Environmental Health Department Highlight The Legal Duty To Manage Asbestos

The duty to manage asbestos is contained within the requirements of the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations and this duty is directed at the people who manage non-domestic premises. Via this webpage Derry City Council would like to highlight the precautions required to manage the biggest occupation health killer in Northern Ireland.

The Mayor Helen Quigley with members of the Environmental Health Department Highlighting The Legal Duty To Manage Asbestos

Around 90 people die each year from asbestos-related disease in Northern Ireland and around 3500 in the UK in total. The introduction of this legislation requiring anyone with responsibility for the repair or maintenance of non-domestic premises is intended to save thousands of lives over the coming years.

Persons who may inadvertently disturb asbestos containing materials while working in buildings are considered now to be most at risk from exposure to asbestos, for example, electricians, plumbers, maintenance workers, joiners, computer engineers and even cleaners.

The ‘duty to manage’ is not about removing asbestos, but rather ensuring that the risk from any material containing the fibre is reduced, as Barry Doherty, Senior Environmental Health Officer, with Derry City Council explained,

“While it is now illegal to use asbestos, it was wildly used in the past and many tonnes of the material are still in place today. What is important to remember is that as long as asbestos is in good condition and is not likely to be disturbed or damaged, then the risk is negligible,” Mr Doherty also stated, “This legislation is about ensuring that where asbestos is still in place that it does not become a danger to health. This means that there is a requirement on anyone who is responsible for the repair or maintenance of buildings to determine the location and condition of any asbestos containing material, to keep and maintain an up-to-date record, to prepare a plan setting out how risks from the materials are to be managed, to implement the plan and review it regularly”.

Where the removal of asbestos from a premises is proposed, advice should be sought from the Asbestos Advisory service or Derry City Council’s Environmental Health Department.

The Environmental Health Department will make contact with a range of premises likely to be affected by the legislation to remind them of the legal duty to manage asbestos in their premises.

For further information on the duty to manage asbestos, contact
Environmental Health Department, Derry City Council, 028 71365151, or Asbestos Advisory Service, Free phone 0800 0320121. Further contect details can be found here.