Why Asbestos Training Matters

Asbestos training is an important part of protecting anyone whose work could bring them into contact with asbestos-containing materials. It is also a legal requirement in appropriate circumstances.

What asbestos training do workers need?

Employers have a responsibility to ensure that employees who could foreseeably disturb asbestos as part of their work receive appropriate information, instruction and training. This also applies to supervisors responsible for overseeing such work. The training required will depend upon the type of work being undertaken.

Simply providing workers with general health and safety information is not sufficient where there is a foreseeable risk of encountering asbestos. Employers need to establish the level of training appropriate to the work being carried out.  Broadly, there are three levels:

• Asbestos awareness training is intended for people who could encounter asbestos during their normal work. It helps workers recognise situations where asbestos may be present and understand what they should and should not do. It does not qualify someone to work on asbestos-containing materials.
• Training for non-licensable asbestos work is required where employees will intentionally carry out certain lower-risk work involving asbestos that does not require a licensed contractor.
• Training for licensable asbestos work is required for specialist work involving higher-risk asbestos-containing materials. This work must normally be undertaken by appropriately trained employees working for a licensed asbestos contractor.

£36,000 fine highlights the consequences

A recent Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecution demonstrates why employers need to take these responsibilities seriously. In July 2026, a North Wales waste and recycling company was fined £36,000 after repeatedly failing to provide appropriate welfare facilities and asbestos awareness training for its employees. The case was not the result of a single oversight. According to the HSE, the company had been subject to enforcement action on several occasions during an 11-year period. Despite this previous intervention, the necessary improvements had not been made.

Does your workforce have the right asbestos training?

Businesses should consider which employees could encounter asbestos and whether their existing training remains appropriate for the work they undertake.  Global Environmental provides professional asbestos training to help organisations and their employees understand asbestos risks and work safely and in accordance with their legal responsibilities. Appropriate training can help workers recognise potential asbestos-containing materials, understand when work should stop and know what action to take when asbestos is suspected.