Asbestos exposure is a major cause of occupational disease. The groups now most at risk of exposure are individuals working to maintain buildings that still contain asbestos. There are therefore a number of steps to control the exposure of maintenance workers to asbestos, including the introduction of an explicit duty to manage asbestos in non-domestic premises.
The duty to manage is directed at those who manage non-domestic premises: the people with responsibility for protecting others who work in such premises, or use them in other ways, from the risks to ill health that exposure to asbestos causes.
Before carrying out any building maintenance work, refurbishment work or demolition work, you should always ask the person who manages the building if the building has been surveyed for asbestos, as it is your right to be protected from this dangers posed by unnecessary exposure to asbestos substances.
In non-domestic buildings you have a right to be given information about the condition and location of asbestos by the person who manages the building, before you start work and you must pass this information on to anyone working for you on the job. You should ask for this when tendering or quoting for work, the information about asbestos will help you to cost the job correctly, plan the work safely and prevent potentially expensive surprises on site.
The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Exposure to Asbestos) Regulations, 2006 (S.I. No. 386 of 2006), aim to protect the health and safety of all employees who may be exposed to dust from asbestos containing materials, during the course of their work activities. The regulations apply to all work activities and workplaces where there is a risk of people inhaling asbestos dust.
The Asbestos Regulations prohibit the importation, supply and use of all forms of asbestos. Asbestos is a hidden killer that can cause serious lung diseases. These diseases will not affect you immediately and often take time to develop, but once diagnosed, it is often too late to do anything. Therefore you need to protect yourself and ask to see the buildings asbestos survey before carrying out any work.