General Note
NHS Fife acknowledges and agrees with the importance of regular and timely review of policy/procedure statements and aims to review policies within the timescales set out. New policies/procedures will be subject to a review date of no more than 1 year from the date of first issue.
Reviewed policies/procedures will have a review date set that is relevant to the content (advised by the author) but will be no longer than 3 years.
If a policy/procedure is past its review date, then the content will remain extant until such time as the policy/procedure review is complete and the new version published, or there are national policy or legislative changes.
1. FUNCTION
1.1 NHS Fife takes the health, safety and welfare of its entire staff seriously. This policy outlines the steps to be taken by NHS Fife to ensure that staff or others do not work in locations that contain asbestos materials, where it can be avoided. Where this is not possible a written suitable and sufficient risk assessment must be undertaken and a safe system of work developed.
1.2 This policy and the related ‘Standard Operating procedure 07 – Managing Asbestos’ is to enable NHS Fife to meet its obligation to protect staff and contractors from the risks of work in locations containing asbestos materials, so far as is reasonably practicable.
2. LOCATION
Applicable to all NHS Fife owned premises and those where NHS Fife services are delivered. Examples of areas that could contain asbestos materials are plant rooms, walls, ceilings and equipment.
3. RESPONSIBILITY
3.1 Chief Executive
The Chief Executive of NHS Fife has overall executive responsibility for ensuring that effective arrangements are in place to manage all safety, health and risk matters within NHS Fife. This responsibility has been delegated to an appropriate senior manager, the Director of Property & Asset Management, but the Chief Executive remains accountable to the Board.
3.2 The Director of Property & Asset Management is the Executive Lead for Health and Safety and is responsible for:
• Making sure that there are arrangements for identifying, evaluating and managing risks associated with working in areas that contain asbestos materials
• Making sure that the Board regularly reviews the effectiveness of the policy
3.3 Director of Property & Asset Management
Through the Head of Estates is responsible for ensuring:
• The implementation and management of the policy and associated procedures across NHS Fife
• That NHS Fife staff are aware of and have access to the policy and associated procedures
• That NHS Fife staff understand the importance of compliance with the procedures associated with this policy
• That staff receive training commensurate with their role and responsibilities
• Making sure that risk assessments are carried out and reviewed regularly
• Making sure that we have an up to date asbestos register for all buildings within NHS Fife
• Putting procedures and safe systems of work into practice which are designed to eliminate or reduce the risks associated with in an area containing asbestos materials
• Making sure that staff groups and individuals identified as being at risk are given appropriate information, instruction and training, including training at induction, updates and refresher training as necessary
3.4 Individual Managers and Members of Staff
• Making sure that all staff are aware of this policy and the related SOP 07 – Managing Asbestos
• Providing resources for putting the policy into practice
• Making sure there are arrangements for monitoring incidents linked to exposure to asbestos materials
• Making sure that appropriate support is given to staff involved in any incident;
• Managing the effectiveness of preventative measures through an effective system of reporting, investigating and recording incidents.
• Ensuring that staff are consulted through partnership arrangements, on matters relating to their Health and Safety
• Taking reasonable care of themselves and others who may be affected by their actions
• Co-operating by following rules and procedures designed for safe work in areas containing asbestos materials
• Reporting all incidents that may affect the health and safety of themselves or others and asking for guidance as appropriate
• Reporting any risks they identify or any concerns they might have in respect of work in areas containing asbestos material
• Taking part in training designed to meet the requirements of the policy
4. RISK MANAGEMENT
The key risks involved in implementation of this policy are:-
4.1 Lack of staff awareness of this policy, resulting in non-compliance
4.2 Lack of robust organisational arrangements around policy implementation
4.3 Failure to implement and maintain the required procedures associated with the policy
5. RELATED DOCUMENTS
5.1 It is recommended that this document is read in conjunction with the following:
6. REFERENCES AND RESOURCES
6.1 HSE: The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012.
6.2 NHS Fife Risk Register and Risk Assessment Policy (GP/R7)
