An Asbestos Management Plan is a legal requirement for all businesses. It is also a common cause of non-compliance when a plan does not exist but the business has a clear need for one that should reasonably be understood by the directors and any contractors.
This document will set out the legal obligations of the business in respect to the management of asbestos and who is responsible.
So, what is an Asbestos Management Plan?
What is an Asbestos Management Plan?
It’s a comprehensive but easy-to-understand document setting out the presence or otherwise of asbestos, the risk assessment of any asbestos materials that are known, the mitigation measures for those items, and ongoing monitoring and reporting.
Details of our asbestos management plans can be found here:
Who needs an Asbestos Management Plan?
Anyone responsible for a non-domestic property built before 1999 should ensure that the property or properties have an Asbestos Management Plan. The reason is that the building has the potential to contain asbestos. So, the management plan must either show what measures have been taken to survey and verify that asbestos is not present (at least at the surface level) or show how known asbestos is risk-assessed and that risk mitigated.
It is the responsibility of ‘Duty Holders’ for the premises to manage the risk from Asbestos Containing Materials (ACMs). The Duty Holders could be any or all of the employers, building owners, landlords, and agents.
Non-domestic property includes all industrial and commercial premises, factories, warehouses, offices, and shops. Also any building open to the public. It also includes vehicles, offshore installations, street furniture, and bridges – all of which we have worked on.
Why is an Asbestos Management Plan important?
It is required by Regulation 4 of the Control of Asbestos Regulations, 2012 (CAR2012). This is the Duty to Manage Asbestos in non-domestic premises.
People responsible for buildings and employees have legal duties to protect occupants, workers, and the wider public from asbestos risk, and responsibly manage any risk that is known to exist.
In short, the Asbestos Management Plan documents how a Duty Holder will manage the asbestos and mitigate the risks.
What does an Asbestos Management Plan help you to do?
It provides a record of ACMs in a building or set of premises, with all relevant information stored in one place. It then helps you to manage these. And it provides a record of your legal compliance which, if correct and followed, should mitigate any threat of consequences – both exposure and legal.
What should be in the plan?
The plan is likely to include all of the following:
- Full list of ACMs in the premises and their location (the Asbestos Register). OR surveys to prove that asbestos has not been found after reasonable investigation.
- Assessment of the risk posed by these materials.
- Mitigation measures for each ACM. An action plan for each asbestos item.
- Reporting arrangements.
- Emergency procedures.
- A policy for the management of asbestos.
- Records of any asbestos training provided to employees and Duty Holders.
- Annual asbestos management surveys where ACMs have been found.
- Asbestos refurbishment / demolition surveys where required.
- Documentation of any previous asbestos removal.
- Prioritisation of actions required. For example, if ACM has become damaged, then this would likely require urgent action. It could involve repairing, sealing, enclosing, or removing material, as appropriate.
- All documentation for airborne fibre monitoring.
- Review at least every 12 months or when there are changes to building use or refurbishment.
- Details of who is responsible for managing the asbestos risk.
See more about our Asbestos Management Plans.