The Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 requires that asbestos management plans be implemented at workplaces where naturally occurring asbestos has been found or is thought likely to exist (s.432 and s.433).
An asbestos management plan is all about safety: protecting staff and site visitors from exposure to dangerous airborne asbestos fibres in buildings and other relevant structures. A responsible person/manager must label and record asbestos in a register. They must also disclose to everybody on the premises if and where asbestos is present, and inform them of the consequences of asbestos exposure.
An asbestos management plan should state its aims clearly, explain what is going to be done and when, and what methods and procedures are going to be used.
The plan must include:
- The workplace’s asbestos register.
- Details of any asbestos work undertaken including who undertook the work, the scope of the work and the dates on which it was performed, and any clearance certificates.
- A copy of the How to Manage and Control Asbestos in the Workplace Code of Practice 2011.
- Details on how staff and visitors are informed about asbestos in the workplace, the risks involved and the control measures implemented.
- Decisions about management options and why those decisions were made.
- An action timetable, including priorities and dates for reviewing risk assessments, plus any circumstances that might affect this timetable.
- A clear outline of the roles and responsibilities of individuals involved in the plan.
- Monitoring arrangements, training arrangements for workers and contractors, and information on safe work methods.
- A procedure for reviewing and keeping up to date the management plan and the asbestos register.