New obligations for 4 million Poles. A major acceleration in asbestos removal.

• During the 27 years of applying the provisions of the old act, only 20% of the inventoried asbestos was removed.
• Companies will need to train workers exposed to asbestos and, if necessary, provide them with appropriate protective clothing.
• It is the responsibility of owners and managers of properties containing asbestos to perform an annual inventory of asbestos-containing products by preparing a physical inventory.

As reported by Prawo.pl, the Ministry of Development and Technology has prepared a draft act on products containing asbestos , which will replace the old act of 19 June 1997 on the prohibition of the use of products containing asbestos.

Over the 27 years of implementing the old law , only 20% of inventoried asbestos has been removed , and it's unknown how much of this harmful substance remains undisclosed, writes Prawo.pl. As it turns out, asbestos can still be found in many building materials used before 2000. This includes, for example, heating pipes in residential buildings.

Poland must accelerate its efforts to remove asbestos, as it is required to do so by an EU directive that must be implemented by December 21, 2025.

By that date, employers will be required to prepare or update risk assessments for employees exposed to asbestos, even indirectly, at work or in their workplace. Ministry estimates indicate that the obligation to update, prepare, and verify occupational risk assessments will apply to up to 4.2 million employees and 54,000 companies using asbestos products.

- writes Prawo.pl.

This concerns industries such as:

• firefighters,
• miners,
• emergency services,
• employees of water and sewage, heating, electricity and transport companies,
• industrial installations where asbestos-containing products are used, and even employees working in buildings where such products are present.

Companies will need to train workers exposed to asbestos and, if necessary, provide them with appropriate protective clothing.

As Prawo.pl writes, certified companies will be able to conduct training, but it is not yet known exactly what such certification will look like, and there is also a fear that there will be no one to train.

However, the Act is not everything; a new regulation must also be issued instead of the one of October 14, 2005, regarding the principles of occupational health and safety during the securing and removal of products containing asbestos and a training program for the safe use of such products - informs Prawo.pl.

According to the draft law, all existing training qualifications obtained under the old regulations would expire in December. Employers would face a wave of mass training.

As a reminder, owners and managers of properties containing asbestos are required to conduct an annual inventory of asbestos-containing products by conducting a physical inventory . This inventory must be completed by completing a special form. Individuals must submit it to the appropriate municipal office by January 31st of each year.

Failure to comply with this obligation is punishable by a fine.

However, the mandatory asbestos inventory varies. According to Prawo.pl, three municipalities in Poland have still not entered any data on asbestos in private individuals into the official electronic Asbestos Database, while as many as 85 municipalities have not shared data on legal entities in their area. According to official data, based solely on inventoried properties, nearly 7 million tons of asbestos still needs to be removed, over 90% of which is owned by private property owners.