Asbestos can be found in any building built before the year 2000, including houses, factories, offices, schools or hospitals, and causes around 5000 deaths every year in the UK.
Always ask for the Asbestos Register
Asbestos is still a major killer in Northern Ireland.
Before doing any work on the fabric of a building you must always ask for the asbestos register. More information available at the link below:
If you are responsible for a building constructed before the year 2000 and have tradepeople working on the building you have a legal obligation to check for asbestos. More information is available at the link below:
Asbestos is a general name given to several naturally occurring fibrous minerals that have crystallised to form fibres.
The most common types of asbestos fibre are chrysotile (white asbestos), amosite (brown asbestos) and crocidolite (blue asbestos). The colours are seen in raw, clean fibres and may not be visible when the fibres are mixed with other material. Appearances can be deceptive.
The properties of asbestos made it an ideal material for use in several products, however the full extent of the health effects from working with asbestos were unknown at the time. Its uses included:
insulation material for buildings, boilers and pipes
reinforcing material for brake linings in vehicles
floor tiles
insulating board to protect against the spread of fire
roof sheeting
rainwater goods
Due to the risks to health following inhalation of asbestos fibres, the importation of blue and brown asbestos has been banned in the UK since 1985. This ban was extended to include white asbestos in 1999.
The extensive use means that there are still many buildings in Northern Ireland which contain asbestos. Whilst asbestos continues to be safely removed, workers’ health may be affected if it is damaged or disturbed.
Where might I find asbestos?
Asbestos can be found in any building built before the year 2000, including houses, factories, offices, schools or hospitals.
Since 1999, using asbestos in the construction or refurbishment of buildings has been illegal in Northern Ireland. However, prior to this time, it was used widely for such things as:
lagging on plant and pipework
insulation products such as fireproof panels
asbestos cement roofing material
sprayed coatings on structural steel work to insulate against fire and noise
These are known as asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) and may still be present in buildings.
Asbestos in buildings may not be clearly visible and can be hidden within the building structure, for example in cavity walls.
It is very important that buildings are inspected for ACM’s prior to any maintenance or refurbishment taking place. Before doing any work on the fabric of a building you must always ask for the asbestos register.
The following links for the Health and Safety Executive’s website (HSE (GB)) can help identify the possible locations of ACM’s within domestic and non-domestic premises:
What are the health effects from asbestos exposure?
Where asbestos containing materials are in good condition and unlikely to be disturbed, they should not present a risk to health. However, where the materials are in poor condition or are disturbed or damaged, asbestos fibres may be released into the air. If these fibres are breathed in, they can cause serious lung diseases, including cancers.
Asbestos exposure can cause four serious health conditions:
asbestosis
asbestos-related lung cancer
mesothelioma
pleural thickening
These conditions may not affect you immediately. They often take a long time to develop, but once diagnosed, it is often too late to do anything. They can devastate your health and livelihood and are still a major killer of tradespeople in Northern Ireland.
Asbestosis
Asbestosis is a serious scarring condition of the lung that normally occurs after heavy exposure to asbestos with an individual breathing in high concentrations of asbestos fibres over many years. Asbestosis can cause progressive shortness of breath, the heart to become enlarged, and in severe cases can be fatal. Asbestosis may take decades to develop. Asbestosis sufferers are at an increased risk of cancer.
Asbestos-related lung cancer
Asbestos-related lung cancer is the same as (looks the same as) lung cancer caused by smoking and other causes. It is estimated that there is around one lung cancer for every mesothelioma death.
Mesothelioma
Mesothelioma is a cancer which affects the lining of the lungs (pleura) and the lining surrounding the lower digestive tract (peritoneum). It is almost exclusively related to asbestos exposure and by the time it is diagnosed, it is almost always fatal.
Pleural thickening
Pleural thickening is generally a problem that happens after heavy asbestos exposure. The lining of the lung (pleura) thickens and swells. If this gets worse, the lung itself can be squeezed, and can cause shortness of breath and discomfort in the chest. Exposure to lower concentrations of asbestos over time may result in a general (diffuse pleural thickening) or localised (pleural plaques) thickening of the lung lining.
Symptoms of asbestos-related diseases
Symptoms of asbestos-related diseases are not usually immediately apparent and may include:
shortness of breath
a cough or a change in cough pattern
blood in the sputum (fluid) coughed up from the lungs
pain in the chest or abdomen
difficulty in swallowing or prolonged hoarseness; and/or significant weight loss
What is the risk from exposure?
Am I at risk?
Workers who disturb the fabric of buildings during daily use, maintenance, refurbishment, repair, installation and related activities may be exposed to asbestos every time they unknowingly disturb or work on asbestos-containing materials without taking the correct precautions.
Workers who could be at risk of exposure to asbestos in the course of their work, include:
heating and ventilation engineers
demolition workers
carpenters and joiners
plumbers
roofing contractors
painters and decorators
plasterers
construction workers
fire and burglar alarm installers
shop fitters
gas fitters
computer and data installers
general maintenance staff, for example caretakers
telecommunications engineers
architects, building surveyors and other such professionals
cable layers
electricians
*Note: This list is not exhaustive.
If your job is unlikely to disturb asbestos but you work in a building that contains it, there will only be a risk to your health when fibres are released into the air and breathed in.
How can I be exposed?
The presence of asbestos in the environment does not always result in exposure as you must come into contact with the fibres.
You may be exposed by:
breathing in fibres
ingestion
skin contact
Following exposure, the risk to your health will depend on several factors, including:
the amount to which you are exposed (dose)
the duration of exposure
the way you are exposed
the form of asbestos and if you were exposed to any other chemicals or substances
All forms of asbestos fibres are hazardous, as they can induce cancer following inhalation exposure, however amphibole forms of asbestos such as crocidolite (blue) and amosite (brown) are more hazardous to health than chrysotile (white).
The World Health Organization (WHO) has stated that there is no consistent evidence that ingested asbestos is hazardous to health.
HSE (GB) have developed answers to several frequently asked questions about asbestos to assist employees and members of the public. It is available via the following link:
Before starting any work that is likely to disturb asbestos, an employer must carry out a suitable and sufficient risk assessment. When assessing the risk, the employer must take account of the information provided by the building owner or landlord. If the employer doesn’t have enough information, they may need to arrange a survey and analysis of representative samples to determine the presence, type and condition of asbestos.
How to complete a risk assessment
The employer, or whoever carries out the risk assessment on their behalf, must:
be competent to do the risk assessment
do it before work starts and allow enough time to put appropriate controls in place
make sure the assessment is specific to the actual tasks to be completed and considers all aspects of the work
Risk assessments are about identifying hazards and controlling the risks from them. This means:
first, decide if it’s possible to do the building, repair or maintenance work without the risk of asbestos exposure
if that's not possible, identify who might be at risk and the level of possible asbestos exposure from the work
You can then decide which work methods to use for effective risk control.
A risk assessment should include full details of the work to be carried out and how long it is expected to take. In line with The Control of Asbestos Regulations (NI) 2012, the risk assessment must include:
how the work will be carried out and the expected scale and duration
the types of asbestos and results of any survey or analysis or a statement that assumes asbestos is present
the type, quantity, amount, means of attachment, and condition of the ACMs present
the expected level of exposure
the controls that will be used to reduce exposure, for example local exhaust ventilation or controlled wetting
a statement explaining why any work with asbestos is not licensable, and whether it is notifiable non-licensed work
decontamination procedures for tools, equipment and personal protective equipment (PPE)
how asbestos waste will be managed and disposed of at a licensed facility
emergency procedures
Further information is available within the following HSE (GB) publication:
Depending on your job, you will have different actions to take to comply with the law on any work involving asbestos.
Members of the public and homeowners
In owner-occupied domestic properties, homeowners are not engaged in work activity so are not legally responsible for risks to contractors. Contractors carrying out work in your home have a legal duty to protect you from any risks to your health due to their activities. This includes risks from asbestos-containing materials.
Building owner or landlord
If you are a building owner or landlord, you have a legal duty to manage any asbestos in that building.
Person responsible for maintenance or repair of a building
If you have a contract or tenancy agreement that says you are responsible for maintaining or repairing premises, you have the same legal duties as building owners or landlords to manage asbestos safely.
Employer
As an employer you have a duty to protect people from the risks of exposure to asbestos arising from your work activities which might involve work with asbestos. You must find out if there is asbestos in a building before work starts.
Worker
To help protect yourself and others, it is important to know why asbestos is dangerous and where it can be found.
Advice for duty holders and employers
If you are responsible for a building constructed before the year 2000 and have tradespeople working on that building, then you have a legal obligation to check for and manage the risk from asbestos. More information is available at the following link:
As an employer of anyone whose work might involve asbestos, you must find out if there is asbestos in a building before work starts. For example, ask:
to see the asbestos management plan including the asbestos register and site plans
if an asbestos survey has been completed to find out the location and condition of any asbestos in the building, especially where it was constructed or refurbished before 2000
You must also:
check the information provided on asbestos is sufficient for the work, for example if you are breaking into the building fabric a more intrusive refurbishment survey may be required
consider if the work can be done without disturbing asbestos
carry out an asbestos risk assessment and draw up a plan of work to ensure the work is completed safely
provide appropriate training and information to employees
You must confirm the type of asbestos in the building and decide if any or all of the work must be carried out by a licensed contractor.
Depending on the materials and type of work being done you may need to use a licensed asbestos contractor. If this is not needed, you should use a contractor who is trained to deal with asbestos.
Deciding on the type of contractor you require
Any employer whose work might involve asbestos has the responsibility for deciding how much risk the proposed work presents.
Depending on the type of work and its’ level of risk, you must decide if the work:
does not need a licence and doesn’t need to be notified
must be notified, but no licence is needed
must be done by a licensed contractor
HSE (GB) guidance document, Introduction to asbestos safety: Deciding if the work must be carried out by a licensed contractor, can provide information to help you decide whether or not the work will need to be carried out by a licensed contractor:
that work, including any ancillary work liable to disturb asbestos, takes more than two hours; or
any person carries out that work for more than one hour
All employers, including contractors, must hold a valid licence from HSENI before carrying out any licensable work with asbestos. Further guidance is available at:
For some types of non-licensed work with asbestos, employers must meet additional requirements. This is known as notifiable non-licensed work or NNLW, and requires employers to:
notify work with asbestos to the relevant enforcing authority
designate (identify) areas where the work is being done
ensure medical examinations are carried out
maintain registers of work (health records)
Further guidance is available on HSE (GB) website:
Training and information for work involving asbestos
Workers who are likely to disturb asbestos during their normal day-to-day work must be appropriately trained to work safely with asbestos or trained to be aware of it and stop work.
Employers must provide adequate information, instruction and training for employees. To stay safe, and protect others, employees must know how to recognise ACMs and what to do if they find them.
Asbestos awareness training
Anyone whose work could disturb asbestos or who supervise or influence the work should know how to recognise and avoid disturbing asbestos-containing materials.
Workers with the appropriate training should know:
the dangers of asbestos and its’ effects on health
the types, uses and where asbestos-containing materials are likely to be located in buildings
general procedures to deal with an emergency, like an uncontrolled disturbance and release of asbestos
how to avoid the risk of exposure to asbestos
awareness training does not allow you to undertake work which will disturb asbestos
HSE (GB) website provides further information at the following link:
What to do if you are inadvertently exposed to asbestos
Intact asbestos materials in a place where they are unlikely to be disturbed should not cause any harm.
If you encounter asbestos fibres, you should remove yourself from the source of exposure. If you think there are asbestos fibres on your skin and clothes, do not shake or brush the fibres off as this will make them airborne and prone to being inhaled.
Remove all visible dust and fibres from the body, clothing and footwear by wet wiping with a damp cloth using a gentle patting action. Detailed guidance is available in HSE (GB) publication Asbestos Essentials EM1.
Contaminated clothes, towels etc which has or had dust on it should be carefully removed and placed in a dust tight container or in a plastic bag and disposed of as asbestos waste. If you are a homeowner, contact your local authority for advice.
If you have any health concerns regarding exposure to asbestos seek guidance from your GP or contact the NHS on 111.
Medical surveillance
Anyone who carries out licensable work with asbestos must have been medically examined in the past two years by a doctor individually appointed by HSENI for that purpose (an ‘appointed doctor’).
From 1 May 2015, anyone carrying out NNLW should have been medically examined under the Regulations in the past three years.
Further guidance is available at paragraphs 499 to 528 of the following HSE (GB) publication:
