SB-001-2024-HSE Asbestos campaign – your duty

Bulletin detail 

HSE has launched a new campaign to highlight the risk of asbestos in buildings and raise awareness of the legal duty to manage those risks.  HSE states that “asbestos exposure in Great Britain is still the single greatest cause of work-related deaths due to exposures decades ago.”

The Asbestos – Your Duty campaign targets duty holders with responsibility for managing asbestos in buildings. Duty holders are usually the building owner, landlord or organisation with responsibility for building maintenance and repair.

The HSE has updated their web pages on the duty to manage asbestos, these pages provide guidance on:

• What the legal duty is and how to comply with the law.
• Who the duty holder is and what they must do.
• New templates for asbestos management plans and asbestos register.
• Examples of how asbestos can be managed.

A new HSE video outlines the basic steps required to manage asbestos and protect people from the risks of exposure.

New ‘where asbestos hides’ posters are also available to purchase from the HSE website, showing common locations for asbestos.  

Action for Members 

Members can answer a few simple questions on the HSE website to help identify if they have a legal duty to manage asbestos: Duty to Manage Asbestos (involve.me).

Members may consider using the resources from the HSE website as the basis for toolbox talks to raise awareness within their workforce.  Employees involved in carrying out building maintenance activities may also require asbestos awareness training.

It is recommended that members review arrangements for managing asbestos including asbestos surveys, registers, management plans, and the provision of information to employees and contractors.

PSS Safety Bulletins 

The PSS Safety Bulletin process intends to share information with our members relating to new developments or changes in the industry which may be of interest. These Safety Bulletins are in addition to PSS Safety Alerts which relate to a specific accident or incident and the related learning outcomes which may help members prevent a repeat event.