The Register is planned to be a list verified by the awarding bodies of all persons holding asbestos survey qualifications. At present, the Royal Society for Public Health and the British Occupational Hygiene Society are the only independent awarding bodies for these specialist qualifications. These qualifications are the Royal Society of Public Health (RSPH) Level 3 Award in Asbestos Surveying qualification and the British Occupational Hygiene Society (BOHS) Surveying and Sampling Strategies for Asbestos in Buildings (P402)

There is a legal requirement that asbestos surveyors are competent, in terms of knowledge, experience and other qualities. The duty-holder has a legal obligation to ensure this. Having been assessed on basic knowledge required to undertake a survey is a minimum requirement of competence, but is not, in itself, enough to prove competence.

The Register of Qualified Asbestos Surveyors is a means by which this minimum standard can be checked. HSE recommends using surveyors working for a UKAS accredited organisation. UKAS accreditation requires further checks on experience and on the quality assurance of surveys, but relies on the individual holding a relevant qualification. This can be checked on the Register and on the UKAS website. 

Full details on accessing the register as a registrant or as a duty-holder will be made available in coming weeks.