ACOP · L143 (2nd ed.)
Managing and Working with Asbestos — Approved Code of Practice L143
An Approved Code sits between the black-letter Regulations and everyday practice. If you follow L143, you will normally be doing enough to comply with CAR 2012. If you depart from it, you must be able to show your alternative gives at least the same standard of safety.
Health and Safety Executive · Second edition, 2013 (reprinted with amendments) · Status: Current
Scope
What it covers.
L143 covers every duty in CAR 2012 — the duty to manage, identification, notification, plan of work, information and training, control measures, monitoring, health surveillance and record-keeping — with practical examples, worked scenarios and the level of detail an HSE inspector will expect on site.
Who it applies to
- Employers and self-employed persons doing any work with asbestos
- Dutyholders under Regulation 4
- Licensed and non-licensed contractors, analysts and surveyors
- Enforcing authorities using it as the yardstick for compliance
Key provisions
The duties, provision by provision.
ACOP has quasi-legal weight
Under section 17 of the Health and Safety at Work Act, failure to comply with an ACOP is not itself an offence, but it is admissible in evidence and the burden shifts to the defendant to demonstrate compliance by an equivalent means.
Prescribes what a competent duty-to-manage regime looks like
Sets out the depth of enquiry expected, the record structure, the review cycle and the accessibility requirements of the register and management plan.
Defines what 'competent' means for surveyors, analysts and dutyholders
References UKAS accreditation (17020 for surveying / inspection, 17025 for testing), BOHS proficiency modules (P402, P403, P404, P405) and dutyholder training expectations.
Prescribes the minimum content of a Reg 7 plan of work
Site, ACM description, controls, decontamination, waste route, emergency procedures — plus the standard for on-site availability during the work.
In practice
How we apply it.
- Every survey and consultancy report we issue cross-references L143 where it applies, so a client can defend the report against inspection.
- Our surveyors hold the BOHS proficiency modules L143 identifies for competent survey work; certification is auditable on request.
- Consultancy retainers include an annual internal audit against L143 with corrective actions logged in the register.
FAQs
Common follow-up questions.
Is L143 mandatory?
Not in itself. But if you depart from it and an incident occurs, you must prove your alternative gave the same standard of safety. In practice, following L143 is the pragmatic route to compliance.
What editions exist?
The current L143 is the second edition (2013), a consolidation of the earlier L127 (duty to manage) and L143 (work with asbestos). It has been reprinted with minor amendments; there is no proposed third edition at the time of writing.
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