What Should Employers Do When Asbestos Limits Are Exceeded?

28 Feb 2025

If you’re a business owner in Ireland that employs people, you have a duty of care to your staff to ensure that your workplace is safe. One threat to workplace safety is asbestos exposure, which poses a serious health risk. In fact, it can lead to life-threatening issues like mesothelioma. 

As such, employers in Ireland are responsible for protecting their workers from its harmful effects. But what happens when you find that the exposure limit value (ELV) for asbestos has been exceeded? That’s the focus of this article. 

Important: Immediate Action Should Be Taken

The moment that asbestos monitoring shows that exposure has been detected, it’s vital that you take immediate action in line with Article 6 of the Safety, Health & Welfare at Work Regulations. That means you must…

• Stop work immediately and cease all activities that could be contributing to the elevated asbestos levels. Work must not continue in the affected area until protective measures have been put in place.

• Restrict access to prevent further exposure. Only authorized personnel, such as qualified asbestos specialists, should enter the area.

• Engage a licensed asbestos specialist to assess the situation, determine the source, and implement appropriate control measures.

• Carry out additional air testing immediately after control measures have been implemented to ensure asbestos concentrations have been reduced to safe levels before work resumes.

• Inform employees and relevant authorities about the issue and the steps being taken to address it.

• Implement corrective actions to prevent further exposure. If exposure cannot be reduced by other means, employers may require employees to wear protective respiratory equipment—but this should only be used as a last resort and for the shortest time necessary.

• Provide appropriate breaks for employees required to wear respiratory protective equipment, taking into account physical and environmental conditions. These breaks should be arranged in consultation with employees or their representatives.

• Review and update risk assessments to strengthen asbestos safety protocols and prevent future incidents.

It’s extremely important to reiterate that all assessments, control measures, and other efforts should be carried out by a competent, certified asbestos professional to ensure compliance with legal requirements and best safety practices.

Only Licensed Professionals Should Ever Handle Asbestos

If you’re an employer who finds yourself in this situation, just get everyone to stop what they’re doing and evacuate the building. Your next step should be to reach out to a suitably qualified professional for the next steps, and that’s it. All risk assessments, monitoring and asbestos removal should only ever be carried out by an expert. 

At OHSS, we’ve been helping businesses across Ireland to protect themselves and their staff from the dangers of asbestos since 2001. If you’d like to find out more about how we can help, visit us today at www.ohss.ie. Alternatively, to speak to our team directly, call us today on 01 6905907.

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