RCN calls for asbestos eradication in healthcare
The Royal College of Nursing is calling for the eradication of asbestos in UK Health and Social Care Facilities. They issued a Position Paper on 4 July 2023.
As a professional trade union, the RCN is committed to raising awareness of asbestos risks in the workplace amongst its members. it is calling on the Government to:
- Provide funding to tackle maintenance backlogs which may be leading to damage or disturbance of asbestos
- Mandate the phased removal of all asbestos in health and social care premises, over a 40 year period. The priority is for the removal of asbestos which is in poor condition and in public areas
- Fund the removal of all asbestos in public buildings where health and social care services are delivered
- Fully resource the HSE in both Britain and Northern Ireland to enable them to proactively inspect health and social care buildings and, where appropriate, take relevant enforcement action.
- Develop a publicly available digitalised central register of asbestos for public buildings, including health and social care premises
- Retain and strengthen existing legislation on the control of asbestos at work
