Zurich Risk Services research revealed that 83% of 500 companies recently surveyed have no plans in place to deal with the risks associated with asbestos in the workplace.
Zurich said: "This is in spite of the fact that 63% of same companies said that the threat to health would be their biggest concern if they had a problem with asbestos in situ."
The manufacturing sector, where a high percentage of premises were built in the 1920s and 30s when asbestos was a popular building material, should be extra vigilant, added Zurich. But the research revealed that when analysed by business sector a staggering 82% of manufacturers did not follow asbestos management processes.
Roger Cottell, Managing Director of Zurich Risk Services, said, "The fact that 60% of the companies surveyed didn't even know about the new Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations which include a "duty to manage" is extremely worrying. The new Regulations, which were recently signed in the House of Commons, mean that companies must get plans in place." Fears about prosecution were also high. 52% named this as their major cause for concern, but business interruption was also another key anxiety with 49% naming this as a key concern.
