HSE’s New Campaign: Council’s Asbestos Management Inspection

The HSE have recently launched their most recent asbestos campaign to monitor Local Authority’s Asbestos Management.

This campaign is set to include hundreds of inspections of council buildings, to ensure Councils are managing the risk of asbestos effectively and in compliance with legislation.

HSE inspectors are planning to inspect the head offices of dozens of Councils across the country to ensure the management of asbestos is being undertaken properly to keep people safe. These visits will be to several different sites within each local authority’s portfolio, continuing previous inspection campaigns that targeted hospitals and schools.

The aim of these inspections is to assess how these local authorities are managing the risks of asbestos within their buildings and measuring how they’re meeting the Duty to Manage requirements under Regulation 4 of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 (CAR).

The ‘Duty to Manage Asbestos’ covers a diverse range of buildings, including a number regulated by the HSE, and a number regulated by the HSE’s colleagues in Local Authorities. These visits will look specifically at the asbestos management in public buildings, such as leisure centers, libraries, and museums.

These visits are a crucial part of monitoring the compliance to ‘Asbestos: Your Duty’. People who work within these buildings are not at risk of exposure to asbestos as long as it is properly managed. There is the risk of exposure when asbestos is damaged/ disturbed.

Helen Jones, the HSE’s Head of Health and Public Services Sector, said: “Local Authorities have a hugely important role in keeping people safe.

They can do this through the maintenance of their property portfolios and in their role as a regulator.”

Premises built before the year 2000, and especially those between 1950 and 1980, when the use of asbestos in construction was at its peak, must carry out the necessary checks, understand their legal responsibilities and actively manage any asbestos they are responsible for.

Upon visiting these buildings, the HSE will check how asbestos is managed, ensuring they have the right arrangements in place.

How can Casa help?

Asbestos exposure remains the single greatest cause of work-related deaths in Great Britain, due to exposures decades ago.

Casa is here to assist with every aspect of asbestos management compliance. Our Asbestos Management Portal allows you to manage all aspects of your asbestos portfolio from a single place. We’re here for ongoing advice and consultancy services.

You can read more about this campaign from the HSE here and get in contact with Casa for support here.