two breaches of Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.
Ensure the safety of your employees or fellow workers by complying with Control of Asbestos Regulations. Not only could asbestos failings negatively affect your bottom line, but the lives of your staff could depend on it.