While the property owner generally has the primary responsibility for managing asbestos within a building, a Facility Manager plays a crucial role in ensuring safety and compliance by acting on behalf of the duty holder, often assisting with implementation of asbestos management plans and arrangements with contractors.

Here’s a more detailed explanation:

• Duty Holder:

The property owner typically has the primary responsibility (duty holder) to effectively control, manage, or remove asbestos in the building, ensuring all work complies with regulations.

• Facility Manager’s Role:

The facility manager, acting on behalf of the duty holder (the property owner), oversees building operations and ensures safety and functionality. This includes managing asbestos-related issues, such as:

• Ensuring Compliance:They must ensure that the duty holder complies with asbestos regulations.
• Developing and Implementing Asbestos Management Plans:They help ensure that an asbestos management plan is in place, outlining how asbestos will be managed and handled.
• Arranging with Contractors:They make arrangements with asbestos contractors to manage or remove asbestos, acting on behalf of the duty holder.
• Routine Inspections:Conducting routine safety inspections to identify potential asbestos hazards.
• Maintaining Records:Ensuring that records relating to asbestos management are maintained.
• Supervising Asbestos Work:Overseeing asbestos-related work to ensure it’s conducted safely and according to regulations.

• Workplace Health and Safety:

If a facility manager is also the person with management or control of the workplace, they have the responsibility to ensure that an asbestos register is prepared and kept at the workplace.

• Communicating Concerns:

If a worker is concerned about asbestos in their workplace, they should first alert their employer or health and safety representative, and if that fails, they can contact the work health and safety regulator.