UK Statutory Instrument SI 2012 United Kingdom

Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012

These Regulations revoke and replace the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006 (S.I. 2006/2739 as amended by S.I. 2007/1573, 2008/960, 2008/2852 and 2009/716) and implement, as respects Great Britain— Council Directive 2009/148/EC (OJ No L330, 16.12.2009, p28) which repealed and replaced Council Directive 83/477/EEC (OJ No L263, 24.9.83, p25) as amended …

Enforced by
HSE
Status
In Force
Penalty ceiling
Imprisonment 16 of 26 obligations carry up to 2 years imprisonment. 10 have no criminal penalty — flagged in the list below.

Does it bind you?

Business-side roles with duties under this instrument.

Employer21 Any Person2 Occupier1 Employee1

Plus 1 duty on the regulator, Crown ministers and public bodies — folded into the section list below.

Other Acts binding the same actors

If a role above is yours, these are the other instruments that most often bind it.

Employer — also bound by 682 other Acts
Any Person — also bound by 2340 other Acts
Occupier — also bound by 235 other Acts
Employee — also bound by 189 other Acts

What it requires

Regulations creating concrete business duties or carrying penalties, grouped as the instrument is structured. Titles link to the source text — blue means you’re leaving for legislation.gov.uk.

Part 1

Preliminary

0 of 3 sections shown
3 other sections in this Part — procedural and definitional
s.001 Citation and commencement
s.002 Interpretation
s.003 Application of these Regulations
Part 2

General requirements

21 of 21 sections shown
s.004 Duty to manage asbestos in non-domestic premises (opens in a new tab) Imprisonment
  • Identify and manage asbestos in non-domestic premisesOccupier
s.005 Identification of the presence of asbestos (opens in a new tab) Regulated
  • Identify asbestos before starting workEmployer
s.006 Assessment of work which exposes employees to asbestos (opens in a new tab) Imprisonment
  • Assess and record asbestos risks before starting workEmployer
s.007 Plans of work (opens in a new tab) Imprisonment
  • Prepare and follow a written plan of work for asbestosEmployer
s.008 Licensing of work with asbestos (opens in a new tab) Regulated
  • Hold an HSE asbestos licence before undertaking licensable asbestos workEmployer
s.009 Notification of work with asbestos (opens in a new tab) Regulated
  • Notify HSE before undertaking asbestos workEmployer
s.010 Information, instruction and training (opens in a new tab) Imprisonment
  • Provide asbestos information, instruction and training to employeesEmployer
s.011 Prevention or reduction of exposure to asbestos (opens in a new tab) Imprisonment
  • Prevent or minimize employee exposure to asbestosEmployer
s.012 Use of control measures etc (opens in a new tab) Imprisonment
  • Ensure asbestos control measures are properly used and reportedEmployer
s.013 Maintenance of control measures etc (opens in a new tab) Imprisonment
  • Maintain and test asbestos control measures and keep recordsEmployer
s.014 Provision and cleaning of protective clothing (opens in a new tab) Imprisonment
  • Provide and clean protective clothing for employees exposed to asbestosEmployer
s.015 Arrangements to deal with accidents, incidents and emergencies (opens in a new tab) Imprisonment
  • Establish emergency procedures for asbestos incidentsEmployer
s.016 Duty to prevent or reduce the spread of asbestos (opens in a new tab) Imprisonment
  • Prevent or reduce the spread of asbestos from the workplaceEmployer
s.017 Cleanliness of premises and plant (opens in a new tab) Imprisonment
  • Keep asbestos work areas and equipment cleanEmployee
s.018 Designated areas (opens in a new tab) Imprisonment
  • Designate, signpost, and control access to asbestos work areasEmployer
s.019 Air monitoring (opens in a new tab) Regulated
  • Monitor employee exposure to asbestos and keep recordsEmployer
s.020 Standards for air testing and site clearance certification (opens in a new tab) Regulated
  • Use accredited professionals for asbestos air testing and site clearanceEmployer
s.021 Standards for analysis (opens in a new tab) Imprisonment
  • Ensure asbestos analysis meets ISO 17025 standardsEmployer
s.022 Health records and medical surveillance (opens in a new tab) Regulated
  • Maintain asbestos health records and provide medical surveillanceEmployer
s.023 Washing and changing facilities (opens in a new tab) Imprisonment
  • Provide separate washing, changing, and storage facilities for asbestos workEmployer
s.024 Storage, distribution and labelling of raw asbestos and asbestos waste (opens in a new tab) Imprisonment
  • Seal and label asbestos and asbestos waste during storage and transportEmployer
Part 3

Prohibitions and related provisions

3 of 4 sections shown
s.026 Prohibitions of exposure to asbestos (opens in a new tab) Imprisonment
  • Do not use, spray, or manufacture asbestos productsEmployer
s.027 Labelling of products containing asbestos (opens in a new tab) Regulated
  • Label products or components containing asbestosAny Person
s.028 Additional provisions in the case of exceptions and exemptions (opens in a new tab) Regulated
  • Minimise asbestos quantities and ensure cleaning facilities when working under an exemptionEmployer
1 other section in this Part — procedural and definitional
Part 4

Miscellaneous

1 of 7 sections shown
s.035 Review (opens in a new tab) Regulated
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Secretary of State must review asbestos regulations every five yearsCrown / Minister / Government department
6 other sections in this Part — procedural and definitional
Schedules

Schedules

1 of 9 shown
8 other schedules
s.sch001 The following particulars are to be included in a notification...
s.sch002 (1) Subject to sub-paragraphs (2) and (3), the label to...
s.sch002 The dimensions in millimetres of the label referred to in...
s.sch002 The label must be clearly and indelibly printed so that...
s.sch002 (1) Where a product containing asbestos may undergo processing or...
s.sch002 (1) Labelling of packaged and unpackaged products containing asbestos in...

Help complying

Guvnor’s practical routes through this instrument.

Meet environmental compliance requirements

Navigate your environmental obligations including waste duty of care, pollution prevention, packaging responsibilities, and energy reporting

Responding to CDM enforcement action

What to do when HSE takes enforcement action or investigates your construction site for CDM breaches. Covers improvement notices, prohibition notices, prosecution, …

Run a construction business

Ongoing compliance, site safety, and operational requirements for established construction businesses

Grow your construction business

Scale your construction business - win public contracts, build your workforce, achieve accreditations, and manage subcontractors at scale

Structural incident on site: what to do now

Emergency response for excavation collapse, structural instability, or unexpected failure during construction works. Covers immediate safety actions, RIDDOR reporting, HSE notification, making …

Structural works pre-start compliance check

Quick pre-start checklist for structural works: demolition notices, asbestos surveys, temporary works design, excavation safety, and LOLER examinations. Use before beginning any …

Construction Site Health and Safety

Essential health and safety requirements for construction sites including work at height, asbestos, manual handling, and PPE.

Demolition safety and compliance

How to comply with demolition safety requirements in England and Wales. Covers Section 80/81 demolition notices, asbestos refurbishment and demolition surveys, CDM …

Environmental compliance for construction sites

Your environmental obligations for construction sites including site waste management, environmental permits, dust control, and noise management.

Manage asbestos in non-domestic buildings

Legal duties for managing asbestos in commercial premises, including survey requirements, licensing thresholds, and the duty to manage under CAR 2012.

5 more guides that reference this instrument

Duty extraction and severity labels are Guvnor’s analysis of the instrument, not the instrument itself. Always verify against the linked source text.