Posted By NIGEL REE Does anyone else feel that there is a general lack of knowledge by the smaller buisinesses regarding the need by the 21st of May to have a register in place of all ACM's in their premises. I have talked to several in the past few days who have no idea of these new duties.

Posted By Michael Daly I have to agree with both Nigel and Paul on this, the general level of awareness is very low. I've had one factory owner tell me he would prefer me not to visit his factory to see if it contains asbestos because it would create a problem for him if it is confirmed "better let sleeping dogs lie". As far as the 21 May goes for CAWR2002 although the HSE has a web-site section dealing with the regulations and publishes a number of leaflets and ACOPs the level of publicity is low. Considering "Asbestos is the greatest single cause of work related deaths in the UK" I would have expected a much higher profile awareness campaign. In addition if you read the Regulatory Impact Assessment the HSE appear to suggest a period of five to ten years before all premises are surveyed.