Risk Assessment · Working Near Asbestos
Risk Assessment for Working Near Asbestos
A standalone risk assessment following HSE's 5 steps: who might be harmed and how, and the controls that make the work safe. Below: what a Risk Assessment for working near asbestos must contain, why they get rejected, and the hazards it has to cover, or generate one for your exact job in a couple of minutes.
What a compliant Risk Assessment must contain
- Hazards specific to the actual task, site and materials
- Who might be harmed and how, for each hazard
- The controls already in place PLUS any further action needed
- A before/after risk score and a review date
Why a Risk Assessment for working near asbestos gets rejected
- Copied from a generic example (HSE: 'would not satisfy the law')
- Controls that don't match what the business actually does
- No record of who does the further actions, or by when
- An auto-fail hazard (confined space, asbestos, live electrical) wrongly marked 'N/A'
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Check yours freeWorking Near Asbestos hazards it must cover
Working near asbestos, meaning Any trade working on the fabric of a building constructed or refurbished before 2000, where asbestos-containing materials may be disturbed without being the subject of the work, brings hazards a Risk Assessment has to address:
- Accidental disturbance of asbestos insulating board, textured coating or pipe lagging during drilling, cutting or lifting
- Starting work without seeing the asbestos register or a refurbishment and demolition survey for the area
- Continuing to work after an unexpected suspect material is found instead of stopping and sealing the area
- Fibre release spread to other areas on clothing, tools and boots because the area was not isolated
- Dry sweeping or vacuuming suspect debris with a domestic vacuum rather than a Class H unit
- Assuming a material is safe because it looks like cement board, when only a sample analysis can confirm it
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Built to the correct published standard for working near asbestos: specific controls, the right legal basis, a review date and a sign-off section you can operate.
Start your Risk AssessmentFAQ
Do you need a Risk Assessment for working near asbestos?
A standalone risk assessment following HSE's 5 steps: who might be harmed and how, and the controls that make the work safe. For working near asbestos, meaning Any trade working on the fabric of a building constructed or refurbished before 2000, where asbestos-containing materials may be disturbed without being the subject of the work, it is the document a client, principal contractor or inspector expects to see, grounded in MHSWR 1999 reg 3 (HSE): the 5-step method (INDG163).
What makes a Risk Assessment for working near asbestos fail?
The usual reasons: Copied from a generic example (HSE: 'would not satisfy the law'); Controls that don't match what the business actually does; No record of who does the further actions, or by when. RAMSReady generates one to the correct published form and avoids these.
How fast can I get a Risk Assessment?
A couple of minutes. Describe the job, and RAMSReady writes a Risk Assessment for your exact working near asbestos live against the correct standard, with a review date and a sign-off/records section.