Page 10 - A National Asbestos Strategy

Both the challenges of Net Zero and the backlog maintenance within health and educational estates
mean considerable expenditure will be necessary. Asbestos management is too often sidelined,
not considered, or inadequately funded, leading to increased management costs and the societal
costs already highlighted.
The Department for Work and Pension (DWP) Committee report recommended introducing a
40-year plan to remove all asbestos from UK premises. Although Asbestos Information CIC
supports this plan, a more targeted approach is needed, focusing on the highest-risk materials
and premises with the most vulnerable occupants. A change in approach can only happen with
improvements in data capture and the subsequent application of this data.
The experiment of managing asbestos has been
ongoing for over twenty years since introducing
the ‘Duty to Manage’ requirements. The 1999
ban on asbestos use is seen by many as meaning
that asbestos is no longer present and does not
pose a risk. The November 2022 report and the
evidence submitted to the DWP Inquiry indicate
that the current asbestos management
approach is not working. As we decarbonise
UK buildings, the concern is that the number
of those affected by asbestos will continue to
increase.
The introduction of the Health and Safety
at Work Act 1974 was meant to safeguard
everyone. Yet, up until 1999, successive
governments continued to allow the use
of asbestos. In no other area of UK health
and safety have deaths risen to the level
seen with asbestos over such a prolonged
period. Consultants within the asbestos
industry now feel it is time to offer an
alternative approach.
WHAT DO THE FINDINGS SHOW?
Of the over 7 million lines of data used in this report, almost 3 million
items of asbestos were identified. The highest risk group, E-G, accounted
for nearly 26% of all identified asbestos. The data revealed that almost 30%
of these items suffered moderate or significant damage, suggesting that
asbestos management was ineffective.
www.asbestosinformation.org.uk
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