UKATA Urges Councils to Prepare for HSE Inspections

UKATA Urges Councils to Prepare for HSE Inspections

The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) announced that they will be carrying out a programme of asbestos inspections of councils in conjunction with their “Asbestos Your Duty” Campaign.

The inspections will assess how councils are managing the risks from asbestos within the estates and meeting the ‘duty to manage’ (DTM) requirements under Regulation 4 of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 (CAR).

The regulations place duties on those with responsibility for the maintenance of work premises, including councils, to manage the risk from asbestos.

In public buildings, such as councils, the identity of the dutyholder will depend on how the responsibility for maintenance of the premises is allocated.

Who Will be Carrying out the Inspections?

HSE inspectors will visit the head offices of dozens of councils across the country to ensure asbestos risks are being managed effectively to keep people safe. Each council visit will see inspections take place at several different sites within each local authority’s property portfolio. This work continues previous inspection campaigns that targeted hospitals and schools.

What Should Councils do to Prepare for These Inspections?

In advance of the inspections, councils may wish to review their current arrangements and check that they are meeting their duties under CAR, which includes requirements to:

• Take reasonable steps to find out if there are asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) in their buildings, and if so, the amount, where it is and what condition it is in.
• Presume materials contain asbestos unless there is strong evidence that they do not.
• Make, and keep up to date, a record of the location and condition of any ACMs – or materials which are presumed to contain asbestos.
• Assess the risk of anyone being exposed to fibres from the materials identified.
• Prepare an asbestos management plan (AMP) that sets out in detail how the risks from these materials will be managed.
• Take the necessary steps to put the plan into action.
• Periodically review and monitor the plan and the arrangements, and act on the findings, so the plan and arrangements remain relevant and up to date.
• Provide information on the location and condition of the materials to anyone who is liable to work on, or disturb them.

Duty to Manage Asbestos Training

Launched almost 10 years ago, UKATA’s Duty to Manage Asbestos and Duty to Manage Asbestos - Appointed Person courses are intended to provide delegates with the understanding, theoretical and practical skills to undertake the management of asbestos.

As well as covering the skills needed to manage asbestos, the courses aim to teach those attending the need for an asbestos management plan and the vital uses it brings. Taken together, the courses are designed to decrease the danger of asbestos risk for those who may come into contact with the substance.

Speaking of the announcement to carry out asbestos inspections in council buildings, UKATA’s Chief Operating Officer, Craig Evans says “Since the launch of UKATA’s Duty to Manage Asbestos and Duty to Manage Asbestos - Appointed Persons courses in 2015, UKATA members have provided training to approximately 18,000 individuals within the UK alone.

It is essential for councils to recognise that these training resources are readily available to help them manage asbestos effectively. With many council buildings constructed or refurbished before the asbestos ban in 1999, the material remains prevalent across local authorities.

Adequate training for duty holders is critical to ensure the safety of themselves, their staff, contractors, residents, and visitors.”

Occupational lung disease including asbestos related lung cancer and mesothelioma is responsible for over 5,000 deaths each year in the UK, this figure includes healthcare professionals who have been exposed to asbestos during their working careers.

Helen Jones, HSE’s Head of Health and Public Services Sector, said:

“Local authorities have a hugely important role to play in keeping people safe. They can do this through the maintenance of their property portfolios and in their role as a regulator. To keep people safe from its harms, a culture of safely managing asbestos is needed in our building industry and among those responsible for buildings.

Asbestos exposure in Great Britain is still the single greatest cause of work-related deaths due to exposures decades ago. Together, we must protect people in the workplace and reduce future work-related ill health.

Those responsible for the maintenance of buildings must do everything to comply with the law and prevent exposure to this dangerous substance, which was widely used in post-war construction before it was completely banned in 1999] ”.

UKATA, a leading association, is dedicated to enhancing the quality and standards of asbestos training with the aim to shield workers and the public from the hazards of asbestos exposure.

The association collaborates closely with its members to guarantee that they have access to the latest information, training resources, and industry updates. They provide a suite of support services to assist them in accomplishing their training objectives. Their membership encompasses a diverse array of organisations involved in asbestos training, including training providers, asbestos removal contractors, consultants, and equipment suppliers.

UKATA is fervent about promoting safe and responsible working practices, committed to working with members and partners to realise a shared vision of protecting workers and the public from the hazards linked with asbestos exposure.