HSG264 - Responsibilities of duty holders

Owners and occupiers of non-domestic premises who have maintenance and repair responsibilities have an explicit duty to assess and manage the risks from any asbestos present within their premises.

The requirements for duty holders can be summarise as follows.

• Find out where asbestos may be located within the premise
• Err on the side of safety if it is unclear whether a suspect material contains asbestos
• Create and maintain written records for all asbestos containing materials (ACMs) or materials which are presumed to contain asbestos
• Monitor the state of any ACMs or presumed ACMs
• Formulate and carry out a plan to mitigate the risk of exposure to any ACMs or presumed ACMs
• Continue to manage any ACMs or presumed ACMs and ensure any mitigation plan is followed

HSG264 - Maintenance of written records

In order to meet their responsibilities the duty holder will need to keep and maintain written records or all asbestos risks within their premises. The records should contain the location, condition and status of all SCMs or presumed ACMs. This is particularly important as the Health and Safety at Work act requires all employers to ensure employees, tenants or other third parties will not be put at risk from exposure to ACMs within the premises or place of work. This duty of care is nearly impossible without the maintenance of records which are easy to access and understand by anyone working within the premise.

HSG264 - Construction work

Builders and construction workers are particularly at risk from asbestos due to the nature of their work. During a building refurbishment or demolition previously unknown asbestos can be disturbed or exposed with the associated risks to any personnel working nearby. Site specific asbestos surveys should be carried out before any work commences and a full asbestos survey report made available to any companies bidding.

HSG264 and Survey JEM™

Survey JEM™ is fully compatible with HSG264 and is designed for use by building owners or managers as well as surveyors.

Further information

If you would like to know more or are interested in trying Survey JEM™ we would be happy to help. Phone us on 01953 425 932, email us at info@surveyjem.co.uk or fill in our contact form and we will be in touch as soon as possible.

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