Increasing asbestos awareness and reducing risk of exposure with reportable and non-licensable work

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) estimates that there are still some four million properties across the UK, which are likely to contain hidden asbestos materials, and which are often in a friable (brittle and disintegrating) condition. Any attempt to remove them can result in the fibers becoming airborne and inhaled by anyone nearby, from the home owner or tenant, to company employees, public visitors, and construction and construction workers. demolition.

It is often reported that too many companies still appear to have little or no asbestos awareness or training to properly address potential health risks. To minimize time and cost, health and safety procedures are often simply ignored when existing asbestos-containing building materials (ACM) are dismantled and disposed of along with standard construction waste.

The 2012 Asbestos Control Regulation, which came into force on April 6, updates previous asbestos regulations by implementing EU Directive 2009/148/EC, and targets changes by around three-quarters of a million of workers in companies involved in asbestos work not subject to a license. . From now on, the “Non-Licensable” category of asbestos work will be split into two with an additional category, to be known as “Non-Licensable Reportable Work” (NNLW).

According to the HSE, “All unlicensed work must be carried out with the appropriate controls in place. Employers will also be required to report Unlicensed Work (NNLW)”, which means they must:

• Notify the works with asbestos to the corresponding application authority.
• Ensure that medical examinations are carried out.
• Keep work records (sanitary records).

The process involves specifying whether a type of asbestos work is licensed, NNLW, or unlicensed work in each case. To do this, a risk assessment must first be carried out to identify the type of asbestos-containing material (ACM) and an assessment of its condition.

If the work is exempt from the need for a license, then it must be determined whether it is a reportable unlicensed work or simply an unlicensed work. The HSE advises that the key factors to consider are based on the type of work planned, whether it is maintenance, removal, encapsulation or air monitoring and the collection and analysis of asbestos samples.

Identifying the type of asbestos is crucial. Although the most toxic forms were banned from use in 1985, white chrysotile asbestos fibers continued to be incorporated into a variety of building materials, including insulating boards (AIBs), cement roofs, surface coatings and sprayed insulation, shingles and soffits, fillers and adhesives. applause, etc. A chrysotile import ban in 1999 was followed by a total ban in 2005. However, any property built or renovated at any time up to the late 20th century must be presumed to contain asbestos material.

Asbestos that is in a brittle and friable condition is particularly prone to releasing fibers and is likely to be designated as NNLW, while work that disturbs less friable materials, for example asbestos cement, can usually be treated as non-friable work. license. Encapsulated asbestos, such as cement, paint, or plastic, that is considered to be firmly attached to a matrix, is more likely to be in good condition and can generally be treated as unlicensed work.

The ever-present risk is disturbance and inhalation of asbestos fibers. Once ingested, they embed themselves in the lining of the lungs and can eventually cause the disease asbestosis or form the deadly and incurable tumors of mesothelioma cancer.

It is known that a long gestation period of between 15 and 50 years elapses before the first symptoms of asbestosis appear, by which time the disease may have spread to adjacent tissues or organs. The survival rate of a patient after a consistent diagnosis can be less than 6 months.

Under the requirements of the NNLW, the HSE requires that “brief written records of unlicensed work must be kept, which must be reported, for example, a copy of the notice listing workers present on site, plus the level of probable exposure”. of those workers to asbestos”.

By April 2015, each and every worker exposed to asbestos must be under medical “watch” every three years. The employer must keep a log for each worker, which records the type and duration of work performed with asbestos and must be kept for at least 40 years along with copies of all medical reports.

The HSE states that “workers already under health surveillance for licensed work do not need to have another medical examination for unlicensed work, but medical reportable unlicensed work is not acceptable for those doing licensed work.”

With more than 1.8 million people exposed to asbestos annually and at least 2,000 cases of mesothelioma diagnosed annually, the new Regulations are an attempt to reduce the disregard for health and safety in property renovations when potential danger still exists. from exposure to asbestos.