Introduction to this document

Accidental release of asbestos instructions

If your work has the potential to disturb asbestos you’ll need to take every reasonable step to prevent this from happening. But just in case your precautions fail, use our template instructions as a back-up plan.

Legal background

Our Accidental Release of Asbestos Instructions is the one document in your safety manual that you don’t want to put into use. However, if there’s any chance of an asbestos incident then you must have this type of emergency plan in place. It not only makes sense to know how to respond in an emergency, it’s actually a legal requirement.

As stated in Regulation 15 of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 (CAR), employers at risk of an asbestos incident must take immediate steps to “mitigate the effects of the event, restore the situation to normal, and inform any person who may be affected”. The area must also be closed off to all personnel except those involved in the repair and clean-up.

Using the template

Our example set of instructions is based on the CAR and the associated approved code of practice, so when tailoring it to your own requirements be careful not to remove vital elements.

The emergency procedures you create as a result can be used as part of your project emergency procedures or your health and safety policy.