IATP Asbestos Awareness & Category B: Non-Licensed Works
Asbestos Awareness and know-how are absolutely essential to allow personnel to recognise Asbestos Containing Materials (ACMs), prevent health risks from exposure and abide by UK law.
The current law, the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 (CAR 2012), requires property owners and occupiers (dutyholders) in non-domestic premises to manage asbestos in their buildings, which includes identifying, assessing, and controlling its presence.
Asbestos existing in the environment doesn’t mean you’ll be exposed to it – you must actually come into contact with its fibres. Exposure can happen through breathing it in (inhalation), swallowing it (ingestion), or absorbing it through the skin. Once contact occurs, the health risks depend on several factors, such as how much asbestos you were exposed to (the dose), how long the exposure lasted, the method of exposure, the type of asbestos involved, and whether you were also exposed to other chemicals.
Employees whose routine tasks may involve disturbing asbestos must receive proper training either to handle it safely or to identify its presence and cease work immediately. Anyone whose role might disrupt asbestos materials – or who oversees or directs such activities – should be equipped to recognise asbestos-containing materials and take steps to prevent disturbance.