Asbestos Policy Statement (February 2020)

Your Homes Newcastle (YHN) recognises its responsibility under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 (CAR 2012), to control the hazards associated with asbestos and asbestos containing materials (ACMs) and is committed to establishing, implementing and maintaining an effective system of managing ACMs.

This policy statement supports our Health and Safety Policy and sets out our approach to managing asbestos. It has been written for all YHN staff, board members, volunteers and contractors who are carrying out services on behalf of YHN, including consultancy and agency staff.

We are strongly committed to fairness and making sure that everyone has the same opportunities to achieve the same, or similar, outcomes. This policy statement meets the requirements set out by the Equality Act 2010 and aims to prevent unlawful discrimination on the grounds of disability, race, gender, age, sexual orientation, religion and beliefs, pregnancy and maternity, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnerships. It has been written and approved in-line with YHN’s Policy & Strategy Development Framework and supports our strategic objective of amazing places where people are proud to live.

Our commitments

YHN will ensure that appropriate arrangements are in place to prevent exposure to asbestos as a consequence of its organisational activities, as far as is reasonably practicable. The objective will be to protect its employees, contractors, partners, customers and others from contracting asbestos related diseases resulting from exposure to asbestos.

To meet this commitment YHN will:

• Assess all operational buildings and communal areas of domestic dwellings for the presence of ACMs
• Put in place a programme to assess all domestic dwellings for the presence of ACMs
• Undertake suitable and sufficient inspections for asbestos prior to any works likely to disturb ACMs
• Establish an effective asbestos register which is up to date, easily accessible to all who require asbestos information and able to continually assess the risk from all ACMs
• Take reasonable steps to ensure the risks from asbestos are managed for all YHN’s operations (including asbestos in buildings, civil engineering structures, service installations, fly tipped ACMs and asbestos buried in the ground)
• Assess the risk from ACMs identified or presumed and form an asbestos management plan(s) (AMP) to manage the risk from asbestos
• Monitor the condition of ACMs on a regular basis in all operational buildings and communal areas of domestic dwellings
• Appoint suitably competent contractors to undertake asbestos management, removal, abatement, analytical, surveying and inspection works
• Provide suitable training for employees involved in managing asbestos and undertake reviews and checks of their understanding and competence
• Provide suitable training for any employee’s carrying out asbestos surveys and inspections and undertake reviews and checks of their understanding and competence
• Provide as a minimum; asbestos awareness training, to any employee who may undertake work resulting in the disturbance of ACMs and ensure asbestos awareness refresher training is provided on a regular basis
• To check, as far as reasonably practicable, YHN and our contractors are working in line with CAR 2012
• Inform tenants about the risks from asbestos in the home and provide general guidance
• Make this asbestos policy available to all interested parties and promote good and safe practice with regards to asbestos management; ensure the asbestos policy, AMP(s) and relevant procedures are communicated to all relevant employees
• Review, monitor and update the AMP(s) on a regular basis and implement structured reviewing arrangements to confirm the asbestos management system is adequate and effective and that required actions are being carried out