Posted By Jon Dawson09 Richard The short answer is that it is a moneymaking exercise engendered by the general paranoia over asbestos. Having said that, the Regs do say 'anyone likely to be exposed to asbestos' must receive 'regular' awareness training, so that includes anybody who may set foot on a site that existed say, pre-1990. We have had courses ranging from 1/2 day for 25 blokes (quite cost-effective) to 1 day for a max of 8 (expensive)with basically the same content, and all renewable in one year. I'm afraid we're in the hands of the training companies on this one. I would have thought for general operatives with minimal exposure risk, every 2 years would be plenty. Jon

Posted By Jo O Hi, I looked into this also and the ACoP L143 states certificates should have a validity of no more than 1 year and also states that refresher training should be given at least every year and should be appropriate to the role undertaken. Hope this helps Thanks Jo

Posted By Dave Wilson As a company who deliver this and are members of UKATA, Asbestos Awareness (AA) training certificates 'should not have an expiry date' and UKATA members should not do this.. It has to be repeated every year however the ACoP Does say that for AA this can be done as part of general H&S training i.e a session / toolbox talk. See para 147

Posted By Grahame Richard As you have probably become aware during your research, there is no statutory requirement to use an asbestos training provider who is certificated, accredited or registered in any way. What the HSE requires (as should the client) is that the trainer be COMPETENT. Although membership of UKATA or IATP does not guarantee that you will get a wickedly good training course (or trainer), it does indicate that the provider has been independently audited to confirm that the training meets the requirements of Regulation 10. I have been doing this sort of training for 15 years and, until recent UKATA membership, have never put an expiry date on certificates - in the naive hope that I did such a good job the delegates would remember it all for the rest of their lives.:). When I contacted UKATA for guidance on this I was advised that certificates should have a one year expiry date. In reality, if you question guys who had training 2 or three years ago, you find that on average they have retained perhaps 30% of what was covered in the course. Current UKATA guidelines are that a full asbestos awareness course should be carried out every other year and a certificate issued valid for one year. The individual should receive refresher training in the second year, which may part of a larger health and safety training session, a toolbox talk etc. and need not be conducted by an asbestos specialist trainer. On our certificates we use phrasing along the lines of 'Certificate valid for a period of one year from date of training or for two years when supported by evidence of appropriate refresher training'. This at least makes me feel a little less like I'm trying to extort cash from folk on an annual basis! (see reply from Richard) Hope this helps Grahame