Northern Ireland's Health and Safety Executive is providing free asbestos related training for duty holder's from 7th January to 29th March 2013.

Last Updated on March 19, 2013 by

Northern Ireland’s Health and Safety Executive (HSENI) is providing local tradesmen with free training to enhance their knowledge of the duty holder’s responsibilities in relation to asbestos.

The ‘Asbestos Training Pledge NI’ scheme has been organised in partnership with the training industry and will run for 12 weeks from 7 January to 29 March 2013. Figures show that there have been more than 300 deaths in Northern Ireland in the last five years due to past exposures to asbestos, and with this number being expected to rise there is a need for those with asbestos related responsibilities to be trained.

Regulation 4 of the Control of Asbestos Regulation 2012 states that anyone responsible for the maintenance and repair of non-domestic premises has a legal duty to manage the risks from asbestos. This duty-holder must inform tradesmen if asbestos is present in a building in which they are working. This is expected to be in the form of an asbestos register, which they must make available on request.

HSENI’s head of workplace health, Cyril Anderson, said at the launch of the training initiative “Everyone should avoid working with asbestos if possible. But if you need to work with asbestos, make sure you have proper training before you start.”

Training providers in Northern Ireland and Great Britain have pledged 1000 course places, which are available via e-learning or classroom-based formats.  There is no charge for the training but, as places are limited, they will be offered on a ‘first come, first served’ basis. For more information on the scheme and to find out how to sign up for courses call 0800 0320 121.

For businesses in England, Armco Asbestos Consultants can train up to 15 delegates at one time at either your premises throughout the UK or at ours here in Bury, Greater Manchester. We offer various asbestos related training so simply contact the team on 0161 761 4424 for further details and a very competitive quote.

Published Dec 19, 2012