Company fined £36,000 for failing to provide asbestos awareness training
A recent HSE enforcement case has highlighted the importance of asbestos awareness training for employees who could encounter asbestos during their normal work. A waste and recycling company in North Wales received a £36,000 fine after an HSE investigation found repeated failures relating to welfare facilities and asbestos awareness training. The company had also faced enforcement action on several occasions over an eleven-year period.
The case provides a timely reminder that asbestos training is not simply a box-ticking exercise. Employers must ensure that anyone liable to disturb asbestos during their normal work has the appropriate information, instruction and training to protect themselves and others.
Why asbestos awareness training matters
Asbestos remains present in many buildings constructed or refurbished before the UK’s asbestos prohibition came into force (1999). Maintenance workers, electricians, plumbers, joiners, roofers, demolition workers and other trades can encounter asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) during routine activities, as well as those that deal with waste material generated by the construction industry.
Importantly, workers do not need to carry out asbestos removal to face a potential exposure risk.
Drilling into a wall, lifting a ceiling tile, accessing a service void or replacing a piece of equipment can disturb an ACM if workers do not know what they are dealing with.
Asbestos awareness training helps workers recognise potential asbestos-containing materials and understand the risks posed by disturbing them. It does not qualify someone to carry out asbestos work.
The HSE identifies three broad categories of asbestos training:
- Asbestos awareness training – for people who may encounter asbestos during their normal work and need to avoid disturbing it.
- Non-licensed asbestos work training (often referred to as ‘Category B’) – for workers carrying out lower-risk work with asbestos that does not require a licence.
- Licensed asbestos work training (often referred to as ‘Category C’) – for higher-risk asbestos work that generally requires a licensed contractor and specialist training.
Employers need to identify which category applies to their workforce rather than assuming that a generic course covers every situation.
Training needs to match the work
The HSE’s latest information bulletin specifically reminds employers that anyone liable to disturb asbestos during their normal work, including supervisors, needs the appropriate level of training.
That requirement has implications for more than just individual tradespeople.
Building owners, landlords, facilities managers and employers responsible for maintenance activities all need to consider how their arrangements protect workers who may encounter ACMs.
A robust approach should consider:
- Who could encounter asbestos?
- What work could disturb ACMs?
- Does existing asbestos information cover the relevant areas?
- Have workers received suitable training, with regular Training Needs Analysis and refreshers?
- Do supervisors understand their responsibilities?
- How do workers access asbestos information before starting work, and is it being understood?
Training should also form part of a wider asbestos management system. Awareness training alone cannot compensate for an inadequate asbestos register, missing survey information or poor communication with contractors.
Don’t forget refresher training
The HSE also highlights the importance of maintaining and refreshing asbestos knowledge.
Refresher training does not necessarily need to involve repeating a formal training course every year. Employers can use e-learning, toolbox talks, safety briefings or other health and safety updates to reinforce key messages.
The important point is to prevent asbestos awareness from becoming something employees learned once several years ago, and have since forgotten. This should be reinforced with regular Training Needs Analysis (TNA).
Free HSE asbestos resources for employers
One particularly useful aspect of the HSE’s latest bulletin is a reminder of the range of free asbestos resources available to employers, managers, supervisors and workers.
The HSE’s Asbestos Essentials task sheets provide practical guidance for people working in building maintenance and allied trades. The A0 “Introduction to Asbestos Essentials” task sheet can help employers determine the category of asbestos work involved and consider how to plan the work safely.
The HSE also provides free resources through its Asbestos – Your Duty campaign, including:
- An on-demand asbestos webinar lasting approximately 90 minutes
- A 45-minute podcast
- A three-minute video explaining how to prepare for an HSE inspection
These resources provide a useful starting point for businesses reviewing their asbestos arrangements and training needs.
The HSE also provides information on asbestos information, instruction and training, alongside details of its one-day Asbestos Management in Buildings course and guidance on selecting appropriate training providers.
Training is only one part of asbestos management
The £36,000 fine demonstrates that employers cannot afford to overlook asbestos responsibilities. However, providing training represents only one element of effective asbestos management.
Employers and dutyholders should also ensure that they maintain suitable asbestos management plans, keep asbestos information up to date, communicate relevant information to contractors and arrange appropriate surveys before refurbishment, demolition or intrusive maintenance work.
Where existing information does not adequately identify ACMs in an area, workers should not simply rely on asbestos awareness training and proceed. Further investigation or surveying may be necessary before work begins.
Need help with your asbestos management or training?
The latest HSE enforcement action provides a useful opportunity for organisations to review whether their asbestos arrangements remain fit for purpose.
Casa Environmental Services can support dutyholders, property owners, facilities teams and contractors with asbestos surveys, asbestos management plans, asbestos training and ongoing asbestos management.
Whether you need to establish what asbestos information you currently hold, review your management arrangements or provide appropriate training for employees and contractors, getting the right advice before work begins can help prevent accidental exposure and costly enforcement action.
If you need support with your asbestos management or training requirements, contact Casa Environmental Services to discuss how we can help.
