The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has announced that hundreds of council buildings will inspected.
As the pressure to remove all asbestos from public buildings mounts via two separate press campaigns, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), have announced that hundreds of Council buildings are to be inspected to check how Local Authorities are managing asbestos risks within their buildings – according to the Journal, Government Business (5 December 2024).
The inspections form part of the HSE’s own campaign “Asbestos – Your Duty”, which was originally launched in January 2024 and has previously seen the inspection of a number of schools. Local Authorities have a “Duty to Manage” asbestos risks pursuant to The Control of Asbestos Regulations (2012) (Regulation 4).
Broadly stated, this duty encompasses a requirement to identify and record the presence of asbestos and take steps to ensure that it is not disturbed or dislodged. Presently, there is no positive duty on duty holders to remove asbestos if it can be left safely in situ.
Buildings built prior to 1999 when the use of all types of asbestos was outlawed, are those most at risk, as the use of asbestos within construction materials was most prevalent in the 1950’s, 1960’s and 1970’s.
The HSE estimates that past asbestos exposure is responsible for approximately 5,000 deaths per annum.
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