Asbestos Awareness Training Requirements for Employers

Asbestos awareness training requirements catch many employers off guard because the obligation isn’t limited to people who work directly with asbestos – it extends much further than most people assume. Here’s who actually needs it, and what the training needs to cover.

Who Actually Needs This Training?

Under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012, any employee whose work could foreseeably disturb asbestos-containing materials – even without intending to – needs asbestos awareness training. In practice, this covers a much wider group than just asbestos removal specialists: electricians, plumbers, joiners, roofers, plasterers, gas engineers, and general maintenance staff are all typically in scope, since their day-to-day work routinely involves drilling, cutting, or disturbing building fabric.

What the Training Needs to Cover

Awareness training is different from licensed removal training – it’s designed to help someone recognise where asbestos might be present, understand the health risks, and know what to do (and, critically, what not to do) if they encounter a suspect material, rather than qualifying them to work with asbestos directly. Typical content covers where asbestos is commonly found by building age, its health effects, and the correct procedure for stopping work and reporting a find.

How often does it need refreshing?

The Health and Safety Executive recommends refresher training at least annually, since awareness and good habits can fade over time, and regulatory guidance is occasionally updated. Employers who treat this as a one-off induction task rather than a recurring requirement are one of the more common compliance gaps we come across.

Why This Matters Beyond Compliance

Most accidental asbestos disturbance happens not because someone deliberately ignored the risk, but because they simply didn’t recognise a material as suspect in the first place. A workforce with proper asbestos awareness training is one of the most effective, lowest-cost protections against accidental exposure – arguably more effective day-to-day than the management plan itself, since it’s the people on the ground who make the first call.

Areas we cover

We work with employers across the North of England to understand their asbestos awareness training requirements alongside their survey and management obligations.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does office-based staff need asbestos awareness training?

Generally not, unless their role involves any building maintenance or repair work. Purely office-based staff with no exposure to building fabric are typically outside the requirement.

Is asbestos awareness training a legal requirement or just best practice?

It’s a legal requirement under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 for anyone whose work could foreseeably disturb asbestos-containing materials, not simply a recommendation.

Do self-employed tradespeople need it too?

Yes – the requirement applies to anyone carrying out the type of work covered, regardless of employment status, since the risk of disturbance doesn’t depend on who’s paying them.