The Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 1987

UK Statutory Instrument 1987 No. 2115 — creates 1 criminal offence.

1offences created

0recorded in force

1revoked

Made: 3 December 1987
In force from: 1 March 1988
Extent: Not stated
Subject: Health and safety, environment, waste and fisheries
Made under: Schedule 3 to, the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974

Explanatory note

(This note is not part of the Regulations) — published with the instrument by the department that made it. © Crown copyright, reused under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

These Regulations implement as respects Great Britain the following Directives— Council Directive No 83/477/EEC (OJ No L263, 24.9.83 p.25) on the protection of workers from the risks related to exposure to asbestos at work except in so far as this Directive was implemented by the Asbestos (Prohibitions) Regulations 1985 (S.I. 1985/910) which prohibited asbestos spraying; and Council Directive No 76/769/EEC (OJ No L262, 27.9.1976, p.201) as amended by Council Directive No. 83/478/EEC (OJ No L263, 24.9.83, p.33) on restrictions on the marketing and use of certain dangerous substances and preparations, in so far as it relates to the labelling of products for use at work containing asbestos. These Regulations impose duties on employers for the protection of employees who may be exposed to asbestos at work and of other persons who are or are liable to be affected by such work (regulation 3). An employer who carries out work with asbestos is required to identify the type of asbestos involved (regulation 4) and to assess the nature and degree of exposure to asbestos and the steps to be taken to reduce that exposure (regulation 5). Regulation 6 requires work with asbestos to be notified to the enforcing authority unless that work had already been notified under other Regulations and employers are required to ensure that adequate information, instruction and training is given to employees and other persons on premises where the work is carried on (regulation 7). Regulation 8 requires employers to prevent the exposure at work of employees and other persons to asbestos or to reduce it to the lowest level reasonably practicable and, if exposure is not reduced to below specified control limits, employees must be provided with respiratory protective equipment that will reduce their exposure below those limits. Requirements are also imposed on employers and employees to make proper use of protective equipment (regulation 9) and upon employers for its maintenance (regulation 10). Employers are required to provide and keep clean protective clothing (regulation 11), to prevent the spread of asbestos from the workplace (regulation 12) and to ensure that premises and plant involved in work with asbestos are kept clean (regulation 13). By regulation 14 areas in which exposure to asbestos is or is liable to exceed the specified level or limit are required to be designated and marked and entry into those areas is to be limited. Regulation 15 provides for the monitoring of exposure and by regulation 16 employees who are liable to be significantly exposed to asbestos are required to be under regular medical surveillance by an employment medical adviser or appointed doctor. This regulation also specifies the fees paid by the employer when medical surveillance is undertaken by an employment medical adviser. The Regulations require the provision of washing and changing facilities (regulation 17) and regulate the storage, distribution and labelling of Asbestos (Licensing) Regulations 1983 (S.I. 1983/1649) (medical surveillance) are revoked except that the requirements as to the keeping of a report in regulation 7(4) of the 1969 Regulations and that relating to the keeping of a certificate in regulation 6 of the 1983 Regulations shall continue to be in force.

Offences created by this instrument

Contravention of The Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 1987 the instrument as a whole · Revoked · Strict liability

What Parliament said about it

Contributions, debates and written statements mentioning this instrument by name. Parliamentary material is reused under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0.

Pneumoconiosis (Compensation) Commons · Commons Chamber · 5 March 1990 · Mr. Nicholls
I am grateful to hon. Members for acknowledging that benefits have been uprated in line with inflation, as they have been almost every year since the Pneumoconiosis etc, (Workers' Compensation) Act 1979 came into force. I join the hon. Member for Stretford (Mr. Lloyd) in paying tribute to the right hon. Member for Doncaster, Central (Mr. Walker). who was responsible for bringing that Act to a successful conclusion. As I recall, he did so against the findings of the Pearson commission. One can speculate on the efforts that the right hon. Gentleman must have made in achieving that success,…
As An Amendment To Commons Amendment No 37 Lords · Lords Chamber · 1 July 1991 · Baroness Blatch
My Lords, the point raised by my noble friend on painting is outside the scope of these amendments. However, I note what he says and I shall write to him specifically about that. As regards anxieties about the amendments, I shall argue why I believe the House should not accept Amendments Nos. 37A and 37B. I know there has been concern on the part of local authorities but, when the noble Baroness, Lady Hamwee, considers not only the new impetus given to the use of Article 4 directions but their possible extended use, because they can now apply to local authority areas, I hope her faith will…
Control Of Asbestos At Work Regulations 2002 Lords · Lords Chamber · 5 December 2002 · Baroness Hollis of Heigham
My Lords, asbestos is the most serious occupational health problem, in terms of fatal disease, that the country faces. In the 30 years between 1968 and 1998, 50,000 people died in the United Kingdom from asbestos-related diseases. As my noble friend Lord Walker expressed so eloquently, the human suffering and misery behind those terrible figures continue today. There is nothing that we can do about those already exposed. But we can certainly, and must, do much more to prevent exposure today and so prevent the painful and prolonged illness and death in the future to which the noble Baroness,…

How Parliament handled it

Parliament's Statutory Instruments service records procedure from May 2017 onwards, and this instrument predates it. That is a limit of the source, not a statement that nothing happened.

Check the source

This instrument on legislation.gov.uk The authoritative text, including amendments made since
Other instruments from 1987