Asbestos is a material that has been used by humans since ancient times. The many uses of asbestos have been recognised all that time but only in more recent years have the dangers become apparent. Because we learned more bout the dangers of asbestos, regulations were necessary to limit the risk to people. The most prominent piece of legislation in place today is the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006.
Asbestos has been recognised as a useful mineral, particularly in the field of construction, many hundreds of years ago. However, it was not until the late 1830s that the use of asbestos became popular across the UK. By the late 1960s, the real dangers associated with contact with asbestos were being recognised and they were identified in the Asbestos Regulations of 1969. These regulations aimed to limit the risks for workers who would be in the vicinity of asbestos on a regular basis.
The following step in the regulation of asbestos products came in 1983, when the Asbestos 9Licensing) Regulations were introduced. This piece of legislations made it necessary for anyone who worked with asbestos to hold a Health and Safety License. This legislation applied to anyone working with either asbestos coating or asbestos insulation. The Asbestos Regulations of 1969 were replaced in 1987 by the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations, which were further amended in 1993. The amendments stated that it would be compulsory to substitute the use of asbestos products for other materials wherever possible.
In 2002, asbestos regulation became tighter still, with and a ‘duty to manage’ policy was introduced, which protected workers even more from the dangers of contact with asbestos. By 2003, the Asbestos (Licensing) Regulations were amended again, to ensure that any work to be carried out, involving asbestos and requiring a license, would need to be communicated with the authorities at least 14 days prior to the work commencing.
The most recent changes to the laws regarding asbestos were introduced in 2006 with the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations, which were effectively a culmination of all previous legislation. One major difference of these regulations was that the way in which it would be decided if a job required a license would be changed so that a health and safety would be carried out rather than giving a general classification.
You could be eligible to make a mesothelioma claim if you’ve been affected by an asbestos related illness. Find out more today.