Working safely around asbestos — Asbestos Awareness Practice

Sample questions

1. 01You are pricing new lighting circuits in a 1960s warehouse. In what order should your asbestos planning go?

   • ADecide the category of work first, find out what is there, then avoid it
   • BChoose the RPE, decide the category of work, then find out what is there
   • CFind out what is there, avoid it, then decide the category of work
   • DAvoid anything that looks like asbestos, then ask for the register later

   Why: Planning starts with finding out what is there (the register, a survey or a presumption), then avoiding disturbance where reasonably practicable, and only then deciding the category of any work that cannot be avoided. Choosing RPE first gets the law the wrong way round, because CAR 2012 regulation 11 puts prevention first and RPE last. Avoiding by eye fails because asbestos cannot be identified by sight.

2. 02A lamp needs changing in a light fitting screwed to sound AIB. What does HSE’s sheet a5 say about taking the fitting down?

   • ATake it down and wipe the board behind with a dry cloth
   • BAvoid removing it, as that may disturb the board behind
   • CTake it down, then drill fresh fixings to steady the board
   • DTake it down and refit it on a new non-asbestos backing

   Why: Sheet a5 covers cleaning a light fitting attached to AIB, for example to change a lamp, and says avoid removing the fitting, because taking it down may disturb the board. Refitting on new backing is tempting because sheet a33 puts a new fuse board on a non-asbestos surface, but here it still means unfixing the old fitting from the AIB. Dry wiping and drilling new fixings both disturb the board.

3. 03Your firm has written the plan of work for a short non-licensed AIB task in a client’s office. What does HSE’s introduction sheet (a0) add about the client?

   • AThe client must write the plan, as it is their building
   • BThe client must send the plan to HSE before work starts
   • CThe client should agree the plan, so they know the method
   • DThe client need not see it, as it is the firm’s own paperwork

   Why: Sheet a0 says the client should agree the plan of work, so they understand what is being done and how. The plan itself is written by the employer doing the work, under CAR 2012 regulation 7, which is why having the client write it is tempting but wrong. HSE does not approve or receive plans of work, and keeping the client out of it misses what a0 asks for.