Asbestos Legislation in the United Kingdom

The United Kingdom has had an official policy on the use and importation of asbestos since the mid-1980s, and over the years a number of different pieces of legislation that affect how asbestos is handled in that country have been put in place. The original policy was put in place to:

Prohibit the most hazardous forms and activities, namely the importation, supply and use of blue and brown (crocidolite and amosite) asbestos, asbestos spraying and the installation of asbestos insulation; license most work with asbestos insulation or coatings; and strictly control the remaining risks to anyone working with asbestos (and others affected by [those individuals]).

The main branch of the UK government responsible for the regulation of asbestos and the health of the United Kingdom's workforce is the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). This organization is charged with the task of enforcing any acts that pertain to asbestos and asbestos safety.

Other legislation that governs the use of asbestos in the United Kingdom is as follows:

Asbestos Regulations 1983 - This early act banned work with asbestos insulation or asbestos coating or asbestos insulating board (AIB) unless it was carried out by an employer or self-employed person who holds a license granted by the Health and Safety Executive.

Asbestos Products Safety Regulations 1985 - This act demands that any products containing asbestos be labeled as such. It also demands that information on the handling of the product be listed on the warning. A section of these regulations entitled "Asbestos Materials in Buildings" also recommends that the presence of an asbestos material in buildings should be noted on plans or other records and that building owners should make known the existence of asbestos to workers or others who may be affected by its presence.

Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 1987 - Amended in 1992, this regulation demands that in locations with asbestos a plan to identify and manage its presence must be in place. Furthermore, the regulation states that a written plan must be submitted for any work that may affect asbestos containing materials (ACM). It also sets legal limits for airborne asbestos at .2 fibers per milliliter of air for blue and brown asbestos and .5 fibers per milliliter of air for white asbestos, and recommends suitable substitutions for asbestos.

The Control of Asbestos in the Air Regulations 1990 - This act imposes an emission limit of 0.1 mg/m3 for asbestos emission to the air by industrial installations.

Asbestos Prohibitions Regulations 1992 - This legislation banned the "importation, supply and use of blue and brown (amphibole) asbestos" and also "the supply and use of any product to which amphibole asbestos had been intentionally added." Some bans on uses of white/chrysotile asbestos were also imposed at this time.

The Asbestos (Prohibitions) (Amendment) Regulations 1999 - This piece of legislation, in effect, put an end to more than a century of widespread asbestos use in the UK. It banned the use of white (chrysotile) asbestos. It also forbid the import of crude fiber, flake, powder or waste chrysotile and new uses of asbestos cement, boards, panels, tiles and other products containing white asbestos. The sale of secondhand asbestos cement products and building materials covered with asbestos-containing coatings was also forbidden under this legislation.