Duty to Manage - Appointed Persons gives greater assurance for Housing Association

2nd March 2020

Duty to Manage - Appointed Persons gives greater assurance for Housing Association

Under Regulation 4 of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006, landlords have the responsibility for the maintenance or repair of non-domestic premises through a tenancy agreement or contract.

With this in mind, a 16-strong team from Coastline Housing, an independent, not-for-profit housing association based in Redruth, Cornwall, have completed a three-day course with Asbestos Training Limited (ATL).

The housing association owns and manages almost 5,000 homes across Cornwall, with many of the properties being older transferred council housing stock. Following the three-day course, more than 5% of the association’s 250-strong workforce is now trained to manage asbestos risk.

Michael Bennett, Head of Property Investment and Compliance at Coastline Housing, who organised the training, explained: “With over half of the 5,000 homes we manage being old local council housing, it’s always a possibility that we’ll encounter asbestos - that’s why I arranged the appropriate training with ATL.”

Mr Bennett a chartered surveyor with 30 years’ experience has worked in the housing sector since 2013. He added: “Our top priority is ensuring our customers’ safety in their homes, which is why it’s crucial for the whole team to be clued up on asbestos and how to manage situations involving it.” 

ATL’s Managing Director Graham O’Mahony personally delivered UKATA-approved Duty to Manage - Appointed Persons course to two groups of 15 Coastline Housing staff at a time at the company’s head office in Redruth.

Michael explained: “Being able to have the training delivered remotely was a huge plus for us, it’s difficult to get members of the team all available for three days out of the office. What makes this course unique is that it’s UKATA-recognised and much more relevant to us than the alternative P405.” The three-day course was also originally developed by Graham and is used throughout the asbestos training sector by UKATA-approved companies. 

The course is designed for people who are responsible for the management of asbestos containing materials in buildings which are defined within the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 (CAR), HSG 264 - Asbestos: The Survey Guide (HSG264) and HSG227.

The regulations require duty holders to identify the location and condition of asbestos in non-domestic premises and to manage the risk to prevent harm to anyone who works on the building or to building occupants. 

Originally, only half the team were booked onto the course but, after Michael saw the quality and level of training provided first-hand, he decided to book it for the whole of his team. 

Michael added: “Graham was a real highlight of the training process with ATL. Not only does he have an extensive knowledge on Asbestos, but he also managed to make each day interesting and keep the whole team engaged for the three-day course - I couldn’t recommend him enough.”

 Michael explained: “Our whole team now has a shared understanding of the problem of asbestos and, even weeks after the training, the course is still a real talking point in the office. It’s without doubt the best asbestos-related training I’ve done, by a long way.” 

ATL’s Duty to Manage - Appointed Persons course is delivered at venues throughout the UK, in-house and at ATL’s head office in Fowlmere in Royston, Hertfordshire. To find out more, please get in touch with a member of the team here.