Urgent Need to Prevent Asbestos Exposure in Private Properties
‘As Safe as Houses?’, a recent academic report published by Dr Linda Waldman and Heather Williams and commissioned by UCATT, the construction union, has revealed some major problems in the rules governing the risk of asbestos exposure in people’s homes, which could threaten both residents and workers alike.
After a detailed study, the report discovered that there is no uniform practice followed for informing residents about the presence of asbestos and likelihood of exposure to it, by the local authorities and registered social landlords (RSLs). RSLs currently have to manage the risk of asbestos present in communal areas and stairwells. According to the report, the duty should extend to the interiors of properties too. Moreover, a record should be maintained by social landlords about the presence of asbestos in properties owned by them.
A major problem in the current law is that there is no duty to reveal the presence of asbestos in a private property, which is being offered for sale. Even House Information Packs and minor surveys do not shed any light on asbestos risks in the properties. In order to find out whether a property has asbestos, costly extensive structural surveys have to be conducted. Therefore, the report has suggested that there should be an obligatory survey for asbestos before any sale of private houses.
In addition to above suggestions, the report has discussed the feasibility of additional measures for solving the problem. The report proposes increasing the awareness of construction and maintenance workers about how to recognise signs of asbestos presence. They will also tell workers about measures to be taken when asbestos is discovered in a property. Find out about the very latest changes in legislation and new regulatory proposals with a Building Regulations One-Day Legal Update Seminar; click on buildings regs for more info.
Proposed measures also include precautionary signs on power tools reminding workers about the risks of asbestos. Moreover, training courses for apprentices in the construction industry should include details of risks of asbestos, safety measures and asbestos management.
The report also emphasises on disseminating information about asbestos to local authorities and resident associations by means of training and guidance programs.
