New 'Duty To Manage' Rules For Hidden Killer

Figures show that 66% Of companies are unprepared for new 'Duty To Manage' legislation on asbestos. Set Solutions has launched a free helpline.

Set Solutions has launched a free helpline for the large number of companies likely to need urgent advice before the new 'Duty of Care' legislation on asbestos comes into force on May 21 2004.

The London-based Safety, Environmental and Traffic Consultancy, is expecting a high number of calls to the 020 7474 6667 number as the deadline gets closer.

Said Director Steve Gerring: "We believe that as many as two thirds of companies who could be affected have not yet put an action plan in place to comply with the 'Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2002 (CAWR)' and over half do not even know that the regulations have changed".

As from May 21 the 'duty holder' for any non-domestic building - who could be the owner or occupier - has a responsibility to check for the existence of asbestos in the building, assess any risk, and put in place a plan to manage that risk.

Asbestos is currently the UK's biggest occupational health killer.

It accounted for some 3,000 deaths in 2003, 25% of whom worked in the building industry.

It is estimated that, if the current situation is not checked there could be up to 10,000 deaths a year by 2010.

Added Steve Gerring: "The Health and Safety Executive estimates there are still many thousands of tons of asbestos in up to 500,000 non-domestic buildings.

Each one of these needs to comply with the new legislation, and must identify all of the asbestos containing materials (ACM's) located within the building to enable an action/management plan to be drafted and decision made on an appropriate course of action.

"A survey of the premises, if required, is not something that can be done by untrained personnel, and under no circumstances should untrained people touch anything they think is asbestos without full protective clothing and the appropriate equipment which in many cases cost more than the price of a professional survey".

The likely fines for non-compliance are considerable.

Recent court cases have seen companies or organisations fined £50,000 plus costs of £10,235 for breaking the existing asbestos laws.

SET Solutions, who were highly commended in the East London and Essex 'New Company of the Year' business awards, offers three types of asbestos surveys, all of which are in accordance with the HSE guidance MDHS 100, and can be combined to suit clients' requirements.

Type 1 involves a visual inspection of all materials, and is sufficient to strongly presume the existence of asbestos.

Type 2 involves the sampling of suspect materials, and is sufficient to confirm the presence of asbestos.

All materials are sampled and are tested at a UKAS accredited laboratory.

Type 3 involves gaining access to all known parts of the building, including those not normally accessible such as service ducts, under floor spaces and cavities, to detect any asbestos concealed within the building structure.

This type would be carried out prior to any demolition or major refurbishment work.

SET Solutions has considerable experience across various industry sectors, has obtained ISO standard 9000, and can offer the following additional services: a.

Traffic management strategies b.

Environmental services c.

Planning supervisor services d.

Food safety services e.

Company procedure manuals f.

Health and safety policy g.

Contractor safety management h.

Company audits and inspections i.

Portable appliance testing j.

Safety signage surveys k.

Fire extinguisher servicing It also runs a wide range of training courses covering general health and safety, emergency response, construction safety, traffic management and food safety.

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