Proposals for revised Asbestos Regulations and an Approved Code of Practice

The consultation on proposed amendments to asbestos legislation ended on 31 January.

• Summary of results of this consultation

Summary

1. This Consultative Document (CD) seeks views on draft Regulations and an Approved Code of Practice (ACoP) to implement amendments to the European Asbestos Worker Protection Directive (AWPD) and other changes to the existing asbestos regulatory framework.

2. There are currently three sets of regulations that control exposure to asbestos:

• The Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2002 (CAW), which govern the way all work with asbestos is done, to ensure it is done safely.
• The Asbestos (Licensing) Regulations 1983 (ASLIC), as amended, which require work with all the more hazardous asbestos-containing materials to be done by a contractor licensed by HSE.
• The Asbestos (Prohibitions) Regulations 1992 (Prohibitions Regulations), as amended, which ban the importation, supply and use of raw asbestos and asbestoscontaining materials.

The proposals repeal and replace CAW, ASLIC and the Prohibitions Regulations. In arriving at this proposal, we have taken into account the findings from a regulatory impact assessment (RIA). The RIA examines the impact of implementing the amendments to the Directive and other proposed amendments to current asbestos legislation on the relevant industries and on worker exposure to asbestos fibres over the next 50 years. The RIA is provided at the end of this CD (Annex D).

• View the consultation document [1.17Mb]