Asbestos Medical Requirements
A single reference point for the key requirements that apply to asbestos medicals in the UK, the duty, the intervals, who carries out examinations and the records that must be kept.
The legal basis for asbestos medicals
The requirement for asbestos medical surveillance comes from regulation 22 of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012. It places a duty on employers to ensure that employees carrying out qualifying asbestos work are under adequate medical surveillance by a relevant doctor.
Self-employed people doing qualifying work are responsible for their own surveillance. Lower-risk, non-notifiable work does not carry the same statutory medical surveillance duty.
What applies to which work
| Requirement | Licensed work | Notifiable non-licensed work (NNLW) |
|---|---|---|
| Medical surveillance | Required | Required |
| Examination interval | at least every 2 years | at least every 3 years |
| Who carries it out | HSE-appointed doctor | A relevant doctor (registered, with a licence to practise) |
| Chest examination | Required | Required |
| Health record retention | 40 years | 40 years |
| Certificate retention | 4 years | 4 years |
Who carries out the examination
Licensed work, HSE-appointed doctor
Medicals for licensable work must be carried out by an HSE-appointed doctor (a “relevant doctor” as defined for licensed work).
NNLW, a relevant doctor
Medicals for notifiable non-licensed work can be carried out by a wider group, a suitably registered doctor with a licence to practise, as well as an HSE-appointed doctor.
One-way cross-acceptance
A licensed-work medical is accepted as valid for NNLW. An NNLW medical is not accepted for licensable work.
Records that must be kept
- Health record, kept for 40 years from the date of the last entry.
- Certificate of medical examination, kept for 4 years.
- Medical record, confidential clinical findings, held by the doctor.
Employers must give workers access to their own health records. The long retention period reflects how long asbestos-related conditions can take to develop.
- Who holds the health record
- The employer
- Who holds the medical record
- The examining doctor
- Worker access
- To their own health record
- Who pays
- The employer (for employees)
Where the requirements come from
For the authoritative position, always refer to HSE guidance and the regulations.
Requirements FAQs
Where a worker carries out licensable or notifiable non-licensed asbestos work, the employer has a duty under regulation 22 of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 to ensure they are under adequate medical surveillance. Lower-risk non-notifiable work does not carry the same statutory medical surveillance duty.
Medicals for licensable work must be carried out by an HSE-appointed doctor. Medicals for notifiable non-licensed work can be carried out by a relevant doctor, a suitably registered medical practitioner with a licence to practise, as well as by an HSE-appointed doctor.
The employer must keep a health record for each worker under surveillance for 40 years from the date of the last entry. The certificate of medical examination is kept for 4 years.
For employees, the regulations place the duty to arrange and fund medical surveillance on the employer. Examinations should take place during the worker's normal working hours. Self-employed workers carrying out qualifying work are responsible for arranging their own surveillance.
Need to arrange an asbestos medical?
Tell us the type of work and how many people need examining. We will help you arrange the right medical surveillance and send a clear quotation.
Important: This page is general guidance about occupational asbestos medicals in the UK and is not medical or legal advice. It does not diagnose or treat any condition. Confirm your specific duties with a qualified occupational health professional or by consulting HSE guidance.