Santia is urging all asbestos contractors to act now before an important legal deadline passes. The introduction of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 saw the creation of a whole new category of work, namely Notifiable Non-Licensed Work (NNLW).
The decision on whether asbestos work is either licensable, NNLW or non-licensed work must be determined in each individual case and will depend on the type of work to be carried out, the type of material to be worked on, and the condition it’s in.
An important part of the risk assessment will be the identification of the type of asbestos-containing material (ACM) to be worked on and an assessment of its condition. Prior to the work commencing, the person in charge of the job must assess the material to be worked on, and decide if the work is NNLW or non-licensed work.
If the work falls into the NNLW category, then the following additional requirements will apply:
- notify work with asbestos to the relevant enforcing authority;
- ensure medical examinations are carried out; and
- maintain registers of work (health records).
The requirement to ensure that all workers carrying out NNLW are subject to ongoing health surveillance, will be in force from April 2015. However, John Evans, Technical Director of the Asbestos Division at leading risk management firm Santia, has warned:
“Contractors and public service organisations who are likely to undertake work which falls into the NNLW category, cannot afford to put this on the back-burner. While there is a three year period before the requirements for medical surveillance will be in place (April 2015), it is important that the arrangements and procedures for the necessary medical surveillance are considered now, so that requirements for compliance with the Regulations are in place well ahead of the deadline.
“Contractors should take advantage of this transition period now to make sure they stay on the right side of the law, and so that they can make their clients aware of their proactive approach in respect to these matters, which in turn will serve to enhance their reputations.”
Lisa Roberts, Technical Director of Santia’s Occupational Health Division, has also spoken of the need for firms to act now:
“The new requirement is for a periodic medical examination, which must take place at intervals of at least once every 3 years while such asbestos exposure continues. For contractors of all sizes, this could become a logistical problem. Firms will need to keep track of whether an individual still carries out NNLW, when their last examination took place, and when the next one is due.
“This is why businesses should take advantage of the complete solution that Santia offers. Not only are we able to carry out the asbestos awareness training, risk assessments, asbestos surveys, sampling and air monitoring, but our fully qualified occupational health practitioners will perform all of the required medical examinations on an ongoing basis.”
Dr Fi Draper, Principal Environmental Consultant at Santia spoke further about the complete package offered by Santia:
“Santia offers comprehensive services for every link in the chain. We can train your workers to help them recognise asbestos, we can risk assess, carry out surveys, take samples and monitor the air. We can carry out medical checks on your workers to make sure that they’re fit and healthy to keep them working, but it doesn’t stop there.
“Our dedicated environmental practitioners will not only help with asbestos waste management, but can also carry out environmental reviews and help implement full environmental management systems. Every step of the way, the specialists at Santia will have the answer, and can provide a tailored, total risk management solution.”
Further details of Santia’s comprehensive asbestos management solutions can be found here.
With erisk, Santia’s online health and safety management system, the full range of disciplines relating to health and safety, including fire safety through to the management of asbestos, environmental control and occupational health are clearly presented on one screen. Further details can be found here.