ASBESTOS AWARENESS

This page gives a brief overview of the level expected from the
full and refresher asbestos awareness courses

About This Page by

MW Fire Learn

Welcome. This section gives a quick refresher on the real‑world risk asbestos presents in the workplace and the importance of recognising the signs before it is disturbed or discovered.

The first thing to understand is the difference between asbestos that has been discovered and asbestos that has been disturbed. Discovered asbestos is identified and recorded; disturbed asbestos is material you have accidentally come into contact with before realising what it is.

Awareness training focuses on these two situations by helping you recognise the signs of potential asbestos and know what to do if you suspect you have found it or disturbed it.

All asbestos awareness training focuses on these two situations and teaches you how to deal with them. Legally, an employer must show that clear guidance is provided, and every employee or subcontractor must show they understand the precautions needed to work safely around asbestos.

Who is the training for & why do I need it?

This training is for anyone who may come into contact with 'asbestos‑containing materials' (ACMs) but is not licensed to work with them. Its purpose is to help you avoid disturbing asbestos and to know what to do if you think you’ve encountered it.

After completing a full course, there is no legal expiry date on an asbestos awareness certificate, but the HSE recommends regular refreshers: usually every 24 months, or every 12 months in higher‑risk construction environments. Most MW Fire clients ask to see certificates within 12 months, reflecting the level of importance placed on this training across the industry.

Why should you bother?

Aside from the legal duty, thousands of commercial, industrial, residential, school and public buildings built or refurbished before 2000 are likely to contain Asbestos Containing Materials. Workers can be exposed to fibres released from items such as old paint layers, ceiling tiles, pipe insulation or lagging. Fire alarm installers are one of the groups identified by HSE as being at particular risk because their work often involves drilling into building fabric where asbestos may be present.

Asbestos was widely used for pipe insulation. In fact, it was one of its most common applications. From the early 1900s through to the late 20th century, asbestos was used to insulate hot water pipes, steam pipes, heating systems and industrial plant because it was cheap, strong, flexible and highly heat‑resistant. This is why pipe insulation and lagging are still treated as high‑risk materials in older buildings.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

dud

Where does asbestos come from

Asbestos fibres occur naturally in the environment and cannot be completely avoided. They are present in the air we breathe and even in small amounts in some foods. These fibres are released as asbestos‑bearing rock breaks down through natural erosion.

Inhaling too many fibres over time can lead to diseases such as asbestosis, which causes scarring of the lungs, and mesothelioma, a cancer linked to asbestos exposure. Each year we all inhale around a million fibres from natural erosion, and for most people this level of exposure is not harmful.

Why asbestos is found in the environment

Are all types of asbestos bad for you?

Yes. All types of asbestos are harmful because their thin, strong fibres can damage lung tissue when inhaled. Some types carry a higher risk than others.

The asbestos types with the greatest health risk belong to a group of minerals called amphiboles. Their chemical and structural properties make them more damaging to the lungs:

amphibole fibres are smaller, so they travel deeper into the lungs
amphibole fibres are sharper, so they pierce lung tissue more easily
amphiboles repel water, which prevents them dissolving in mucus
amphiboles contain iron, which can react with oxygen and damage the DNA of lung cells

The final property listed here is what leads to uncontrolled cell division and the development of cancers such as mesothelioma.

When did people discover asbestos was dangerous?

The ancient Romans recorded lung sickness in slaves who worked with asbestos, noting that those involved in mining and weaving asbestos cloth often became ill. When commercial asbestos mining began in Quebec in 1879, medical journals soon started reporting similar health problems.

In the UK in 1924, Nellie Kershaw became one of the first well‑documented cases. She had spun asbestos into yarn since the age of thirteen and died at thirty‑three from asbestosis.

Parliament then asked Dr Merewether to investigate asbestos workers’ health. Over two years he studied 374 employees at an asbestos textile factory and found that long‑term exposure caused scarring of the lungs. Seventeen out of twenty workers with more than twenty years’ service had developed asbestosis. He presented his findings in 1930, after which ventilation became a legal requirement in asbestos factories.

Asbestos was not banned across the European Union until 2003. In the United States it continued to be used heavily during the Second World War because it was cheap, strong and resistant to fire and chemicals. Naval ships were fitted throughout with asbestos insulation.

Production in the United States did not begin to slow until 1979, when nine manufacturers sued the federal government after paying compensation to a worker with asbestosis. The government demonstrated that these companies had known about the dangers for decades and had concealed the link between asbestos and serious disease.

TAKE THE COUSE SOON

This page provides short explanations to support training and does not replace the formal full or refresher courses.

Are you ready to take the course?

Relevant documents

Toolbox Talk

Module 1
Asbestos Awareness

Course

Module 2
Asbestos Awareness Presentation

Policy

Module 3
Asbestos Policy

ACOP

Module 4
HSE document

Risk Assessment

Module 5
Asbestos Exposure and Related Diseases

About the test

The course culminates in a multiple choice test. The passmark is 80%. Once confirmed, you will receive the coveted MW Fire training completion certificate of achievement.

Duty Holders and Operative Responsibilities

Organisations must not work with asbestos unless they have received specific training and, where relevant, be Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Licensed Contractors. In the case of work on a construction site, this responsibility is taken by the Principal Contractor under the CDM regulations, and they will have had the site surveyed and an asbestos plan put in place that outlines the procedures for dealing with suspected asbestos and its removal.

The subcontractor implements suitable control procedures to assess the work area and to minimise disturbing of asbestos containing materials (ACMs) if asbestos is suspected. This is done in the first instance with operatives having done asbestos awareness training and thereafter taking refresher training at regular intervals. This is the level of importance given to dealing with asbestos, even decades after its widespread use in construction was banned.

Everyone shares responsibility to ensure that workers who may potentially come into contact with ACMs have received asbestos awareness training before commencing work, so that they are aware of possible ACMs in the workplace and know the steps to take to enquire about it or deal with the situation. The aim is always to limit exposure and prevent the spread of fibres.

Legal Obligations

The Control of Asbestos Regulations (CAR) 2012 came into force on 6th April 2012, updating previous asbestos regulations. The use of all ACMs was not fully banned until 1999. This means any building built or refurbished before the year 2000 could possibly contain asbestos.

Therefore, under Regulation 10 of CAR 2012, every employer must ensure that adequate information, instruction and training is given to those employees who are liable to be exposed to asbestos during the course of their work. It must also ensure that any subcontractors it uses have the necessary training in place.

The training needs to be appropriate for the work and the roles undertaken by individuals. There are three types of asbestos training listed below, steps 2 and 3 are for specialists working with asbestos. Option 1 applies to the rest of us working on construction sites and other premises, industrial, commercial and residential.

Awareness training
Training for work with asbestos that does not require a licence from HSE
Training for asbestos work that does require a licence from HSE

ACoP L143 Second Edition Regulation 4 states the Duty Holder for your workplace is:

"... the person or organisation that has the main responsibility for maintenance or repair of non-domestic premises ..."

What dutyholders must do to comply with the law is to take reasonable steps to find materials in premises likely to contain asbestos and to check their condition. This part is very important to remember: materials are presumed to contain asbestos unless there is strong evidence that they do not. A written record of the location and condition of asbestos or presumed asbestos is made, and this record must be kept up to date. The dutyholder's legal responsibilities cannot be delegated.

Anyone who is not a dutyholder, but has information on or control of the premises, must help the dutyholder, as far as necessary, to comply with the duty. This means an individual has a duty to cooperate, which effectively means abiding by any site training and keeping their own training up to date, and to report any information they come across relating to asbestos whether they think it is important or not.

In the event that you unexpectedly come across ACMs, or when you believe a substance to be asbestos, you must stop work immediately. Secure the area as much as possible and report it immediately to supervisory staff. Do not continue to work near the suspected area of possible asbestos contamination.

Report to supervisory staff if you have disturbed ACMs and been exposed.

Follow all information, instruction and training given to prevent injury or ill health.

CAR Regulation 5: Identification of the Presence of Asbestos

This regulation requires employers to identify the presence of asbestos and its type and condition before any building, maintenance, demolition or other work, liable to disturb asbestos, begins. It also sets out the requirement to arrange a survey if existing information on the presence of asbestos in the premises is incomplete or appears unreliable.

The Basic Principles of Asbestos Management

Asbestos is only dangerous when disturbed.
If asbestos is safely managed and contained, it should not present a health hazard.
Do not remove asbestos unnecessarily, as removing it can be more dangerous than leaving it in place and managing it.
Not all asbestos materials present the same risk, e.g. spray lagging contains approx. 85% asbestos whereas asbestos cement roofing will only contain 10 to 15% asbestos.
If it is uncertain whether materials contain asbestos, presume they do and treat them as such.
Remember that the duty to manage is to assure there are in place practical steps to protect maintenance workers and other persons from the risk of exposure to asbestos.

Asbestos when encapsulated is safe, however once an ACM starts to deteriorate, then the asbestos fibres can be released into the environment. In the event of fibres being released by drilling, sanding or cutting, they can be ingested or inhaled.

Workers engaging in installation, remedials and maintenance work could be exposed to asbestos fibres released from wall paint, ceiling tiles, pipe insulation or lagging. Fibres can be released by drilling, sanding, cutting etc. Asbestos is often mixed with other materials, so it is hard to know if you are working with it or not, and therefore the benefit of asbestos awareness training gives you a better chance of being able to identify it.

Workers are not permitted to work with asbestos unless they have received the appropriate training. There is a legal requirement for those who may potentially disturb asbestos, but not actually work professionally with ACMs, to undergo an asbestos awareness training course.

Contractors should prepare risk assessments and safe systems of work where asbestos is suspected or could be present, so that it is not needlessly disturbed. If workers discover or disturb asbestos, they need to know what to do about it.

Far too common on construction sites are supervisory staff holding a varied array of Health and Safety certificates who have never as yet formally produced a Risk Assessment, Safe System of Work or Toolbox Talk. Do not trust them with your long term health. You must take measures to ensure your own safety irrespective of what others are doing, in fact you have a duty to do so. Be a professional at work.

Animation about asbestos related diseases

pathe newsreel

This old Pathe clip shows how asbestos was mined and processed. It was seen as a miracle material with properties so extraordinary that people joked it could have come from space. The most striking part of the film is the footage of female machinists cutting sheet asbestos. They would have done this for entire shifts, day after day, and it is likely that many of them suffered fatal exposure as a result.