Asbestos
From Capsil Wiki
Asbestos was extensively used as a building material from the 1950s through to the mid-1980s. It was used for a variety of purposes and was ideal for fireproofing and insulation. Any building built before 2000 (houses, factories, offices, schools, hospitals etc) can contain asbestos. When asbestos fibres are inhaled they can cause serious diseases which according to the UK Health and Safety Executive (1) "are responsible for around 4000 deaths a year in the UK alone". There are three main diseases caused by asbestos: mesothelioma (which is always fatal), lung cancer (almost always fatal) and asbestosis (not always fatal, but it can be very debilitating).
Asbestos Policy in the UK
In the UK Asbestos Licensing is on a "permissioning regime". The Heath and Safety Commission (HSC) have issued a policy statement "Our approach to permissioning regimes" (2). Asbestos is classified as a category 1 carcinogen, with asbestos related disease causing over 4000 deaths every year in the UK. Work with asbestos requires a high degree of regulatory control and the purpose of licensing is to achieve this. Licensing is an addition to the general framework of health and safety law. It builds on the fact that the legal duty to manage risk lies with the organisations that create them.
The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006 (3) came into force in November 2006. These Regulations bring together the three previous sets of Regulations covering the prohibition of asbestos, the control of asbestos at work and asbestos licensing. The Regulations prohibit the importation, supply and use of all forms of asbestos. They continue the ban introduced for blue and brown asbestos in 1985 and for white asbestos in 1999. They also continue to ban the second-hand use of asbestos products such as asbestos cement sheets and asbestos boards and tiles; including panels which have been covered with paint or textured plaster containing asbestos.
References
- 1. http://www.hse.gov.uk/lau/lacs/5-19.htm
- 2. http://www.hse.gov.uk/enforce/permissioning.pdf
- 3. http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2006/20062739.htm
- Back to Government Policy
