Regulations 

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Revised Regulations to Enhance Protection of Workers from Asbestos Exposure

1. From 30 May 2014, the Workplace Safety and Health (Asbestos) Regulations will replace the Factories (Asbestos) Regulations. The WSH (Asbestos) Regulations will mandate better protection of workers against exposure to asbestos during asbestos-removal work and thus help to prevent asbestos-related diseases.

2. The Regulations, which are in line with international practices, were developed in consultation with workplace safety and health professionals, contractors, employers and employees. A month-long public consultation in July 2013 was also conducted to gather feedback from the public on the proposed regulations.

Key change and requirements

3. The key provisions of the Regulations are:

a) Survey to determine presence of asbestos or asbestos-containing material (ACM) – An asbestos survey must be conducted by a competent person to determine:

(i) if there is any asbestos-containing material present in buildings prior to demolition, addition, alteration or repair; and

(ii) if there is any asbestos present in any specified material.

b) Asbestos-removal work to be carried out prior to demolition of building – Before any demolition of a building is to be carried out, all asbestos and ACM must be removed by an Approved Asbestos-Removal Contractor (AARC) before the building is demolished.

c) Only AARC to carry out asbestos-removal work – Asbestos-removal work can only be carried out by an AARC. The AARC must appoint a competent person⁵ to establish an asbestos-removal plan of work and to supervise the asbestos-removal work.

d) Measures to minimise release or spread of asbestos during work – Employers and principal must take measures to minimise asbestos release during work involving asbestos, and to prevent the spread of asbestos beyond the work area. The measures include wetting of asbestos-containing material and providing exhaust ventilation to maintain a negative pressure within the work area i.e. contaminated air will be removed from the work area and filtered before being discharged into the surrounding area.

e) General provisions for all works involving asbestos – Employer and principal must:

(i) ensure that person required to carry out work involving asbestos must be adequately trained and provided with appropriate personal protective equipment;

(ii) provide adequate facilities to decontaminate persons and materials that may be contaminated with asbestos; and

(iii) ensure proper disposal of asbestos waste.

(Please see Annex A for more information on key requirements of the revised regulations.)

Penalties

4. The duties and liabilities of duty holders, including competent persons and AARC, are also specified in the regulations. The maximum penalty for non-compliance is $20,000 and/or 24 months’ jail.

You can also check out more about Workplace Safety and Health ( Asbestos ) Regulation 2014