Asbestos Register
Duty to Manage Explained (CAR 2012)
A plain-English breakdown of UK dutyholder responsibilities: identify, assess, record, manage and communicate asbestos risks — with a workflow that stays inspection-ready.
“Duty to manage” is about preventing exposure to asbestos fibres. That means knowing where ACMs are (or could be), keeping a register, assessing risk, controlling work, and ensuring information reaches the people who need it — especially contractors.
Guide sections
From legal concept to practical workflow.
Who is the dutyholder?
The dutyholder is usually the person/organisation responsible for maintenance or repair of non-domestic premises (or common parts of domestic). In practice this is often the landlord, managing agent, facilities team, or the party with contractual control.
- Clarify control: leases, contracts, managing agents
- Define roles: who updates register, who approves actions
- Keep evidence of governance and review decisions
A practical duty-to-manage workflow
Turn the duty into an operational process: keep records structured, risk-informed, reviewed and communicated. The goal is repeatable compliance — not a one-time document.
1) Identify
Use surveys and knowledge to record known/presumed ACMs with precise locations.
2) Assess
Record condition/accessibility and prioritise items using consistent risk scoring.
3) Manage
Define controls/actions, set review dates, and keep inspection history and outcomes.
Evidence that supports compliance
Inspectors typically want to see the story: what you know, how you control risk, how you review, and what evidence supports decisions. Evidence should be attached to the right record and easy to export.
- Survey references linked to items/areas/buildings
- Photos and documentation of condition/changes
- Review outcomes, actions, and audit trail
Communication: contractors and access
A strong register is useless if the right people can’t access the right information at the right time.
Role-based access
Surveyors, managers and read-only users with clear separation of duties.
Shareable exports
Audit-ready PDFs for contractors, councils, insurers and internal stakeholders.
Inspection readiness
A clear record of what changed, when, and why — with evidence.
FAQ
Dutyholder responsibilities translated into a repeatable system workflow.
Identify (or presume) ACMs, keep an up-to-date register, assess risk, manage controls/actions, review regularly, and communicate information to those who might disturb asbestos.
It’s strongly recommended. An audit trail shows accountability (who changed what and when) and supports inspection readiness.
Use role-based access for internal users and provide controlled, audit-ready exports to external parties. Keep evidence attached to the correct records for fast retrieval.
Want a structured, inspection-ready workflow?
Keep registers, actions, reviews and evidence in one place. Built for UK dutyholders.
Start with a guide
Choose a topic — each page is written to be inspection-ready and easy to action.
