Amendments to the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations (CAWR) will create an explicit duty to assess and manage the risks from asbestos materials in premises. This will apply to almost every property on the country with the exception of owner occupied domestic dwellings. Thus all property owners, including local authority and housing associations, will need to:
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Take reasonable steps to determine the location/nature of asbestos and presumed asbestos materials present.
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Keep and maintain an up-to-date register of the location, condition, maintenance and removal of all asbestos materials.
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Manage all aspects of asbestos materials which are to remain in place.
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Inform anyone who is likely to disturb or contact such material about its location and condition.
The above are examples of the main requirements under the new regulations but clearly the first action of a responsible property owner should be to prepare a detailed asbestos surveys of their property(s) that records the locations, extent, type, condition, accessibility and surface treatment of all confirmed or suspected asbestos materials.
This type of survey requires specialist experience, knowledge and analytical back-up and should be carried out by an accredited laboratory.
