HSE Publishes Asbestos Control Limit Review: GB Limit Stays at 0.1 f/ml
The Health and Safety Executive has today published its review of Great Britain’s asbestos control limit. The conclusion: the GB limit will remain at 0.1 fibres per millilitre, measured as a 4-hour time-weighted average. While some stakeholders continue to argue for a lower limit in GB, the HSE’s position is that the current framework – if properly applied – remains effective.
The review was undertaken in response to the EU’s decision to reduce its own occupational exposure limit for asbestos, and the 2022 Work and Pensions Committee report on HSE’s approach to asbestos management. With the EU having introduced a tenfold reduction to 0.01 f/ml due to take effect from December 2025, some will question whether GB should follow. HSE’s answer, for now, is no – and the reasoning is worth understanding.
It’s not a like-for-like comparison
The GB and EU limits are not directly comparable. The EU framework combines a significantly lower exposure limit with existing control measures. The GB framework applies the hierarchy of controls – avoiding disturbance where possible, using methods such as wetting and removing materials intact, with RPE as a final safeguard. The GB limit is based on a 4-hour TWA, whereas the EU uses an 8-hour TWA, making direct comparison between the two limits less straightforward.
What the evidence actually showed
HSE’s Chief Scientific Adviser Professor Andrew Curran summarised the position clearly: “We have thoroughly examined the available science and consulted extensively with experts across the sector, and our conclusion is that the current framework provides the most effective protection for workers.”
The review found that where requirements are followed, most asbestos work already reduces exposure to well below the control limit. There are also practical measurement difficulties at lower concentrations that would make a reduced limit harder to implement and enforce, particularly given the technical limitations of standard phase contrast microscopy at very low fibre concentrations. And crucially, lowering the limit could significantly increase the proportion of work falling into licensable categories, imposing significant costs on businesses without a corresponding reduction in exposure risk.
The headline finding is pointed: training, competence, site discipline and regulatory enforcement have greater influence on reducing asbestos exposure risks than changing numerical limits.
What this means in practice
The legal framework under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 (CAR 2012) is unchanged. But the message from this review is clear – HSE’s focus will remain on the quality of asbestos management on the ground, not just paper compliance. For duty holders, it’s a timely prompt to honestly assess whether training, supervision and site discipline are genuinely up to scratch.
HSE will continue to monitor emerging evidence and international developments, including the EU’s planned further review in 2029.
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