Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what (a) safeguards and (b) other provisions her Department has put in place to help protect (i) police officers and (ii) the public from exposure to asbestos during (A) operational duties when attending incidents in (1) older and (2) derelict buildings where asbestos contamination may be present and (B) other circumstances; and what guidance her Department has issued to the police on ensuring appropriate (a) risk assessments and (b) protective measures are undertaken in such environments.

All police forces in England and Wales are subject to the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 (HSWA) which requires employers to ensure the health, safety and welfare at work of their employees and to ensure their activities do not adversely affect the health and safety of other people. Since 1998, Chief Constables are deemed the employers of police officers and police staff and it is therefore their responsibility to ensure their force complies with the HSWA.

The HSWA places a duty on the police to carry out robust risk assessments which identify significant risks to both policing personnel and the public and set out safe systems of work which specify appropriate control measures, equipment and competencies. This duty applies to police operations in older and derelict buildings where asbestos may be present.