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HSL investigation refutes asbestos claims over safe cement

The Health and Safety Laboratory (HSL) have investigated claims that chrysotile in asbestos cement changes into a non-asbestos fibrous material called Casitile. The claims also suggested that this process is 100% efficient and no chrysotile asbestos remains in the matrix and no release of airborne chrysotile fibres can occur.

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Asbestos: Your duties as an employer

Asbestos is Britain's top workplace killer. Mesothelioma alone kills around 2,000 people every year and this number is rising. Lung cancer linked to asbestos exposure, almost certainly kills even more. Asbestos also causes lung scarring (Asbestosis), pleural thickening - which causes breathing difficulties, and pleural plaques - shadows on the lung which have been linked to future cancer risk.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) advises that a "significant" asbestos risk could remain in hundreds of thousands of commercial buildings, in lagging, partition walls, fire insulation, ceiling and floor tiles, roofing sheets, felt and other common building materials. They also warn that over a quarter of all asbestos deaths today are in workers who have been exposed in construction, maintenance and related trades like painting, plumbing and building services which brought them into contact with asbestos.

The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006 took effect in November 2006 and contain several new measures that apply to all work with asbestos materials carried out by employers, the self-employed and employees, whether this work requires a licence or not.

These measures include:

The Duty to manage asbestos in non-domestic premises

The person or persons, by contract, ownership or control of a building have a duty to manage any asbestos it contains. This "duty holder" has to take reasonable steps to find out if asbestos is present in the premises, how much, and in what condition. It should be assumed asbestos could be present until a full asbestos survey is carried out. The results of any asbestos survey should be recorded and the information provided to safety representatives and anyone who may work with or disturb these materials.

Identifying asbestos

Employers must not carry out demolition, maintenance or any other work which may expose employees to asbestos unless they have established whether asbestos is, or may be, present; the type of asbestos and its condition. If there is any doubt, the employer should assume asbestos is present, and that it is not only white asbestos, until a full asbestos survey is carried out

Asbestos plan of work

No work should be carried out with asbestos without a written plan of work. Safety representatives should ensure there is a plan covering work methods, what happens to waste and how the employer will ensure the plan is followed.

Asbestos information, instruction and training

The employer must give adequate training, information and instruction to employees who are, or may be, exposed to asbestos, their supervisors and those who do work to help the employer comply with the regulations. The training must be given at regular intervals.

Preventing or reducing asbestos exposure

Employers have a duty to prevent exposure so far as is reasonably practicable. If exposure cannot be prevented, it must be reduced without workers having to use masks. If that has been done but the exposure would still be above the control limit, the employer has to provide suitable masks that reduce workers' exposure as far as is reasonably practicable below the control limit.

If any employee is exposed above the control limit, the employer must:

• Inform the employee and their representatives
• Ensure work stops until action has been taken to reduce exposure to below the control limit
• Identify why the control limit was exceeded and take action to prevent it happening again
• Take air samples to make sure any action was effective

Asbestos testing

All air testing, sampling of asbestos and, from 6 April 2007, clearance certification must be carried out by someone who is properly accredited.

Health and medical surveillance

With only a few exceptions, where exposure is very low for each employee who is exposed to asbestos, employers have to: keep a health record, retaining it(or a copy) for at least 40 years; ensure employees are under adequate medical surveillance; provide a medical examination at least every two years while such exposure continues, with certificates of examination kept for four years; and tell the employee if the medical shows any disease or health effect from the exposure.

The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006

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