Pubs ignore asbestos risks
Less than five per cent of licensees have met their legal requirements over the management of asbestos at work, new research reveals.
A survey of 15,000 pubs by BES Consulting found that although many of the UK's pubs have identified the location of asbestos-containing materials, the great majority of licensed premises still do not have adequate asbestos management plans. Of the 15,000 pubs surveyed, three-quarters contain asbestos.
Under the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations which came into force in May 2004, asbestos-containing materials in a premises must be located, monitored and, if necessary, removed.
The regulations require this is followed up by a structured plan for their management and ongoing monitoring, to ensure employees, or anyone else visiting the premises, are not put at risk from airborne asbestos fibre.
BES Consulting, an asbestos management group, is concerned that many pubs and clubs are unaware of their obligations and believes these statistics are merely the tip of the iceberg.
Simon Farrar, chief executive officer at BES Consulting, commented: "There has been a common misconception that the regulations are a 'duty to survey', when in fact there is an explicit 'duty to manage' asbestos, of which a survey is only the first step.
"Many of the establishments we questioned are owned and operated by major leisure retail companies.
Although these companies have, in the main, recognised the need to survey for asbestos, not all are clear about their long-term legal obligations.
"What's even more worrying is that there are perhaps 25,000 or so independently-owned UK pubs and clubs that have made very little headway at all. Most have not even carried out an asbestos survey of their premises.
"Legislation has been des-igned to deal with the risk, but many establishments are ignoring it. Even some of the major operators appear to remain unaware that asbestos is now covered by criminal legislation with the maximum penalty being an unlimited fine and two years in prison."
