Asbestos at Work - Are You Ready for the New Rules?

More than one million workplace premises nation-wide are thought to contain some form of asbestos. The Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2002 will finally come into force in May this year in an attempt to tackle the problem. But despite businesses having had a lead in time for compliance a recent survey by Zurich Risk Services revealed that two-thirds of British businesses were unprepared for the new regulations and only 54 per cent were aware of them. Although these figures are likely to have improved by now, a significant number, in particular smaller businesses, still lag behind.

The Regulations and the accompanying statutory guidance will introduce new duties on "employers" to carry out a suitable and sufficient assessment to determine whether asbestos is or is liable to be present on their premises. It provides that any person who has an obligation to carry out maintenance and/or repair of any premises must also take reasonable measures to enable the employer to comply