Health & Safety Guidance Notes: Asbestos - Duty to Manage

If you are responsible for maintenance and repair activities for non-domestic buildings you have a legal duty to mange the risk from asbestos on your premises.

It requires the dutyholder to:

• Take reasonable steps to find out if there are materials containing asbestos in non-domestic premises, and if so, its amount, where it is and what condition it is in;
• Presume materials contain asbestos unless there is strong evidence that they do not;
• Make, and keep up-to-date, a record of the location and condition of the asbestos containing materials - or materials which are presumed to contain asbestos;
• Assess the risk of anyone being exposed to fibres from the materials identified;
• Prepare a plan that sets out in detail how the risks from these materials will be managed;
• Take the necessary steps to put the plan into action;
• Periodically review and monitor the plan and the arrangements to act on it so that the plan remains relevant and up-to-date; and
• Provide information on the location and condition of the materials to anyone who is liable to work on or disturb them.

There is also a requirement on anyone to co-operate as far as is necessary to allow the dutyholder to comply with the above requirements.

Related Website

Health & Safety Executive

Related Documents

Guidance Notes - Printable version