Asbestos Competent Person (ASI works)
Planning and supervision of demolition, renovation and maintenance work on asbestos, exposure assessment, containment and protective measures, disposal records. Qualified per TRGS 519, work governed by GefStoffV.
TRGS 519 · GefStoffV
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What does an Asbestos Competent Person do?
An Asbestos Competent Person, in German a Sachkundige Person under TRGS 519, plans and supervises demolition, renovation and maintenance work on asbestos-containing material, known as ASI works. The legal frame sits in the Gefahrstoffverordnung (GefStoffV): § 11 GefStoffV restricts the use of asbestos and the activities permitted on it, § 11a GefStoffV sets the requirements for the work that remains lawful. Technical rule TRGS 519 spells out the procedures and protective measures. Asbestos is a category 1A carcinogen, so the work is tightly regulated.
The job starts well before the site does. Under § 11a Abs. 1 GefStoffV, before work begins the employer checks the information supplied by the client, takes the construction start or year into account, establishes whether the intended activities are permitted at all under § 11 and whether they can release asbestos fibres, determines whether the work falls in the low, medium or high risk band, and draws up a work plan under Anhang I Nummer 3.2 GefStoffV. Under § 11a Abs. 5 Satz 1 Nr. 1 GefStoffV that hazard assessment, the choice of protective measures and the worker instruction must be carried out by a person holding the Sachkunde of Anhang I Nummer 3.7.
Before work begins, § 11a Abs. 4 GefStoffV requires notification to the competent authority at least one week in advance; TRGS 519 Nummer 3.2 Absatz 1 states seven days and adds a copy to the statutory accident insurer. A firm needs authorisation under § 11a Abs. 3 GefStoffV for high-risk work, or a permit under § 11a Abs. 4a GefStoffV for demolition in the low or medium risk band. The competent person also confirms that the occupational health assessment under the ArbMedVV is in place and that the hazardous waste route is settled.
This is not a paperwork role. Under § 11a Abs. 5 Satz 1 Nr. 2 GefStoffV the supervising person, who holds the same Sachkunde and has authority to give instructions, must be present on site throughout the work. Authority inspections tend to find the same things: a work plan copied from a template that does not fit the building, a notification dated after work started, missing instruction and health-assessment records, and a project file in which the chain from removal to authorised disposal is not evidenced end to end.
Core duties of an Asbestos Competent Person
- Assess the building substance under § 11a Abs. 1 GefStoffV, take the construction year into account, and identify the type, condition and quantity of asbestos.
- Prepare the written work plan under § 11a Abs. 1 Satz 1 Nr. 6 GefStoffV in conjunction with Anhang I Nummer 3.2.
- Determine the low, medium or high risk band under § 11a Abs. 1 Satz 1 Nr. 5 GefStoffV and set the protective measures under Anhang I Nummer 3.3.
- Set up black/white zones, negative-pressure enclosures and decontamination units as required by TRGS 519.
- Specify and enforce respiratory protection and personal protective equipment on site.
- File the notification under § 11a Abs. 4 GefStoffV at least one week before work starts, seven days under TRGS 519 Nummer 3.2, with a copy to the accident insurer.
- Ensure workers hold the occupational health assessment under ArbMedVV and the qualification required by § 11a Abs. 5 Satz 1 Nr. 3 GefStoffV.
- Organise clearance air measurement under TRGS 519 before releasing the area.
- Document disposal as hazardous waste and keep disposal records (Entsorgungsnachweise).
- Maintain the project file and exposure documentation for the retention period.
Qualification and appointment
The GefStoffV asks for two separate qualifications on asbestos work. Under § 11a Abs. 5 Satz 1 Nr. 1 GefStoffV the hazard assessment, the choice of protective measures and the worker instruction must be carried out by a person holding the Sachkunde of Anhang I Nummer 3.7; where the employer lacks it, a competent responsible person must be named inside the firm. Under Nr. 2 the work must be supervised by a person with authority to give instructions who holds the same Sachkunde and is present on site throughout. Under Nr. 3 the work may only be carried out by employees holding the qualification of Anhang I Nummer 3.6.
The Sachkunde certificate is obtained under Anhang I Nummer 3.7 Absatz 1 GefStoffV by completing a state-recognised course, which under Absatz 2 includes a theoretical examination on its essential content. Certificates run for six years from their date under Absatz 3; attending a state-recognised refresher course within that period extends validity by a further six years from the date of the refresher.
The firm needs its own permissions on top. High-risk work requires authorisation from the competent authority under § 11a Abs. 3 GefStoffV, granted for a maximum of six years. Demolition in the low or medium risk band requires a permit under § 11a Abs. 4a GefStoffV, which the Abs. 3 authorisation already includes. For activities with exposure below 1,000 fibres per cubic metre, § 11a Abs. 6 GefStoffV disapplies paragraphs 1 to 5 and calls instead for the dust-reduction measures of Anhang I Nummer 2.3.
- Demolition, renovation or maintenance disturbing asbestos-containing material that can release fibres under § 11a Abs. 1 Satz 1 Nr. 4 GefStoffV.
- Removal of asbestos cement, sprayed coatings, insulation or floor adhesives.
- High-risk work, for which the firm needs authorisation under § 11a Abs. 3 GefStoffV.
- Demolition in the low or medium risk band, requiring a permit under § 11a Abs. 4a GefStoffV.
- Expiry of the six-year validity of a Sachkunde certificate under Anhang I Nummer 3.7 Absatz 3 GefStoffV.
- Discovery of previously unknown asbestos during other works.
Where Asbestos Competent Persons are required
- Demolition and dismantling
- Building renovation and refurbishment
- Facility and property management
- Construction and trades
- Roofing and facade work
- Industrial plant maintenance
- Housing associations and landlords
- Public buildings and infrastructure
How CIVAC supports the Asbestos Competent Person role
CIVAC keeps the asbestos competent person as its own role record: the appointment, the Sachkunde certificate, the deputy and the handover sit in one place, and the history survives a change of person. Task templates follow the sequence of an ASI project, from exposure assessment and work plan through notification to the authority and the accident insurer and the ArbMedVV health assessment, to clearance measurement, release and disposal record. Every task carries a due date and a reminder, including the refresher for the Sachkunde certificate.
Training is evidenced per person, so worker instruction before the job can be shown rather than asserted. Work plans, notifications, measurement results and disposal records (Entsorgungsnachweise) sit in the documentation area per project, and the append-only audit trail carries every change forward. An inspection then meets a file instead of a folder search. Data is held in the EU. Employers who cannot fill the role internally can commission an external appointment through CIVAC. The price is 49 euro per role per month.
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