The Importance of Asbestos Awareness Training

As part of Asbestos Awareness Week, it’s important to highlight the ongoing risks associated with one of the most hazardous materials still present in the UK’s built environment. Although asbestos was banned in 1999, it was widely used in construction for decades prior, meaning it remains a significant concern in many residential and commercial buildings today.

When disturbed, asbestos fibres can become airborne and, if inhaled, are known to cause serious diseases including mesothelioma and lung cancer. In fact, asbestos-related deaths in the UK are estimated at around 5,000 each year, making it one of the leading causes of work-related fatalities.

For property managers and duty holders, understanding asbestos is about protecting the health and safety of occupants, contractors, and staff as well as meeting legal requirements. Current regulations place a clear responsibility on those managing buildings constructed before 2000 to identify, manage, and ensure appropriate training around asbestos risks.

In this article, we outline the legal training requirements, explain the different levels of asbestos training, and provide insight into how professional training can support safer property management.

The Legal Requirements

For the legal requirements, we refer to Regulation 10 of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012. It states that “every employer must ensure that their employees are given adequate information, instruction and training where that employee is, or is liable to be, exposed to asbestos, or if that employee supervises such employees.”

It’s down to individual building managers to determine what level of training may be “adequate” for each person under their supervision. For example, Asbestos Awareness (Category A) training may be suitable for anyone who may encounter asbestos during the course of their work, but who isn’t required to work directly with it. For anyone required to work with asbestos, higher-level training will be required to ensure their safety, as well as the safety of fellow workers, staff and residents.

Who Needs to Receive Training?

Essentially, anyone who works in the building, in any capacity, requires some training. Due to the level of risk involved with the disturbance of asbestos, everyone working in the building must be able to recognise it. They must also know what to do to protect themselves and others if they do find asbestos-containing materials on site. There are three levels of training:

•   Asbestos Awareness

•   Non-Licensable Work with Asbestos (Including Notifiable Non-Licensed Work)

•   Licensable Work with Asbestos

Depending on their roles, different staff and contractors will require different levels of training. It’s worth noting that attending a training course alone does not mean that a person is “competent”. The HSE defines competency as something that is “developed over time by implementing and consolidating skills learnt during training, on-the-job learning, instruction and assessment.”

Asbestos Awareness Training

This is the most basic level of training, intended for those who may come into contact with asbestos-containing materials but wouldn’t intentionally handle it in the course of their work. It’s designed to help people avoid disturbing any asbestos they happen to come across. Typically, people that fall into this category include:

•   Electricians

•   Plumbers

•   Joiners

•   Painters and decorators

•   Plasterers

•   Construction workers

•   Roofers

•   Gas, heating and ventilation engineers

•   Telecommunication engineers

•   Fire/burglar alarm installers

•   Architects and surveyors

While property managers aren’t usually the ones physically working with asbestos, it’s still really important for them to have a basic level of awareness. In many cases, they’re the ones organising maintenance works, instructing contractors, and overseeing what’s happening on site, so having a clear understanding of asbestos risks helps them make safer, more informed decisions.

Awareness training gives property managers the confidence to read asbestos reports, understand where risks might be, and ensure the right steps are taken before any work begins. It’s not about handling asbestos themselves, but about knowing enough to prevent it from becoming a problem in the first place.

This level of training should cover:

• The properties and dangers of asbestos

• The different types, uses and likely locations of asbestos

• The ideal procedures to deal with an emergency

• How to avoid the risk of exposure

Those who will deal with asbestos during the course of their work will need this training, as well as the additional training described below.

Non-Licensable Work (Including Notifiable Non-Licensed Work)

This training is for anyone who will be working directly with asbestos. Tasks that require this training include:

•   Drilling into asbestos-containing materials

•   Laying cables in areas containing undamaged asbestos-containing materials

•   Removing asbestos-containing floor tiles

•   Cleaning or repairing asbestos-containing cement sheet roofing or cladding

This training should cover everything in the Awareness Training detailed above, plus:

•   How to make suitable and sufficient assessments about the risk of exposure

•   Safe work practices and control measures

•   The selection and use of protective equipment

•   Waste-handling procedures

•   Emergency procedures

•   The relevant legal requirements

•   Circumstances when non-licensed work may be notifiable

The training should be geared towards the tasks required, so the list above is not set in stone. In addition to the training, employers should also make sure that these workers have seen a copy of the risk assessment, the plan of work and any results of air monitoring that may be applicable.

If requested, employers should also supply workers with the records for any control measures in place, their own personal health records, the results of any face-fit tests for respiratory protective equipment and a copy of their training record.

Licensable Work with Asbestos

Most of the time, licensed contractors will be required to work with asbestos. These are competent individuals who will need comprehensive training. The HSE guide for the licensable work with asbestos training is here along with their code of practice here.

In this instance, employers should supply workers with a copy of the risk assessment, the plan of work, the details of any air monitoring and details of the notification of work made to the enforcing authority.

Workers should also be supplied with the records for any control measures in place, their own personal health records, the results of any face-fit tests for respiratory protective equipment and a copy of the licence, plus anonymised information from collective health records.

4site Consulting Asbestos Awareness Training

Our experts deliver health and safety awareness training across a variety of subjects, including asbestos. Our asbestos awareness sessions cover:

•       What asbestos is, including the different types

•       The dangers of asbestos

•       Your duty to manage asbestos

•       The different types of asbestos surveys available

•       Explaining presumed/no access areas in your report and how to access these areas

Once the training is completed, we run a comprehensive Q&A session to answer any queries that may come to mind.

Delivered by our highly qualified asbestos experts, our course is specifically designed for property professionals and site-based staff. We supply a certificate of attendance to all participants for your CPD records. Sessions run for 1-2 hours and are best suited to groups of 8-10.

We can come to your offices or meet at a property you manage. You’re also welcome to come to our offices in Essex if that’s convenient for you. To book a place for yourself or your team, contact us directly on 01376 572936 or email office@4siteconsulting.co.uk.