Blunder to Cost the uk Billions of Pounds

1st August 2004

T. Wyn Jones

In May of this year new laws introduced by Brussels and implemented by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) will, I am informed, cost the UK tens of billions of pounds and will affect millions of businesses and householders.

The “Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2002" makes it compulsory for all non-domestic properties and residential properties of multiple occupancy including social housing to have an "Asbestos Assessment". This is to have been carried out by 21st May of this year!

The problem is however that the regulations do not make a distinction between the genuinely dangerous forms of asbestos and a wholly different mineral (white asbestos, artex plaster or chrysotile) that as new studies confirm pose no risk to human health whatsoever and is in fact indistinguishable from talcum powder.

The white asbestos cement and artex plaster (which comprises over 90% of the "asbestos containing buildings" in the 10 million or so buildings across the UK) can now, due to this legislation only be handled by licensed contractors - which has further added confusion to the situation and allowed contractors and sometimes surveyors to exploit the officially promoted confusion.

The end result is giving rise to shameless commercial exploitation on a huge scale by both surveyors and contractors where 9 times out of 10 there is no risk whatsoever.

In addition to this nonsense and in ever-typical fashion the Health and Safety Executive admit that no full safety tests have been carried out on the proposed substitutes for asbestos!

So if you are the owner or manager of a property that falls into one of the categories mentioned above either you may have possibly wasted your money on one of the companies touting their wares and "Asbestos Assessments" or if not, you may be held criminally liable for not doing so.

For further information on Property Matters Wyn can be contacted on Tel 07702 722905 or by e-mail on wyn@mccartneys.co.uk