Is Asbestos Awareness Training a Legal Requirement?

Yes, for a defined group. The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 require employers to give adequate information, instruction and training to any employee who is, or is liable to be, exposed to asbestos, and to employees who supervise them. Self-employed people are covered too. In practice, that's anyone whose work could disturb the fabric of a building that might contain asbestos. The law names no course. It asks for training that's adequate for the work.

What Regulation 10 says in full

The duty sits in Regulation 10 of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012, which covers Great Britain.

(1) Every employer must ensure that any employee employed by that employer is given adequate information, instruction and training where that employee

(a) is or is liable to be exposed to asbestos, or if that employee supervises such employees, so that those employees are aware of

(i) the properties of asbestos and its effects on health, including its interaction with smoking,

(ii) the types of products or materials likely to contain asbestos,

(iii) the operations which could result in asbestos exposure and the importance of preventive controls to minimise exposure,

(iv) safe work practices, control measures, and protective equipment,

(v) the purpose, choice, limitations, proper use and maintenance of respiratory protective equipment,

(vi) emergency procedures,

(vii) hygiene requirements,

(viii) decontamination procedures,

(ix) waste handling procedures,

(x) medical examination requirements, and

(xi) the control limit and the need for air monitoring,

in order to safeguard themselves and other employees; and

(b) carries out work in connection with the employer's duties under these Regulations, so that the employee can carry out that work effectively.

(2) The information, instruction and training required by paragraph (1) must be

(a) given at regular intervals;

(b) adapted to take account of significant changes in the type of work carried out or methods of work used by the employer; and

(c) provided in a manner appropriate to the nature and degree of exposure identified by the risk assessment, and so that the employees are aware of

(i) the significant findings of the risk assessment, and

(ii) the results of any air monitoring carried out with an explanation of the findings.

"Liable" means the duty starts before anyone touches asbestos. "Adequate" means matched to the job and, under paragraph (2)(c), your risk assessment.

Who needs asbestos awareness training?

The test is liability to exposure, not job title. The Health and Safety Executive's asbestos training guidance gives these examples, and says there will be other occupations where asbestos may be disturbed:

• General maintenance workers
• Electricians
• Plumbers
• Joiners
• Painters and decorators
• Plasterers
• Construction workers
• Roofers
• Shop fitters
• Gas fitters
• Heating and ventilation engineers
• Demolition workers
• Telecommunication engineers
• Fire/burglar alarm installers
• Computer and data installers
• Architects
• Building surveyors

HSE's Approved Code of Practice, L143, goes further. It says awareness training should go to employees "whose work could foreseeably disturb the fabric of a building and expose them to asbestos or who supervise or influence the work". That's wider than the Regulation's "supervises", so count the people who plan and sign off jobs. If you're prosecuted and didn't follow the code, you must show you met the law another way.

Regulation 10 only mentions employees. But Regulation 3 treats a self-employed person as both employer and employee, so they must arrange their own training.

The one exception is work only in premises the employer can show are free of asbestos-containing materials. HSE says asbestos can be present in any building built or refurbished before 2000, so without records proving otherwise, assume the duty applies.

What awareness training covers, and where it stops

Regulation 10's list goes as far as respirators and air monitoring. For awareness training, L143 sets out four topics:

• the properties and health effects of asbestos, including the higher lung cancer risk for smokers
• the types, uses and likely locations of asbestos in buildings and plant
• what to do in an emergency, such as an uncontrolled dust release
• how to avoid the risks from asbestos

It helps people recognise asbestos and stop before disturbing it. HSE says it "will not prepare workers, or self-employed contractors, to carry out work with asbestos-containing materials". Anyone whose work will knowingly disturb asbestos needs a higher, job-specific level of training on top of awareness. This guide doesn't cover that level.

Can asbestos awareness training be done online?

Yes, with a condition. HSE "recognises the use of e-learning as a viable delivery method, among others, for asbestos awareness training, provided it satisfies the requirements of Regulation 10 of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 and the supporting Approved Code of Practice L143".

HSE also says it's the employer's job to decide whether a training provider is suitable, and that a course on its own won't make anyone competent.

How often asbestos awareness training needs refreshing

Regulation 10(2) says training must be "given at regular intervals", without saying how often. HSE says there is "no legal requirement to repeat an entire formal awareness refresher training course every 12 months". It adds that "some form of refresher should be given, as necessary, to help ensure knowledge of asbestos awareness is maintained".

That can be e-learning, or a safety talk from a competent supervisor who has done an awareness course. Paragraph (2)(b) also says training must be adapted when the work or methods change significantly.

Some certificates carry an expiry date, such as a year. HSE says there's no legal requirement to hold a certificate, and that expiry "does not always mean that 'full' retraining is mandatory".

What happens if staff aren't trained

Breaching Regulation 10 is a criminal offence under section 33 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. HSE says its most common step is advice and a written demand for action. It can also serve improvement or prohibition notices, or seek a prosecution. The courts can impose custodial sentences of up to two years, unlimited fines, or both.

Check your wider legal duties too, and the health and safety courses covering other site risks.

Getting your team trained

Start by listing everyone whose work could disturb a pre-2000 building, including supervisors and planners. Our asbestos awareness training course runs 100% online, at the learner's own pace, on any device. It covers asbestos types and common locations, the health risks, UK legal duties and emergency response.

Frequently asked questions