Asbestos work in Great Britain falls into three groups. Which group a job belongs to decides who may do it, and what training, notification, health checks and permits are needed. This lesson explains the groups, and it explains plainly what an awareness course does not make you able to do.
The three groups
- Licensed work. This is the highest-risk work, such as most work on sprayed coatings, lagging and asbestos insulating board. It may only be done by a contractor holding a licence from HSE (regulation 8). Licence holders have trained, medically checked workers, and are inspected.
- Notifiable non-licensed work (NNLW). Lower-risk work that does not need a licence but must be notified to the enforcing authority before it starts (regulation 9). Workers must have proper training, be on a medical surveillance programme and have their work recorded.
- Non-notifiable non-licensed work. The lowest-risk work, such as short, small jobs on certain materials. It does not need a licence or notification. It still needs the right training, the right equipment and a risk assessment, and the law on control of exposure still applies.
Which group a task is in depends on the material, how much is disturbed, for how long and by what method. A competent person must decide this, not the worker on the day.
Three levels of training
HSE describes three categories of training, matched to these kinds of work:
- Asbestos awareness: for people whose work could accidentally disturb asbestos.
- Training for non-licensed work, including NNLW.
- Training for licensed work.
HSE says awareness training gives workers and their supervisors the information they need to avoid work that may disturb asbestos. It covers the health effects of asbestos, where it is likely to be found, how to avoid exposure and what to do in an emergency.
What awareness training does NOT allow
An awareness course does not allow you to work with asbestos. HSE states that awareness training does not prepare people to work with asbestos-containing materials. It does not teach:
- how to remove, encapsulate, repair or enclose asbestos;
- how to use a decontamination unit, enclosure or air-testing equipment;
- how to choose, fit and use respiratory protective equipment for asbestos work.
If a job means deliberately working on asbestos, it needs training for non-licensed work, or a licensed contractor. A certificate from this course is no substitute for either.
Who needs awareness training
Employees who could disturb asbestos during their normal work, and their supervisors. HSE's examples include general maintenance workers, electricians, plumbers, joiners, roofers and demolition workers. The list is not complete. Regulation 10 asks for training that is adequate for the nature and degree of exposure in the employer's risk assessment.
Health checks and records
Workers doing licensed work and NNLW must be under medical surveillance (regulation 22). HSE also says a record of the information, instruction and training each person receives should be kept. Records help employers plan training, and they help workers show what they have learned.
Remember
Awareness teaches you to avoid asbestos and what to do if you meet it. It does not make you a person who may work on it.