Current HSE guidance.

Until now, UKAS accreditation has been required for asbestos air monitoring and asbestos labs.

However, with surveying, it’s a bit different. “HSE strongly recommends using accredited asbestos surveying organisations.”

“The United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) is currently the sole recognised accreditation body in Great Britain for asbestos inspection bodies carrying out surveys.” In other words, asbestos surveyors can legitimately operate without UKAS accreditation.

Ref: https://www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/duty/arrange-asbestos-survey.htm

Potential future changes.

Recently, the HSE published a consultation survey to get the community's opinions and determine whether UKAS should be mandatory going forward.

This could be a concerning industry change for smaller companies. Since many of Flow’s clients are smaller companies and are not UKAS accredited, this is an area of concern for many.

Why is this potential change concerning for smaller companies?

• The price may be prohibitive, costing tens of thousands to become accredited.
• High time demands may be unrealistic for small businesses.
• Small companies may need to pass additional costs to clients to sustain their business.
• Some speculate that UKAS may struggle with the increase in companies that require accreditation, which could mean long delays in getting accredited.

So, what’s the alternative?

In this podcast, Greg suggests alternatives, such as personal accreditation against the individual rather than the company, and personal auditing.

Do you have a hot topic you want to discuss in the compliance industry? -Get in touch.

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