The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has confirmed its policy position on Great Britain’s (GB) asbestos control limit (CL), following a comprehensive review of international scientific, technical, and workplace evidence. Concluding in December 2025, the review found no clear evidence that lowering the current statutory limit would reduce present or future exposures or improve health outcomes for workers. This decision maintains the existing framework designed to protect individuals from asbestos risks across GB.
Current evidence shows no benefit in reducing exposure limit
The extensive review was initiated in response to a recommendation from the 2022 Work and Pensions Committee (WPC) report, which scrutinised the HSE’s approach to asbestos management. It also considered the European Union’s (EU) decision to lower its equivalent occupational exposure limit (OEL), effective from 21 December 2025. While the EU’s OEL is currently 0.1 fibres per millilitre (f/ml) as an 8-hour time-weighted average (TWA), it will reduce to 0.01 f/ml, with further reductions planned for 2029.
In contrast, Great Britain’s current asbestos control limit stands at 0.1 f/ml, measured as a 4-hour TWA, a standard that has been in place since 1970 and is enshrined in the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 (CAR 2012). This 4-hour limit is historically viewed as more conservative than an 8-hour limit, as it averages exposure over a shorter timeframe. Calculating exposure over four hours is considered to better reflect real-life working practices and typically results in a higher reported fibre concentration compared to averaging the same exposure over an eight-hour period.
The control limit in Great Britain serves a crucial role within the legal definition and framework for higher-risk work involving asbestos, known as licensed work. Such work can only be undertaken by contractors who hold a specific licence from the HSE and are mandated to adhere to stringent requirements. These include notifying the HSE before commencing work, implementing appropriate control measures such as protective equipment, completing an independent four-stage clearance process, and conducting personal exposure monitoring and regular medical checks for all workers involved.
These comprehensive requirements form an integral part of a robust regulatory framework that aims to prevent asbestos exposure wherever possible. Where prevention is not feasible, the framework ensures that exposure is kept as low as reasonably practicable (ALARP). It is important to note that the control limit is not intended as a threshold below which exposures and the consequent long-term cancer risks are deemed acceptable. Instead, it forms part of a broader strategy to minimise all asbestos exposure.
All work involving asbestos in Great Britain, whether categorised as licensed or non-licensed, is governed by a framework that rigorously applies the hierarchy of controls. Dutyholders are expected to avoid disturbing asbestos materials whenever possible. When work is necessary, they must utilise methods designed to reduce fibre release, such as wetting materials, removing them intact, and employing shadow vacuuming techniques. Respiratory protective equipment (RPE) is considered a final safeguard, used when other controls cannot fully eliminate exposure risks. Lower-risk activities, classified as non-licensed work, are managed through proportionate controls that accurately reflect the reduced exposure risk associated with them.
The HSE’s review also highlighted fundamental differences in approach between Great Britain and the European Union regarding asbestos control. Unlike GB’s exposure limits, which are underpinned by the ALARP principle to actively reduce exposures at source, the EU’s approach to asbestos control places a greater emphasis on the use of RPE for worker protection. EU OELs are primarily designed to protect workers over a working lifetime, whereas GB’s framework prioritises controlling the release of asbestos fibres at the source.
The comprehensive review meticulously assessed whether there was sufficient evidence to inform a decision, and subsequently, whether the control limit should be lowered based on this evidence. It drew upon a wide array of sources, including findings from the 2022 WPC report, the HSE’s 2017 and 2022 post-implementation reviews (PIRs), extensive HSE and industry expertise, and the latest international scientific and technical data. The consistent conclusion across all these sources was that no compelling evidence currently exists to justify a reduction in the statutory control limit.
Originally published by the Health and Safety Executive.
