What Does Managing Asbestos Involve?
In the Republic of Ireland, the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Exposure to Asbestos) Regulations 2006–2025 require employers and those in control of workplaces to identify asbestos-containing materials (ACMs), assess the risk of exposure, and control that risk so that nobody using or working in the building is exposed. The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) enforces the Regulations and publishes guidance on managing asbestos in buildings.
In practice this covers offices, warehouses, factories, shops, schools, hospitals, agricultural buildings, and any other workplace. It matters just as much when you commission maintenance or building work, because an asbestos survey should be carried out before any work that could disturb the fabric of a building.
Managing asbestos is not optional, and ignorance is not a defence. If your building was built or refurbished before 2000, assume that asbestos may be present until a competent survey proves otherwise. Since 30 December 2025, asbestos work also needs a permit from the HSA, with notification, a plan of work and a risk assessment submitted at least 10 days before work starts.
Who Is Responsible?
Responsibility sits with the employer and with whoever controls the building and its maintenance. In practice, this is usually:
Building owners who occupy their own premises are responsible. This includes owner-occupier businesses, farmers, and organisations that own and use their buildings.
Landlords are typically responsible for the structure, common areas, and building services of a let property. The lease may assign some maintenance responsibilities to the tenant, so it is important that the split of responsibility for asbestos is clear and agreed in writing.
Managing agents and facilities managers who are contractually responsible for building maintenance may carry out the day-to-day asbestos management. However, handing the work to an agent does not relieve the owner or employer of their own responsibilities if the agent fails to act.
Tenants who employ staff must protect those employees, and are usually responsible for the parts of the building they maintain under the lease — typically the interior of their unit. In multi-let buildings, several parties may share responsibility for different parts of the building.
The Core Steps
Managing asbestos in a building comes down to four core steps, which apply in sequence:
1. Find out if asbestos is present. Commission an asbestos survey from a competent, independent asbestos surveyor. A management survey identifies the location, type, and condition of any ACMs in the building. Before refurbishment or demolition, a more intrusive refurbishment/demolition survey is needed.
2. Assess the risk. Once ACMs are identified, assess the risk they pose based on their condition (intact, damaged, deteriorating), location (high-traffic area, restricted access), and likelihood of disturbance (during normal use, maintenance, or planned works). Higher-risk materials require more urgent action.
3. Prepare and implement a management plan. The asbestos management plan documents what ACMs are present, their condition, the assessed risk, and the action being taken — whether that is monitoring, encapsulation, removal, or a combination. The plan must be a living document, reviewed and updated regularly.
4. Provide information to anyone who might disturb the ACMs. Maintenance contractors, building workers, and anyone else who might encounter the asbestos during their work must be informed of its presence and location. This typically involves providing access to the asbestos register and briefing contractors before they start work.
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The Asbestos Survey
The asbestos management survey is the foundation of managing asbestos in a building. It must be carried out by a competent surveyor — typically someone holding a BOHS P402 qualification (Surveying and Sampling Strategies for Asbestos in Buildings) or equivalent. The survey involves a systematic inspection of all accessible areas, with sampling of suspected ACMs for laboratory analysis.
A management survey is a non-intrusive inspection — the surveyor examines materials that are accessible without damaging the building fabric. For areas that cannot be safely accessed or inspected without damage, the surveyor will note them as presumed to contain asbestos until proven otherwise. This presumption is a deliberate safety measure.
Survey costs vary with building size, complexity and access — multi-storey or complex buildings cost more. The survey report should include a floor plan showing ACM locations, photographs, laboratory analysis results, condition assessments, and risk scores for each identified ACM.
The Asbestos Register
The asbestos register is the central record of all known or presumed ACMs in the building. It is created from the survey findings and must be maintained as a live document throughout the building's life. The register typically includes:
• Location of each ACM (with floor plan references)
• Type of asbestos (chrysotile, amosite, crocidolite)
• Type of material (cement, insulating board, lagging, etc.)
• Condition assessment and risk rating
• Photographs
• Action taken (monitored, encapsulated, removed)
• Date of last inspection
• Next inspection due date
The register must be accessible to anyone who needs it — maintenance staff, contractors, building managers, and HSA inspectors. It should be kept on site and a copy held off-site. When asbestos is encapsulated, the register must be updated to record the encapsulation, the date, the contractor, and the system used. The asbestos is still present — it has not been removed — so it remains on the register with its status changed to "encapsulated."
The Asbestos Management Plan
The asbestos management plan is the document that translates the survey findings and risk assessment into practical action. It must set out:
What action is being taken for each ACM — is it being monitored in place, encapsulated, removed, or managed by other means? The plan should explain why each decision has been made (e.g. "Asbestos cement roof sheets in good condition — encapsulation recommended to improve thermal performance and permanently seal fibres").
The inspection schedule — how often will each ACM be re-inspected? Annual reinspection is a sensible minimum, but higher-risk materials in busy environments may need more frequent checks. Encapsulated materials should be inspected at intervals specified in the encapsulation maintenance schedule.
The information and training protocol — how will contractors and maintenance staff be informed about asbestos locations before they start work? This should include a permit-to-work system for any maintenance that might disturb ACMs.
Emergency procedures — what to do if ACMs are accidentally damaged or disturbed. This should cover immediate steps (stop work, evacuate area, do not clean up), who to contact, and how to arrange emergency remediation.
Enforcement and Penalties
Failing to manage asbestos properly is a breach of health and safety law, and the consequences can be severe:
Improvement notices — HSA inspectors can require the responsible person to take specified action within a given timescale. Failure to comply with a notice is itself a further offence.
Prohibition notices — immediately prohibiting an activity or the use of an area until the asbestos risk is controlled. This can halt business operations entirely.
Prosecution — serious breaches can be prosecuted in the courts, where penalties can include substantial fines and, for the most serious offences, imprisonment for individuals.
Beyond the legal penalties, uncontrolled asbestos exposure creates lasting health risks for workers and occupants, potential civil claims, and reputational damage. Proactive management costs far less than dealing with the aftermath of an incident.
How Encapsulation Helps You Manage Asbestos
Asbestos encapsulation is a proactive management action that shows you are taking your responsibilities seriously. By encapsulating asbestos cement roofs with Nexseal LE or GacoFlex S42/SF42, the building owner:
• Seals asbestos fibres — encapsulation seals the surface and stops fibre release from weathering
• Demonstrates active management — goes beyond simply monitoring the material, showing proactive risk reduction
• Simplifies ongoing management — encapsulated material backed by a manufacturer-backed product warranty is easier to manage than bare, weathering ACMs
• Improves building performance — the encapsulation adds thermal insulation, waterproofing, or both, delivering commercial benefit alongside compliance
• Provides comprehensive documentation — Duratite provides completion certificates, warranty documents, and compliance reports that strengthen the management plan
Contact Duratite on info@duratite.ie for a free site assessment and encapsulation specification.