If you own or control a building, asbestos management is a duty that you are required to carry out by law – and for good reason! Asbestos poses a very real threat to health, with a host of potential diseases that can form following exposure.
Many of these diseases are not treatable, with exposure linked to around 4,500 deaths every year in the UK alone. With this concern, many people are still confused over what the duty means, with many worrying that removal of the material by a licenced contractor would be too costly and pondering removal of the materials by themselves to save on funds.
This is a no! And I shall explain why.
Who can remove asbestos?
Asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) should only ever be removed when necessary, and then only do so by a competent and insured asbestos removal company such as asbestos removal South Manchester. They are the only people with the skills, knowledge, expertise and correct training to ensure that all traces are removed with risk of exposure.
When left alone, asbestos poses very little harm to visitors and occupants, with the real danger posed whenever this material is disturbed or it deteriorates. This means that the removal of the materials is an extremely hazardous process and one on which the law takes a very serious stance.
Rules on removal
The laws on handling and removing asbestos are very strict, and procedures around them have to be followed to the letter. Some ACMs have to be removed by fully licenced asbestos removal services, who have to notify the health and safety executive before doing anything, whilst other materials can be removed by competent, trained and insured contractors.
Certain asbestos types require a specialist contractor holding an HSE asbestos removal licence. These materials include loose fill insulation, sprayed coatings, insulating board and loose dust and small debris. Thousand of people consider removing asbestos themselves, with untrained removal resulting in devastating consequences on their health following ingesting asbestos fibres.
Those in defiance of the law when it comes to asbestos removal face not just problems with their health, but potentially severe legal repercussions by not following the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012.
Trust in professionals
You should never handle asbestos by yourself. You need to contact professionals such as asbestos removal Manchester to remove an ACM so that you can feel confident that all removal has been done following the law.
If you were wanting to know the answer to if you should remove asbestos by yourself, this is the answer. No! And for a very good reason – it simply is not worth the health risk or breaking the law.
Last Updated on March 29, 2023 by Lucy Clarke
