Question: We have asbestos at our workplace that is all clearly identified. It is on our register, we have put in steps to inform appropriate people, etc. However, we are struggling with one aspect.

Part of our management plan is to inspect the areas on a regular basis, but everything we read says that a competent person must do this inspection. Our understanding is that the inspection in question is a straightforward visual inspection – to confirm there are no cracks or chips and all is as it should be.

However, who is a competent person in this instance? We are not asking them to verify it is asbestos just verify the integrity of the object (i.e. a pole) is intact.

Our feeling is that a competent person in this case is someone who sees the area on a regular basis, such as our Head of Grounds.