Despite the fact that asbestos is no longer used in the UK, the legacy of the estimated six million tonnes of it still present in our schools, hospitals, ships, offices and factories makes it the greatest single cause of work-related deaths in the country. According to the TUC, around 5,000 people per year die from mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases in the UK, and this figure will increase to 10,000 a year by 2010 (see www.tuc.org.uk/h_and_s and click on "asbestos").

Legal heads up

The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006 (CAR 2006) came into effect on 13 November 2006, except for Regulation 20(4), which covers the accreditation of those issuing site clearance certificates and takes effect in April. The full text of CAR 2006 can be found at www.opsi.gov.uk under "statutory instruments"; search by the year (2006) and number (2,739).

In brief, the new Regulations set lower exposure limits than the 2002 Regulations (which are revoked by the 2006 Regulations); deal with accreditation; permit some asbestos-related work to be undertaken without a licence, specifically work involving textured decorative coatings; and extend the list of topics on which employees must be given information and training.

To support CAR 2006, the HSE has updated Approved Code of Practice (ACoP) L 127, The Management of Asbestos in Non-domestic Premises, and replaced ACoPs L 27 and L 28 with L 143, Work with Materials Containing Asbestos: Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006.

L 127 and L 143 are available from HSE Books at www.hsebooks.co.uk

The Regulations are supported by information on the HSE website. From the HSE homepage at www.hse.gov.uk, select "asbestos" from the pull-down list of "Health & Safety topics" to go to the HSE's asbestos pages.

Under "asbestos campaign" in the left-hand menu you will find advice for duty holders and workers, including a two-page guide on the "duty to manage", with a checklist. Under "information and guidance" there is a guide to the HSE's priced publications - available from HSE Books, as above - which include many in the HSG series (see box below). Return to the HSE homepage and select "publications", "free leaflets" then "asbestos" to access a pdf version of the 2002 edition of A Short Guide to Managing Asbestos in Premises (INDG 223, rev 3).

The new Regulations were introduced to take account of European Directive 2003/18/EC (amending Directive 83/477/EEC) on the protection of workers from the risks related to exposure to asbestos at work. To view the directive, go to http://eur-lex.europa.eu and select "EN" for English, then click on "simple search" and search by "natural number", using the year 2003 and the number 18. 

Don't DIY

Regulation 3 of CAR 2006 says that regulations on licensing and notification do not apply to exposure which is "sporadic and of low intensity". To support this, the HSE provides an Asbestos Essentials Task Manual. From the asbestos area of the HSE website at www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos, select "asbestos essentials" to access guides explaining how non-licensed workers can carry out tasks such as drilling holes in asbestos insulating board and repairing damaged asbestos cement (see images on page 32). 

Though the HSE guides warn that workers should only carry out this work if they are properly trained, there are concerns that allowing people other than licensed contractors to carry out such work is a step backwards in worker protection. The Hazards Campaign lobby group at www.hazardscampaign.org.uk/docs/asbregsupdate.htm states clearly its belief that "only specialist asbestos removal workers should work on asbestos".

The TUC is also worried about this development.  The congress's press release of 27 April 2006 argues that plumbers, plasterers, decorators and electricians working on small-scale projects will be left exposed to a significant asbestos risk from the cumulative effect of working on a large number of "sporadic and low intensity" jobs.

Use the advanced search at www.tuc.org.uk/search/advanced.cfm to find an account of the TUC's concerns by selecting the date April 2006 and choosing "press release" in the "type" menu. The TUC has also produced updated guidance for safety reps on the 2006 Regulations; this is available at www.tuc.org.uk/extras/asbestosguide.pdf

Watch out for companies offering to assess materials for asbestos via the post. The BBC reported on one such company that is under investigation by the Royal Mail, and I came across another website offering to send you a "self-testing kit" complete with protective mask, coverall and a pre-paid envelope for sending your sample through the post. You can hear the BBC report at www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/youandyours/items/02/2006_46_wed.shtml

On approval

The United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) applies internationally agreed standards to accredit testing laboratories, surveyors and inspection bodies. If you are considering using an organisation which claims to be UKAS accredited, it would be worth visiting the UKAS website at www.ukas.com to check out its suspension list.

The Asbestos Control and Abatement Division (ACAD) is a trade association that represents specialists in asbestos removal. Its website at www.tica-acad.co.uk provides details of a wide range of training courses, from asbestos awareness and a general overview of the hazards to managing asbestos in buildings and removing, or supervising the removal of, asbestos.

ACAD also provides advice to members of the public who believe they may have asbestos in their homes, and a list of contractors who can carry out asbestos surveys and removal work.

ACAD is a member of the HSE Asbestos Liaison Group, along with a similar association, the Asbestos Removal Contractors Association (ARCA). ARCA also provides a register of contractors and details of training courses at www.arca.org.uk

The National Individual Asbestos Certification Scheme (NIACS) is a joint venture between ARCA, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB). Accredited by UKAS, NIACS provides assessment, surveillance and registration for individual asbestos inspectors. For more details, see www.niacs.org.uk

Alternatively, the Faculty of Occupational Hygiene has set up the Asbestos Building Inspectors Certification Scheme (ABICS) which, according to its website at www.abics.org, is still going through the UKAS accreditation process.

Regulation 10 of CAR 2006 states that employees who are liable to be exposed to asbestos at work (or who supervise such employees) should receive "adequate information, instruction and training". As well as those involved in asbestos removal work, this covers maintenance workers and others who may disturb asbestos in the course of their work.

To support this regulation, the HSE has developed a Code of Conduct for asbestos training providers (TPs) in association with the Asbestos Industry Training Providers Working Group (ATPWG) (see box, left). You can read the Code of Conduct, and access a list of TPs signed up to it, at www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/information.htm

Although there is no substitute for face-to-face training, the CITB has a computer-based training package, Asbestos: The Indestructible Killer, which scored full marks for usability when reviewed here in 2001. See www.citb.org.uk and look in the "publications" area. The CITB also produces a DVD called Asbestos Alert. I haven't reviewed this title, but the CITB's reputation makes it worth considering for  your organisation's training programme.

I started this review on 13 November. I was surprised that although this was the implementation date for CAR 2006, few sites seemed to be aware of the new regulations. More had caught up by the start of December, but the TUC site among others still refers to the "new requirements" of the 2002 regulations. Even parts of the HSE website refer to superseded ACOPs L 27 and L 28.

With thousands dying each year, and more being exposed, this is not a topic key stakeholders should be behind on.

Asbestos guidance in the HSE's HSG series

• HSG 189/2 Working with Asbestos Cement (1999)
• HSG 210 Asbestos Essentials: Task Manual: Task Guidance Sheets for the Building Maintenance and Allied Trades (2001)
• HSG 213 Introduction to Asbestos Essentials: Comprehensive Guidance on Working with Asbestos in the Building Maintenance and Allied Trades (2001)
• HSG 227 A Comprehensive Guide to Managing Asbestos in Premises (2002)
• HSG 247 Asbestos: The Licensed Contractors' Guide (2006)
• HSG 248 Asbestos: The Analysts' Guide for Sampling, Analysis and Clearance Procedures (2005)

Note that not all of these publications have been revised to take account of CAR 2006.

Software products

HSW has carried reviews of the following asbestos software.

• Asbestos Management Suite (AMS) from PSI (December 1999): AMS can be used with Windows CE-based handheld PCs to collect data on site. Since the review, PSI has produced an intranet-based option. Details at www.psi2000.com
• Asbestos Toolkit CS from AI Solutions (February 2005): this asbestos-management product has a web interface to allow users to access information whenever they are near a computer. More details at www.aisolutions.co.uk

Cracking the training code

In the HSE's Code of Conduct, asbestos training providers (TPs) are split into three groups:

• TPs who deliver the full range of asbestos training to licensed contractors
• TPs who deliver asbestos training for work with asbestos which does not require a licence
• TPs who deliver asbestos awareness training only.

The Code of Conduct covers pre-course information; course management; duration; materials and delivery; tutor suitability and selection and tutor-delegate ratios; the facilities and equipment used by the TP; and assessment of learners' needs pre-course and their learning post-course.

To ensure they are meeting the Code of Conduct, TPs are independently audited by a company which is recognised by the Asbestos Industry Training Providers Working Group (ATPWG).

The Code of Conduct can be accessed at www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/asbestostrain.pdf

Using Google's "advanced search" option 

Sometimes search engines on websites don't work the way you expect them to, and some sites don't provide a search facility at all.

Luckily, many good general search engines allow you to limit your search to a particular website.

One searchengine that has this function is Google. At www.google.co.uk select "advanced search" then type your search term in one of the "find results" fields and the website address you are looking at in the "domain" field.