Asbestos in NHS buildings: what NHS staff need to know
By Louise Church, Staff Side Co-Chair, NHS Staff Council Health, Safety and Wellbeing Group, and Liz Darlison, CEO, Mesothelioma UK.
New educational resources for staff
Many NHS staff work in buildings where asbestos-containing materials may still be present. Knowing what asbestos is, how it is managed and what to do if you have concerns can help staff feel informed and confident at work.
The NHS Staff Council Health, Safety and Wellbeing Group launches new educational resources for asbestos awareness, Louse and Liz explain how to use them and why this is important.
The resources are aimed at staff who work in buildings where asbestos-containing materials may be present, but whose roles do not involve maintenance, construction, or other work that could disturb the building.
The aim is not to make every worker an asbestos expert. Instead, the slides help staff understand:
- what asbestos is and where it may be found
- how asbestos risks are assessed and managed
- why materials containing asbestos should not be disturbed
- the responsibilities around managing asbestos safely
- where to find information about asbestos locally
- what to do if they think asbestos-containing materials have been damaged or disturbed.
Why asbestos awareness matters
Many NHS buildings were built before asbestos was banned in the UK in 1999, so asbestos-containing materials may remain present within parts of the NHS estate.
When these materials are in good condition and appropriately managed, they do not present a significant risk to people using the building. The important thing is that they remain undisturbed and be managed safely.
Knowledge is empowering, not alarming
As staff side co-chair of the NHS Staff Council Health, Safety and Wellbeing Group, Louise Church understands that conversations about asbestos can sometimes cause anxiety. But raising awareness is not about creating alarm.
Most NHS staff will never come into direct contact with asbestos during their day-to-day work. What is important is that people are aware that asbestos may be present in some buildings, understand how it is managed and know what to do if they believe materials have become damaged or disturbed.
Giving staff clear, accessible information can help them feel reassured and confident that appropriate arrangements are in place to keep them safe.
Why education matters
For Liz Darlison, CEO of Mesothelioma UK, greater awareness is an important part of preventing asbestos related diseases.
Having spent decades supporting people affected by mesothelioma, Liz explains:
"Every person diagnosed with mesothelioma will always say to us, 'Do what you can to help prevent this happening to other people.' We've been on a mission to raise awareness of asbestos and its ongoing presence in hospitals and healthcare environments and to raise awareness among the people employed to work in those areas."
Research also shows why this awareness matters. The Healthcare Staff Mesothelioma Asbestos Guidance Study (MAGS) found that healthcare workers continue to develop mesothelioma linked to occupational asbestos exposure. It highlighted the need for a clearer picture of the scale of the issue and recommended including asbestos awareness in NHS staff induction and training.
This is why providing staff with clear, practical information is important. Awareness is not about suggesting that everyone working in an NHS building is at immediate risk. It is about helping staff understand asbestos, how it is safely managed and what to do if they have a concern.
Reflecting on her own NHS career, Liz says:
"In all of the 42 years I have worked for the NHS, I have undertaken scores of mandatory and refresher training, never once have I had any health and safety awareness training about asbestos, what it might look like, where I might find it in my hospital, or what to do if I was worried about a material being in a poor state of repair."
For Liz, giving staff the right information is part of being a responsible employer:
"We're not being alarmist, we're being responsible. We're being responsible by actually taking a lead on educating the NHS workforce. Knowledge is power."
Making the resources work locally
Every NHS workplace is different, so the slide deck has been designed to be flexible. Employers can adapt it to include local information, such as:
- asbestos registers
- how staff should report a concern
- emergency procedures
- local estates management arrangements.
This means organisations can give their staff practical information that is relevant to where they work, while keeping the core messages about asbestos awareness consistent.
Working together to create safer workplaces
The development of these resources reflects the collaborative approach of the NHS Staff Council Health, Safety and Wellbeing Group, bringing together employers, trade unions and professional organisations to support the health, safety and wellbeing of NHS staff.
We hope they will encourage conversations about asbestos management, help workers understand the arrangements in place within their organisation, and support employers in providing the information employees need to work safely and confidently.
Awareness is not about creating fear. It is about ensuring that people have the knowledge to recognise concerns, report issues promptly and contribute to a safe working environment for everyone.
The educational slides and accompanying resources are available through the NHS Staff Council Health, Safety and Wellbeing Group asbestos resource pages. We encourage NHS organisations to use them to support asbestos awareness across their workforce.
