In reality most of us have probably come into contact with asbestos already. It is an incredibly diverse material and consequently it was used in a massive range of products. Many people think that asbestos is some kind of evil, man made material but it is actually a mineral. It occurs naturally and in some parts it lays at ground level. I guess the point is – don’t panic.

It’s not a newly used material. It is believed to have been in use as far back as 2500 BC and is known to have been used by the Persians, Romans and the Greeks. It’s not news that it harms people either. The Greek geographer, Strabo and the Roman Naturalist, Pliny the Elder noted that the material damaged the lungs of those who worked with it. In the 1950’s asbestos was even used in the filters of cigarettes and in more recent times has been used in children’s crayons, amongst other things.

Of course the current concerns about asbestos aren’t related to the Roman, Greek or Persian applications. They’re more related to the way that it has been used in modern times. Did you know that white asbestos was still used in construction up until the year 2000 and other types up until the mid 80’s? When the asbestos was installed it was likely in good condition, which is unlikely to cause harm. Many of the buildings where asbestos was used are now being refurbished or knocked down and some of the materials containing asbestos are starting to become damaged or decayed. Although asbestos could remain intact for many, many years, sometimes the material in which it is contained does not.

Mesothelioma is one of the illnesses caused through asbestos exposure. In 1978 there were 390 deaths in the UK through mesothelioma. By 2007 this death rate had risen to 2,156, a 14 fold increase. It is predicted that 91,000 men will die from mesothelioma by 2050.

Understandably then, it is required by law that anyone working with asbestos must be trained. Most asbestos work is licensed work but there are a number of tasks that can be undertaken without a licence such as sporadic and low intensity asbestos work. People who work in buildings where there is asbestos or it is thought there could be asbestos, may need training too. For example, if someone is employed to undertake maintenance and in doing so they may come across asbestos then they should be trained. The advantages of asbestos training for employees go way beyond legal compliance. In my experience, people are often reluctant to work on or near asbestos because of their concerns. Awareness training should include how they can avoid harm and keep themselves safe thereby increasing their confidence. For non-licensed asbestos work employees should be given asbestos awareness training as laid out in EM2 of asbestos essentials.

It should go without saying that where there is asbestos it needs to be managed. For most of us that means in non-domestic property (although some areas of certain domestic property are, for the purpose of asbestos management, considered non-domestic). Those responsible are referred to as the ‘dutyholder’. If you are responsible for managing premises built before 2000, especially if you are responsible for managing maintenance, you may be the asbestos dutyholder. There’s no absolute requirement for training for the asbestos dutyholder but there is a need for competence. The dutyholder needs to be able to protect employees from harm, identify whether their premises contain asbestos, to assess the risk from asbestos and to make an asbestos management plan. The dutyholder needs to know when to get a specialist asbestos contractor in too. This need is not limited to buildings; it pertains to brownfield sites too. If you’re not sure whether your premises contain asbestos you should assume that they do. It’s the only safe way.