Asbestos duty to manage guide
A practical guide to identifying the dutyholder, maintaining an asbestos register and management plan, and controlling the risk of disturbance.
Where the duty applies
The statutory duty to manage asbestos applies to non-domestic premises and to the common parts of multi-occupancy domestic premises. It does not automatically apply to the private domestic areas of an ordinary dwelling in the same way.
The dutyholder is generally the person or organisation with responsibility for maintenance or repair of the premises, which can depend on ownership, tenancy arrangements and the terms of contracts or leases.
Find out what may be present
Determine whether asbestos-containing materials may be present, where they are, their condition and whether any areas remain uninspected.
Maintain a live register
Record known and presumed asbestos-containing materials and keep the information current as materials deteriorate, are removed or building conditions change.
Control disturbance
Make sure contractors, maintenance teams and others who may disturb the fabric can access the relevant asbestos information before work begins.
The management plan is an active control document
The asbestos management plan should state who is responsible, how the asbestos register is maintained, how the condition of materials will be monitored, what actions are required and how information will be communicated to people who may disturb asbestos.
HSE guidance requires the plan to be monitored and reviewed at least every 12 months, or sooner when necessary. The register also needs updating when new information becomes available or the condition of materials changes.
Management surveys and refurbishment surveys are different
A management survey supports normal occupation and maintenance by locating asbestos that could be disturbed during routine activity. Refurbishment or demolition work requires a more intrusive survey of the parts of the building that the planned work will disturb. A management survey should therefore not be treated as automatic clearance for intrusive construction work.
Leaving asbestos in place can be acceptable
Asbestos-containing material in good condition does not always need immediate removal. Where it is left in place, it should remain recorded, its condition should be monitored and the risk of accidental disturbance should be controlled.
Official guidance
See the HSE duty to manage asbestos overview, who has the duty and asbestos survey guidance.
Need to establish your asbestos position?
We can coordinate the appropriate survey route and help organise the resulting register, actions and follow-up.