## Em1 What To Do If You Discover Or Accidentally Disturb Asbestos During Your Work Asbestos Essentials Equipment And Method Sheet Non-Licensed Tasks What This Sheet Covers

This sheet tells you what you need to do if you discover or accidentally disturb and release asbestos during your work.

This information will help employers and the selfemployed to comply with the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012.

## Unexpected Discovery Of Asbestos

It is also useful for trade union and employee safety representatives. Only carry out work if you are properly trained and have the right equipment.

If during your work you discover materials which you believe to be asbestos stop work immediately. Put up a warning sign and ensure nobody enters the area. Report the problem to whoever is in charge and arrange to have a sample of the material analysed. If it does not contain asbestos then work can continue. If the material does contain asbestos then follow the flow chart to decide if the work needs a licensed contractor.

## Remember:

•	 Asbestos fibres can cause 
Alternatively, you could presume that the material contains the worst type of asbestos and apply the appropriate controls, using a licensed contractor if required.

fatal lung disease and lung cancer.
•	 Read the safety checklist 
and sheet a0.
If you are employed in-house, remember to tell your manager to update the asbestos management plan; otherwise report it to the customer.

•	 You must be trained 

to work safely with asbestos materials.

## Accidental Release Of Asbestos

•	 Asbestos isn't always 
If you accidentally disturb and release asbestos during your work, it must be dealt with quickly and appropriately.

obvious. Would you spot an asbestos gasket on an old engine, asbestos cement pipes or an asbestoscontaining fuse board? If you're not sure, the premises owner needs to get it checked out!
The clean-up of lower risk asbestos materials where the fibres are firmly bound in a matrix but are essentially in good condition (ie mostly intact), such as asbestos cement (AC), bitumen products, papers, textiles, small-scale release of asbestos insulating board (AIB) etc will generally not require a licensed contractor.

•	 There are three 'colours' of 
asbestos, but you can't tell just by the colour what you have found; it could be mixed with other materials which 
change its appearance.

## Emergency Procedures Caution

Your emergency procedures should include managing an uncontrolled release of asbestos materials into the workplace. Steps should be taken to:
Check what you're working on before you start:

•	 Avoid using a sweeping 
˜
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warn anybody who may be affected;
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exclude from the area anyone not needed to deal with the release;
brush as this can 
spread asbestos.
˜
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identify the cause of the uncontrolled release;
•	 Make sure no 
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regain adequate control as soon as possible;
unauthorised personnel enter the area.
•	 The clean-up of any 
˜
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make sure anyone in the work area affected who is not wearing personal protective equipment (PPE), including respiratory protective equipment (RPE), leaves the affected area immediately. Minimise the spread of asbestos by ensuring they are suitably decontaminated;
˜
z
clean up dust and debris (see em7);
˜
z
decontaminate anyone who is contaminated with dust and debris;

accidental release of 
higher risk materials, eg 
asbestos lagging, loose 
fill, asbestos coatings 
(not textured coatings) 
or large-scale releases 
of AIB, must be done by 
a licensed contractor.

˜
z
ensure rags, clothing or PPE is decontaminated or disposed of as contaminated waste;
˜
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consider lone and/or remote workers to ensure they can alert 
someone if necessary.
em1 - What to do if you discover or accidentally disturb asbestos during your work

## Flow Chart Em1 - What To Do If You Discover Or Accidentally Disturb Asbestos During Your Work

em1 - What to do if you discover or accidentally disturb asbestos during your work

## More Information

For information about health and safety visit https://books.hse.gov.uk or http://www.hse.gov.uk. You can view HSE guidance online and order priced publications from the website. HSE priced publications are also available from bookshops. To report inconsistencies or inaccuracies in this guidance email: commissioning@wlt.com. British Standards can be obtained in PDF or hard copy formats from BSI: http://shop.bsigroup.com or by contacting BSI Customer Services for hard copies only Tel: 0846 086 9001 email: cservices@bsigroup.com. The Stationery Office publications are available from The Stationery Office, PO Box 29, Norwich NR3 1GN Tel: 0333 202 5070 Fax: 0333 202 5080. E-mail: customer.services@tso.co.uk Website: www.tso.co.uk. They are also available from bookshops. Statutory Instruments can be viewed free of charge at www.legislation.gov.uk where you can also search for changes to legislation. This guidance is issued by the Health and Safety Executive. Following the guidance is not compulsory, unless specifically stated, and you are free to take other action. But if you do follow the guidance you will normally be doing enough to comply with the law. Health and safety inspectors seek to secure compliance with the law and may refer to this guidance. © Crown copyright 2017 Fourth edition 2017 Amended March 2018 Published with the permission of the Health and Safety Executive on behalf of the Controller of Her Majesty's Stationery Office ISBN 978 0 7176 6665 2 This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. To view this licence, visit http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/ open-government-licence/ Any enquiries regarding this publication should be sent to: copyright@hse.gov.uk