18 May - Quick reference factsheet to guide retailers on asbestos

Tuesday, 18 May 2010

Retailers are being sent a quick reference factsheet to help them understand their legal responsibilities on asbestos to ensure their workers, customers or any contractors are protected from exposure.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has teamed up with the BHF-BSSA Group - an independent retail trade body representing more than 7500 small retailers, after it was found that compliance with 'duty to manage' regulations was particularly low in this sector.

Any person or organisation responsible for the maintenance or repair of non domestic premises will almost certainly be responsible for managing any asbestos present, under Regulation 4 of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006.

The Fact Sheet outlines:

• Who has the duty to manage;
• What the duty to manage means;
• Three essential steps to comply with the duty; and
• Advice on asbestos surveys.

Steve Coldrick, HSE's Asbestos Programme Director, said:

"Around 4000 people die each year from past exposure to asbestos. It may be present in any building built before the year 2000, and so it is essential that retailers are aware of the risk it still poses and their responsibilities in managing it.

"Working with the BHF-BSSA to put in simple terms what businesses should be doing will help remove any mystery or uncertainty around the regulations."

Michael Weedon, BHF-BSSA Group Communications Manager, said:

"Contractors never know what they are walking into when they start work on a job but retailers walk into the same premises day after day after day, so they really need to know what is lurking in their environment.

"Our factsheet sets out to make the subject clear and easy to understand, both for those who own their own premises and those who rent them from others."

The Fact Sheet is available to BHF-BSSA members at www.bssa.co.uk

 

Source: HSE May 2010