What are the UK Asbestos Regulations?

The UK has strict regulations to control how Asbestos is managed, removed and controlled.  These are called the Control of Asbestos Regulations CAR (2012) these came into force on 6th April 2012. The Regulations brought together the three previous sets of Regulations covering the Prohibition of Asbestos, The Control of Asbestos at Work and Asbestos Licensing.

Who do the Control of Asbestos Regulations CAR (2012) apply to?

Employers and employees working in any asbestos-related situations are affected by CAR 2012 regulations. The regulations place responsibilities upon employers, employees and duty holders. The duty holder could be your employer, another employer, landlord or in some situations a combination of these.

Which are the most important regulations of CAR (2012)?

  • Regulation 4 of CAR2012 – responsibility of asbestos management

    Regulation 4 refers to the duty necessary to manage asbestos in non-domestic premises. The person in charge of the building (the duty holder) has a responsibility to identify, locate and manage asbestos in any non-domestic building built after 1999.

    Common areas of domestic buildings such as flats and domestic buildings owned by councils and housing associations are also covered by the law, and should be surveyed and managed for asbestos.

    The duty to manage:

    • The person in charge of the building (the duty holder) must locate and manage the Asbestos in any non-domestic building built before 2000.

    • A survey must be done to locate and identify asbestos materials. From the asbestos survey, the duty holder must implement a management plan and maintain an Asbestos register.

    • The duty holder must ensure that this information is available to those contracted to carry out works.

  • Regulation 5 of CAR2012 – identifying asbestos

    Regulation 5 covers asbestos identification. It stipulates that:

    • Employers must not undertake any work liable to expose their employees to asbestos in premises.

    • Employers must carry out an Asbestos Survey to ascertain whether asbestos is present and decide if existing information is reliable, if surveys are of the correct type and sufficiently detailed for the type of work being done.