The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006 was passed in the United Kingdom on November 13, 2006. These regulations brought a number of different asbestos regulations. Regulations that were replaced included the Control of Asbestos Work Regulations 2002, Asbestos Prohibitions Regulations 1992, and Asbestos Licensing and Regulations 1988. Important elements of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006 include emphasis on training. For example, anyone who has to work with asbestos is required to go through asbestos awareness training. In addition, restrictions were placed on the amount of asbestos that workers can be exposed to.
Asbestos Regulations Duties
There are three separate pieces of legislation in the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006. These three pieces of legislation covered the control of asbestos at work, the prohibition of asbestos and asbestos licensing. The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006 prohibits the supply, import, and use of all types of asbestos. In addition, these regulations ban the second-hand use of asbestos products. This can include tiles and boards. Mandatory training is also required for men and women who may work with asbestos. For example, asbestos removal can only be performed by a licensed contractor. Licensing can be obtained by a Health and Safety Executive.
Asbestos Regulations Prosecutions
In June of 2009, a company in Swansea pleaded guilty for four charges against the Control of Regulations. This company was fined twelve thousand pounds. In addition, they were required to pay twenty eight thousand pounds for specific asbestos costs.
These charges were in relation to work that was carried about by a contractor. The contractor was working on a furnace that was on the company’s premises. That contractor found asbestos fibres. Although asbestos surveys were carried out on the site of the company, asbestos surveys were not carried out in the interior of the plant. Equipment was not surveyed for asbestos either.
As a result, asbestos insulation material was found within the building. The material may have been disturbed. This means that asbestos fibres may have been released into the air for workers to be exposed to. In addition, workers found a white substance that could have been asbestos. While the white substance went in for testing, the work site was not isolated and work continued. The company failed to provide asbestos awareness training for all employees that worked at the plant. The company failed to take proper asbestos precaution that is required by the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006. What happened to this company can happen to other companies that do not properly take care of asbestos.