HSE confirms targeted reform of the asbestos regulations. Here is what contractors should do now.
At its annual meeting on 28 July 2026, HSE said it will pursue targeted reforms of the Control of Asbestos Regulations. The same day, the National Asbestos Taskforce wrote to the Prime Minister calling for asbestos to be treated as a public health priority. There is no timetable yet, but the direction is clear, and the contractors who prepare now will be the ones buyers and AI tools trust when it lands.
- HSE chief executive Sarah Albon told the regulator's AGM on 28 July 2026 that it will pursue targeted reforms of CAR 2012 where evidence shows more action is needed, backed by a prioritised research programme.
- No timetable, scope or consultation date was given.
- HSE also said it will use section 37 of the Health and Safety at Work Act to hold third-party advisers to account when duty holders rely on poor advice.
- On the same day the National Asbestos Taskforce, including ARCA, wrote to the Prime Minister calling for the 2022 Work and Pensions Committee recommendations to be implemented.
- Clients will ask what reform means for them. Clear, current content on your website makes you the contractor they ask.
What HSE actually said
Setting out its plans for 2026 to 2027 at the annual general meeting on 28 July, HSE chief executive Sarah Albon said the regulator's asbestos work would include targeted reforms of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 where evidence shows further action is needed to reduce exposure, alongside a prioritised research programme to build the evidence base. As ARCA News reported in its autumn issue, that was the only substantive reference to asbestos in a meeting of almost two hours. There was no timetable, no indication of which regulations are in scope and no consultation date.
The same meeting confirmed 14,000 ill health inspections this year, including 1,600 on respiratory risks. Engineered stone and silica received far more airtime, which is a reminder that respiratory hazards are firmly on HSE's inspection agenda.
The point every adviser should note
One exchange matters to anyone who relies on, or provides, specialist advice. HSE's director of regulation said the regulator would use section 37 of the Health and Safety at Work Act to hold third-party advisers to account where a duty holder fails to comply because it relied on their advice. For surveyors, analysts, consultants and occupational health providers, poor advice now carries a clearer route to personal and corporate accountability. For clients, it strengthens the case for choosing advisers whose competence is easy to verify.
The pressure from outside the regulator
On 28 July the National Asbestos Taskforce, which brings together victim support organisations such as Mesothelioma UK, trade unions, researchers and industry bodies including ARCA, wrote to the Prime Minister. The letter asks for asbestos to be treated as a public health issue, for the Work and Pensions Committee's 2022 recommendations to be implemented and for reform of how asbestos is regulated and enforced. It also argues that management alone will not prevent future exposure and calls for a phased removal programme, starting with high-risk and damaged materials.
HSE's own statistics recorded 2,146 mesothelioma deaths in Great Britain in 2024. Whatever shape reform takes, the political and public attention on asbestos in schools, hospitals and workplaces is rising, not falling.
When reform is announced, clients will search for what it means for them.
A short, regularly updated "regulations and guidance" page on your site, written for duty holders, is the kind of content Google ranks and AI assistants quote. It is part of the monthly work on our SEO and AI visibility plan.
What contractors should do now
None of this changes your legal duties today. It does change what buyers will be asking about, and it rewards firms that can show competence clearly.
- Keep your credentials current and checkable. Licence number and expiry, memberships and accreditations in text, linked to the registers. Our guide to showing credentials so machines can verify them sets out how.
- Publish a plain-English guidance page for duty holders: the duty to manage, when a survey is needed, what licensed work involves. Link to HSE's duty to manage guidance and keep it dated.
- If you advise clients, make your competence visible: named people, qualifications and the scope of any accreditation. The difference matters, as we explain in competence, accreditation and certification explained.
- Add a short news section and update it when consultation opens. Timely, accurate updates are one of the clearest signals of expertise for search engines and AI tools, as we cover in how AI search chooses asbestos companies.
When the rules change, buyers search first and call second.
Regulatory change sends duty holders, facilities managers and procurement teams looking for answers. More of them now start with an AI assistant: "what does asbestos regulation reform mean for my school" or "which contractors near me are up to date". The contractors those tools name are the ones whose websites carry current, specific, verifiable information.
Most asbestos contractor websites were built years ago and have not changed since. They have nothing to say about reform, nothing an AI tool can quote and no credentials it can verify. Getting a new website in place before consultation opens, and keeping it current with monthly AI visibility work, puts you in the answer rather than behind it. The detail is in how AI search chooses asbestos companies.
Sources: ARCA News, Issue 133, Autumn 2026, reporting HSE's annual general meeting of 28 July 2026 and the National Asbestos Taskforce letter of the same date; HSE statistics.
Questions this raises
Is the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 changing?
HSE said on 28 July 2026 that it will pursue targeted reforms where evidence shows more action is needed to reduce exposure. It has not yet said which parts are in scope or when consultation will start.
What is the National Asbestos Taskforce asking for?
Implementation of the Work and Pensions Committee's 2022 recommendations, reform of asbestos regulation and enforcement, and a phased programme to remove asbestos from UK buildings, starting with high-risk and damaged materials.
Can asbestos consultants be held responsible for bad advice?
HSE has said it will use section 37 of the Health and Safety at Work Act to hold third-party advisers to account where a duty holder fails to comply because it relied on their advice.
Be the contractor clients find when the rules change.
Run the free check to see whether your website answers the questions duty holders are about to ask, and get a personal review within one working day.
