Asbestos Management Policy
Asbestos Management Policy also known as Asbestos Management Plan is used to register and detail how asbestos will be managed in a property.
This document identifies how the site shall manage the health risks to persons from asbestos containing materials (ACMs) in its buildings and assist them to comply with the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Control of Asbestos at Regulations 2012 (CAR). The Policy will set out procedures to be adopted by the Group and outside Contractors, with regards to asbestos, in properties owned or managed by the client. All properties, where the duty holder is identified, must have an asbestos policy. This is achievable with the compilation of an asbestos register for each site. Prior to a register for each site, certain policies must be adhered to as set out in this document.
Firstly, it is necessary to determine whether or not a building has ACMs (asbestos containing materials) present. This will require an asbestos survey, (insert link to surveys)
If a completed survey confirms the presence of ACMs within your pre-2000-built property, an asbestos management plan will need to be completed to comply with the ‘Control of Asbestos at Regulations 2012’, as set out by the HSE. This plan will have to be maintained and updated as long as ACM’s are present within the building.
Details usually included within an asbestos management plan are:
- The person or persons responsible for managing asbestos
- An asbestos register including all relevant details from your asbestos survey such as the amount and location of asbestos
- Details of ongoing and scheduled works that could disturb ACMs
- A schedule of activities to monitor the condition of any ACMs
- Instructions for people who might disturb the asbestos and the background to the decisions outlined within the plan.
A designated person otherwise known as the Duty Holder is the person responsible for the updating and delivery of the asbestos management plan.The duty holder is ultimately responsible for ensuring the asbestos management plan is kept up-to-date. This will normally be the property owner or someone who has explicit responsibility via their employment contract or a tenancy agreement.
The duty holder also has an obligation to:
- Find out where the ACMs are located, how much asbestos there is and what the condition is like – this is where asbestos surveys and re-inspections are required
- Assess any risk and how the asbestos might affect the building and its occupants
- Document a management plan and implement it
- Provide this plan to anyone who may come into contact with the ACMs (such as building contractors, for example)
An Asbestos management plan should always be kept up to date and changes to the plan should be documented whenever any re-inspections take place and/or if works are carried out on ACMs.