Compliance hub / Sector guide
Asbestos — Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012
Around 5,000 people in the UK still die each year from asbestos-related disease. Any non-domestic building constructed or refurbished before 2000 is presumed to contain asbestos until proved otherwise — and the duty to manage falls on whoever has the maintenance and repair obligation.
What the law says
The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 (CAR 2012) require duty-holders to find out whether asbestos is present, record its location and condition in an asbestos register, assess the risk, and put a written management plan in place. Work that disturbs asbestos is split into three tiers: non-licensed (lowest risk), notifiable non-licensed (NNLW — must be notified to HSE), and licensed (highest risk — only licensed contractors). Asbestos awareness training is mandatory for anyone whose work could disturb it.
Recommended starter spec
- Asbestos management survey (or demolition / refurb survey before invasive work).
- Asbestos register kept current, location plans accessible to contractors.
- Written management plan including monitoring, repair and removal triggers.
- UKATA asbestos-awareness training for maintenance staff and contractors.
- Permit-to-work system that flags asbestos-containing materials before work starts.
- Health surveillance for workers in licensed and NNLW activities.
Common gaps we find
- Asbestos register based on a 'visual' survey rather than a sampled management survey.
- Contractors signed in without seeing the register.
- Refurbishment work started without a refurbishment survey.
- Awareness training over 12 months out of date.
- Damaged asbestos materials logged but never re-inspected.