Who is required to take asbestos awareness training ?

Under the UK Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 (CAR 2012), asbestos awareness training is required by law for any worker, contractor, or supervisor who is liable to disturb asbestoscontaining materials during their normal work activities in buildings built before November 1999. There is no legal requirement to repeat a course. Annual refresher training is advised by the HSE, or more frequently where your work demands it. Certification is not a legal requirement, though many providers issue it for attendance records rather than proof of competency.

For further reading on the legal framework:

• The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 (legislation.gov.uk)
• Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (legislation.gov.uk)

The following roles are most commonly required to take asbestos awareness training:

• Tradespeople & Installers: Electricians, plumbers, joiners, plasterers, painters/decorators, gas fitters, HVAC engineers, alarm and telecom installers.
• Construction & Demolition: General construction workers, roofers, demolition workers, shopfitters, bricklayers.
• Facilities & Property Management: General maintenance workers, caretakers, building surveyors, architects, facilities managers.
• Supervisors & Managers: Site supervisors, project managers, and duty holders who oversee maintenance or construction projects.

Asbestos awareness training equips workers with the knowledge to recognise and respond to asbestos safely. It covers:

• Understanding the risks associated with asbestos exposure
• Recognising how to work safely with asbestos
• The history of asbestos regulations
• How to identify the control measures including asbestos imagery

How do I know if someone needs higher level training?

Those who need to handle asbestos-containing materials (ACMs), or manage asbestos-related projects, will need a higher level of training to cover their specific requirements. This covers:

• Safe work practices and control measures
• PPE
• Waste handling procedures
• Legal requirements

Asbestos kills around 5,000 workers in the UK every year, according to the HSE. The right training means your team isn't among them. Exposure to asbestos does not always result in immediate health issues. The impact can take years to become apparent.

Other benefits include:

• Workers can identify asbestos-containing materials on sight, before disturbing them
• Teams know exactly what to do if they encounter suspected ACMs, reducing panic and risk
• Employers demonstrate compliance with CAR 2012, reducing legal exposure

A company director was recently fined more than £65k after workers were exposed to asbestos during the demolition of a hotel in Cornwall. Training costs a fraction of that. Non-compliance can cost everything. If workers become ill due to exposure, legal fees, lawsuits, and settlements follow.

The financial repercussions go beyond fines:

• Addressing asbestos on-site after an incident involves expensive removal procedures, project delays, and work stoppages.
• Damage to business relationships can be permanent, with word of mouth causing further harm to the reputation of the company.

The cost of online asbestos awareness training varies by provider and content. What doesn't vary is the value: training that protects your employees and your business. A single course covers the essentials, but a broader programme, rolled out across your workforce, compounds that protection and offsets the cost over time.

The next step is finding a training provider whose content is credible and accredited. Access eLearning offers RoSPA accredited, CPD assured asbestos awareness training, ready to deploy to your whole workforce today. Our full Health and Safety eLearning library ensures your workers are informed on the correct regulations and actions across all scenarios.

To find out more about the asbestos awareness training Access eLearning offers, visit the course page below.