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Published on 12 Jan 2006 at 11:13

Dozens of MPs have joined legal and safety campaigners to raise concerns about proposed changes to asbestos safety regulations.

The Health and Safety Commission (HSC) is currently running a consultation on the proposed changes. The consultation period ends on 31 January 2006 and the regulations are scheduled for implementation on 6 April 2006.

The primary changes proposed in the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2006 are:

• incorporation of the Control of Asbestos 2006, the Asbestos (Licensing) Regulations 1983 (as amended) and the Asbestos (Prohibition) Regulations 1992 (as amended) into a single set of Regulations entitled the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2006.
• changes to the asbestos control limits and the fibre counting method.
• requirements to notify work on textured decorative coatings and easing of licensing requirements for contractors working with these products.
• removal of some exemptions on employers using their own employees to perform work on asbestos containing materials.

As of 14 December 2005, 70 MPs had signed an Early Day Motion (EDM) critical of HSC proposals and calling for more research. Particularly contentious is the proposed move that would allow untrained and unlicensed contractors to remove textured coatings that contain asbestos.

The EDM says:
“This House expresses concern that the new Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2006 will drop textured coatings from the list of materials that only licensed contractors are approved to remove; is further concerned that the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has arrived at this proposal without a proper evaluation of the risk associated with the material; believes that allowing unlicensed contractors to remove these materials will put workers, home owners and families at risk; and calls for the proposal and research methodology to be reviewed.â€Â�

Groups including the Construction Safety Campaign, the Hazards Campaign and the Asbestos Removal Contractors Association (ARCA) have all voiced serious concerns.